Extreme cameraman Stan Gaskell recalls near-death moments while filming the world’s remote adventures

British extreme cameraman Stan Gaskell has logged 39 countries across two expeditions, filming the adrenaline-fueled journeys of real-life explorers while living in a van nicknamed Nelly. At 24 years old, the North Yorkshire native started freelancing as a camera operator at 16 and got his big break in March 2023 on Project Africa, a mission to document Russell Cook, known as the Hardest Geezer, as he attempted a 10,000-mile journey across the continent. Over the 352 days Gaskell spent behind the lens, he captured sweeping landscapes and intimate moments with locals while chasing a narrative that stretched across seas and deserts.

During the Africa project, Gaskell and his crew faced a sequence that tested their nerve. To avoid a land-based conflict, they decided to haul their 4.5-tonne van onto a rickety cargo boat and cross the Gulf of Guinea in a thunderstorm. The voyage was perilous as waves pounded the vessel and a main supporting beam cracked under stress. Gaskell recalls thinking they might not make it out alive, but after days of tense negotiation with the crew and a desperate bid to keep the van aboard, they finally reached safety in Cameroon. Safe to say we didn't actually drown that day, but it was one of the closest calls either of us has ever faced. The moment underscored a daily reality on expeditions where danger could emerge at any turn.

The Africa trek also tested endurance in extreme landscapes. In Mauritania, a breakdown in the Sahara forced Gaskell and his partner Jamie to split from the main group and rely on roadless routes toward the Algerian border. They battled a sandstorm and fuelled anxiety about being stranded hundreds of kilometers from help. After a long day of travel, they reached a desert outpost where a local mechanic attempted to repair the van; when parts were unavailable, Algerian truckers agreed to tow the vehicle 250 kilometers toward safety. The journey by tow, in which the van nearly sank into sand and water, offered a stark reminder that in remote terrains, camaraderie can be a lifeline. Gaskell says the closer you get to the edge, the more you learn to ride out uncertainty, adopting a mindset that anticipates things going wrong as part of the job.

Back home, Gaskell expanded his role beyond field camera work to support projects in other challenging environments. He served as a creative producer for Project Limitless, documenting Mitchell Hutchcraft's record-breaking effort to complete the longest climb of Mount Everest in history. The eight-month filming itinerary, spanning nine months from September 2024 to May this year, covered 19 countries and about 13,000 kilometers, underscoring how his work straddles travel and adventure storytelling on a global scale. He notes that the appeal lies not in expensive gear but in the human journey—the stories and the people who shape them.

Among the places he has visited, Algeria stands out for its rarely trodden routes and hospitality. Gaskell describes crossing into Algeria as a rare Western encounter in a desert frontier, with communities opening their doors and sharing what they have. That sense of openness, even in the most remote corners of the world, left a lasting impression and continues to influence how he approaches future projects.

When asked for advice on capturing compelling travel videos, Gaskell emphasizes the primacy of story over equipment. He argues that you don’t need fancy cameras or a big budget to tell a powerful travel tale; a phone or a GoPro can suffice if the storyteller taps into the local textures and personal journeys around them. The core, he says, is understanding the narrative you want to tell and letting the people and their experiences drive it, not the gear in your hands.

Gaskell returned from Africa in April 2024 and has since continued to work on high-stakes productions, traveling between continents to document some of the world’s most demanding expeditions. He has clocked 39 countries across two major projects and remains based in North Yorkshire when not on assignment, a residence that anchors a career built on risk, resilience, and storytelling that travels far beyond the camera.