A British fine art photographer and adventurer has etched his name into the history of photographic expeditions by setting a new record for completing the Cape to Cape journey, a 20,000km overland route from Norway to South Africa while capturing it all on camera.
Johns Balsdon led a team of 6 adventurers from Nordkapp, Norway – the most northerly point in Europe to Cape Agulhas, South Africa, the most southerly point in Africa in 28 days and 8 hours, shaving 5 hours off the previous record of 28 days and 13 hours set by a Canadian duo 42 years earlier.
(Image credit: John Balsdon / Always Look Twice)
The team crossed 25 borders and braved a range of challenging terrains, from snow-covered forests in Finland to the deserts of Namibia and Western Sahara, with temperatures in the extremes ranging from -28°C to +48°C across the 4-week journey.
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In setting the new record, Balsdon’s crew also became the first to complete the Cape to Cape route via West Africa, to finish it with two vehicles driving as a convoy and the first to do so towing a trailer.
John Balsdon at Cape Agulhas, South Africa (Image credit: John Balsdon / Always Look Twice)
Breaking the previous record was one thing, but Balsdon and his team did so while also capturing footage of the entire journey on camera, which will be developed into a feature film about the expedition later this year – also a world first.
Balsdon is the man behind Always Look Twice, a fine-art photographic brand with a view of capturing the natural world via a slow, intentional approach. He says the coming feature film, touted for release in the Autumn, will embody this philosophy while highlighting the vast range of landscapes the crew encountered.
Balsdon and the crew set out from Nordkapp, Norway – the most northerly point in Europe (Image credit: John Balsdon / Always Look Twice)
“This was the hardest thing I have ever done, and at times I genuinely questioned whether it was worth it. But the journey concentrated the human experience in almost every sense — visually, emotionally and creatively,” commented Balsdon in a press release.
He added: “Being taken so far beyond my comfort zone for such an extended period taught me an enormous amount about myself, and brought a new clarity to how and when I want to document the countries we passed through.”
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