Fine-art photographer John Balsdon’s first trip to the Arab World will tell the untold story of the Kingdom’s unseen landscapes
At the end of January, British fine-art photographer John Balsdon will venture hundreds of miles into Saudi Arabia’s volcanic deserts to capture images of one of the Kingdom’s most visually stunning and least-explored provinces.
From Riyadh to Medina and into the isolated Harrat Rahat volcanic field, with a focus on Harrat Khaybar, Balsdon will shoot ancient lava flows, black basalt formations and sprawling desert vistas, marking his first ever creative project in Saudi Arabia and the Arab region.
“Saudi Arabia felt like the right place to begin,” Balsdon says. “Its landscapes are extraordinary and still largely unseen. I’m drawn to places where the story hasn’t already been told.”
Partnering with a local guide and accompanied by a small film crew, including long-time collaborator and drone pilot Chris Davies, Balsdon will camp out in the desert for several days. His creative approach includes high-resolution aerial photographs taken from a gyrocopter, as well as on-ground filming to capture the environment from multiple perspectives.
“What excites me about Saudi Arabia is the scale and the purity of the landscape,” Balsdon explains. “There’s a rawness to these volcanic regions; they feel untouched, timeless. I hope to show the Kingdom in a way that encourages people to pause and really look, rather than just glance.”
With a reputation for exacting attention to detail and an ability to create scale-disrupting imagery, Balsdon’s work rewards patience – revealing patterns, textures and forms after multiple views. An international lawyer turned fine-art photographer, his ongoing visual project is called “Always Look Twice”.
“I am not into postcard pictures,” he says. “From the air, these volcanic landscapes can seem almost abstract and painterly – until you realise how ancient and real they are.”
The expedition marks Balsdon’s first creative project in Saudi Arabia and the wider Arab world – one driven by personal curiosity rather than a commissioned tourism brief. Logistical support for the journey is being provided by INEOS Grenadier, which is supplying vehicles for the expedition, and Snow Peak, which is providing outdoor equipment, allowing the team to operate self-sufficiently in the desert.
Between 23-24 January, Balsdon will shoot still and moving imagery to be edited into a short film and curated photographic series that provide an artistic perspective of Saudi Arabia’s volcanic heartlands.
“The desert strips everything away,” Balsdon says. “You’re left with light, land and time.”
