"Suddenly I saw a young couple" – Russ Melcher tells the story of his iconic photo from 1956

In late October 1956, a freelance photographer and his friend attempted to enter Hungary during the revolution. After being denied entry at the Czechoslovak border, they learned the Austrian-Hungarian border was open. They managed to cross into Hungary on October 29, after following a local car through the border checkpoint. Upon arrival in Budapest, they found the fighting had ceased, but the Soviet forces would soon return. The photographer struggled to capture meaningful images as the newspapers were not interested in peaceful scenes. He documented the aftermath, including the bodies covered in lime, seeking impactful photographs to convey the situation.