A DOCUMENTARY about the life of Glasgow-born photographer Harry Benson has been snapped up by a leading independent film distributor.

Magnolia Pictures has acquired the worldwide rights to Harry Benson: Shoot First, three months after its premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival.

Directed by Matthew Miele and Justin Bare, the film features a raft of star names including Sharon Stone, Alec Baldwin, Donald Trump, Henry Kissinger and Ralph Lauren.

Magnolia Pictures is targeting a 2016 theatrical release and plans to launch international sales at the Berlin Film Festival next month.

Mr Benson, 86, has built an impressive body of work in his illustrious career to date including photographs of the Queen, Sir Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr, Muhammad Ali, Greta Garbo, Amy Winehouse and Kate Moss.

He travelled with The Beatles on their inaugural American tour in 1964. One of his most famous images shows the band during a gleeful pillow fight in a hotel room.

Mr Benson has photographed every US president since Dwight D. Eisenhower – 11 in total.

He also documented the construction and demolition of the Berlin Wall, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, the brutal struggle for Civil Rights and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Mr Benson got his start in the business at 16 after his picture of a roe deer was published in Glasgow's Evening Times newspaper.

These days, he splits his time between his New York base and a home in Palm Beach, Florida.

His approach has always been to immerse himself in the heart of events and never shy away from close proximity to the subject matter.

Michael Jackson allowed Mr Benson access to his bedroom, while Elizabeth Taylor granted permission to take photographs of her before and after brain surgery.