Steen recalls the beginning of his career: One day a woman called Paddy Brosnan went to Smithfields to buy some meat.
One day I was in the photographers' rest room, where they had their lockers, when the picture editor Harry Deverson, came in.
Hardy taught him not just about taking photos but also the importance of punctuality, being smart, wearing clean shoes and, above all, the love of the job.
Between the ages of 15 and 18, when Steen's friends were going out to pubs and parties, he was out and about, with a borrowed camera taking pictures around London by day and by night.
In June 1954, Steen began his National Service, spending the first few months in Germany as an Army photographer.
From his base in Ismialia, Egypt, he was sent by the War Office to cover many stories in the Middle East; Cyprus, Libya, Aden and Somalia.
The publication was founded by Hugh Cudlipp, who gave Steen an assignment to photograph a woman delivering her own baby under hypnosis.
[3][4] He began to work for Queen magazine in 1962, and soon afterwards such publications as The Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph and Nova.
[5] He focused on photographing film stars, actors, criminals, politicians, prime ministers and many men, women and children going about their everyday lives.