Ep 97 - Ben Horton: National Geographic, Extreme Adventure, and Photography That Changes the World.

Ep 97 - Ben Horton: National Geographic, Extreme Adventure, and Photography That Changes the World.

March 18, 2026 · 57 min · Episode 97

About this episode

Tyson Martin interviews Ben Horton, a National Geographic Explorer, about his impactful photography and adventures in extreme environments.

On this episode of The Life of Phys Podcast, Tyson Martin sits down with Ben Horton, a National Geographic Explorer, photographer, and director whose career has been built on one core belief, a photograph can change the world. With over 16 years working with National Geographic, Ben has documented stories across Mongolia, Nepal, Thailand, China, the Canadian Arctic, Haiti, and coastlines throughout the Pacific and Central America. His work sits at the intersection of adventure photography, conservation, and high-level commercial production, making him one of the most versatile storytellers working today. But what truly sets Ben apart is impact. Early in his career, Ben led a powerful photojournalism investigation on Cocos Island, exposing illegal shark poaching operations and tracing the trade across international markets. That work was presented to the President of Costa Rica and directly contributed to the expansion of two national parks and the protection of critical marine ecosystems. From there, his journey has taken him into some of the most extreme environments on earth, including a 60-day dogsled expedition across Ellesmere Island with polar explorer Will Steger…

People in this episode

Host: Tyson Martin

Guest: Ben Horton

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: National Geographic

Places: Thailand, Mongolia, Nepal, China, Canadian Arctic, Haiti, Pacific, Central America, Cocos Island, Costa Rica

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