12. Levison Wood: Photographer, Author and 'Toughest Man on TV' Reveals the Art of Exploration

Levison Wood - “the toughest man on TV”, is a best-selling author who has written ten books, including ‘Walking the Nile’ and ‘Walking the Himalayas’; he is also the producer of seven critically acclaimed documentaries. As a photographer, Levison has worked in more than 100 countries, capturing his journey and the people he met along the way. Before becoming a photographer, Levison served in the Parachute Regiment for 13 years as a Major of the British Army. A keen conservationist, he is an elected Fellow of both – the Royal Geographical Society and the Explorers Club, and is an ambassador and patron for several charities, including UNICEF. In this episode, Levison reveals how his childhood passion for reading culture and history books resulted in having an adventurous life himself. These historical tales fed an insatiable curiosity to see what the world is about. Richard grills Levison on the high and low lights from navigating the length of the Nile river and the treacherous foothills of the Himalayas. Levison explains how the ability to endure moments of extreme hardship was shaped by time spent in the army. For Levison, photography is an extension of being able to document travel and being in the right place at the right moment - it’s another way of meeting interesting people and telling their stories. Together, Richard and Levison reminisce about the joys of hospitality from strangers around the world and reflect on how the worst travel experiences often make for the best travel stories. *** This episode is brought to you by Kase Filters. I travel the world with my camera, and I can use any photography filters I like, and I've tried all of them, but in recent years I've landed on Kase Filters. Kase filters are made with premium materials, HD optical glass, shockproof, with zero color cast, round and square filter designs, magnetic systems, filter holders, adapters, step-up rings, and everything I need so I never miss a moment. My listeners can get 10% off the Kase Filters Amazon page when they visit beyondthelens.fm/kase and use coupon code BERNABE10