British fine-art photographer and explorer John Balsdon announces that he will attempt the legendary 20,000km Cape to Cape road challenge. The route will take him from Nordkapp, Norway, the most northerly point in Europe to Cape Agulhas, South Africa, the most southerly point in Africa. John’s aim is to break the current record of 28 days and 13 hours achieved in 1984, and will be the first person to fully document on film what still remains one of the world’s most challenging long distance driving events.
Crossing 25 borders with no shortcuts, flights or support vehicles, this extraordinary voyage will take John, and a team of 5 others, from Norway through Europe. There they will take a ferry from Spain to Morocco and continue down the western coast of Africa, across 15 African countries, before finishing in South Africa. Spurred by John’s lifelong fascination with the natural world and his thirst for off grid exploration, the record break attempt is not only an extraordinary feat of human endurance, but also a profound artistic mission to document the unexplored natural beauty of the changing landscapes across the countries they travel through.
John said, “This is an extraordinary opportunity to tell the story of one of the world’s most unique and less well-known land routes.” The trip marks the first time the journey will be fully documented through photography, as well as a feature length documentary created in collaboration with Ben Uttley at Stamp Productions.
John and his team will report back from each day of the journey, documenting the ephemeral odyssey across different countries and cultures. The impressive world record attempt is the culmination of John’s commitment to Always Look Twice, which is both the name and philosophy behind his photographic practice. Capturing natural beauty in meticulous detail through his fine art photography, his artistic mission is to encourage people to slow down and cherish the natural world around us.
“The Cape to Cape challenge is my most ambitious expedition to date and one that very few have experienced. I have always aimed to take the road less travelled with my work and feel privileged to be able to capture and share the experience. I firmly believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to discover the world even if they can’t always go and see it themselves.” – John Balsdon
John Balsdon, an accomplished artist and photographer, has created his own photographic practice, known as “Always Look Twice.” He focuses on highly detailed, abstract aerial images that challenge the viewer’s perception of scale and location. Often shooting from helicopters or gyrocopters with high resolution equipment like a 175-megapixel Phase One camera, capturing extraordinary natural patterns and textures. He adheres to a strict rule of not cropping or significantly accentuating his photography, ensuring the final image is a faithful representation of what he saw. This meticulous process results in one final image for every 500 shots taken.
John’s prints, which are often nearly two meters across, invite the viewer to “look twice”—first at the overall abstract image, and then closer to discover intricate details, such as flamingo tracks in a Kenyan lake that initially appear as simple lines. This approach aims to foster a sense of mindfulness and help people recognise the often-overlooked beauty in their own countries, as well as across the world. A multi-layered film by Stamp Productions, complete with a custom musical score, is being created to document not just the Cape to Cape expedition, but the artistic process behind his signature shots.
Follow the journey in real time on: Instagram
