Road to
RECORDS
Two World Record Attempts at F/262
ROAD TO RECORDS by F/262 & MPB
Attempting a World Record at F/262
In 2026, photography marks 200 years since the first permanent image. It is a moment to reflect not only on how far the medium has come, but on its power to connect people, document the world, and shape culture.
To mark this milestone, F/262 is launching Road to Records, an ambitious, community-driven initiative in partnership with MPB.
Together, we will attempt to break two Guinness World Records, transforming photography into a shared, live experience that brings together education, participation, and collective energy.
This is not just about records. It is about creating something meaningful, together.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH MPB
MPB is not just supporting this project, it is enabling it.
As the world’s largest global platform for buying, selling, and trading used photography and video equipment, MPB plays a key role in making photography more accessible and sustainable [4].
For this attempt, that matters.
Because record-breaking is not about theory. It is about performance under pressure, reliability in real conditions, and trust in the tools being used.
This partnership turns Road to Records into something more than an attempt. It becomes a real-world demonstration of what photography can be when access, sustainability, and ambition come together.
Throughout the months leading up to the attempt, MPB will play an active role in the Road to Records journey. Different camera systems, lenses and workflows will be tested in real-world conditions, helping us understand how equipment performs under pressure while exploring the many ways photographers approach speed, portraiture and storytelling. The road itself becomes part of the experiment.
THE RECORD ATTEMPTS
1. Largest Photography Class Ever
A collective moment of learning that brings together institutions, students, and the wider public. A space where knowledge is shared at scale, and photography becomes a truly communal experience.In collaboration with institutions like Instituto Português de Fotografia and Agrupamento de Escolas Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, we will bring together hundreds of participants in a single moment of learning.
2. Most Headshots Taken in One Hour (single photographer)
A high-intensity portrait marathon that explores speed, precision, and human connection, capturing hundreds of individual stories in a single, continuous act. Aiming to surpass the current record of 897 portraits.
INSIDE THE ATTEMPT
What does it actually take to break a world record in photography?
Beyond the final moment, each attempt is shaped by precision, timing, and pressure. Every second matters. Every movement counts. There is no room for hesitation.
For the largest photography class, the challenge is scale, coordination, and clarity. Bringing hundreds of people into a single, shared learning experience.
For the headshot record, it becomes something else entirely. Speed, consistency, focus. A continuous flow of people, each one different, each one requiring presence and attention, all within a fixed window of time.
This is where preparation meets reality. Join us on THE ROAD TO GUINNESS .
THE GEAR JOURNEY WITH MPB
At the heart of this challenge is the equipment that makes it possible.
Throughout Road to Records, we are working with a range of cameras, lenses, and workflows, exploring what performs under real pressure, not in theory, but in practice.
This is not a traditional product showcase. Every camera, lens, and workflow tested throughout Road to Records has a purpose. Some systems prioritise speed. Others prioritise image quality, character, flexibility, or reliability. Through a series of real-world tests and challenges, we will explore what happens when different tools are placed under genuine photographic pressure.
As we prepare for the record attempts, different systems will be tested across a variety of scenarios, from high-speed portrait workflows and large-scale participant management to slower, more deliberate approaches centred on storytelling and image quality. The journey itself becomes part of the experiment.
With the support of MPB, we are able to access and work with equipment in ways that reflect the realities of photographers today: flexible, sustainable, and built around use rather than ownership. Throughout the Road to Records journey, selected cameras, lenses, and accessories supplied through MPB will be tested, compared, and evaluated as part of the preparation process leading up to the official attempts.
Road to Records is also an opportunity to demonstrate a more sustainable approach to photography. By extending the life of cameras and lenses through reuse and recirculation, photographers can access professional equipment while supporting a more circular photographic ecosystem.
Because record-breaking is not only about preparation. It is about understanding which tools perform when every second counts.
Record-breaking is often seen as the pursuit of extremes, but at its core, it is about something much more human, curiosity, persistence, and the desire to go further.
What begins as a challenge can become a platform for connection, learning, and change.
This project embraces that idea, using ambition not just to achieve something measurable, but to create something that resonates.
ROAD TO RECORDS TIMELINE
Phase 1: Experimentation
Exploring different camera systems, lenses and workflows with MPB.
Phase 2: Preparation
Testing speed, consistency and participant flow under real-world conditions.
Phase 3: Refinement
Final workflow optimisation using the systems selected for the official attempt.
Phase 4: Record Day
July 18, 2026.
PURPOSE
To celebrate photography as a tool for connection, education, and shared experience.
We believe photography has the ability to bring people together across generations, backgrounds, and perspectives, creating moments that are both personal and collective.
VISION
To inspire a sense of possibility through photography.
By opening participation to everyone, this project aims to show that ambitious ideas can be achieved collectively, and that creativity can operate at scale without losing meaning.
MISSION
To turn photography into a live, participatory platform.
Through this initiative, we aim to:
- Create large-scale photographic experiences that are open and inclusive
- Engage schools, institutions, professionals, and the public
- Produce meaningful visual narratives rooted in real people and real moments
- Transform participation into long-term cultural and social impact
VALUES
Integrity
Respecting both the process and the standards behind record-making
Collaboration
Working with partners, institutions, and communities to build something larger than any individual effort
Inclusiveness
Ensuring access and participation across all levels of experience
Passion
Driven by a deep belief in the value of photography
Energy
Dynamic, engaging, and alive, reflecting the spirit of the people involved
Road to Records is also an opportunity to demonstrate a more sustainable approach to photography. By extending the life of cameras and lenses through reuse and recirculation, photographers can access professional equipment while reducing waste and supporting a more circular photographic ecosystem.
Every camera and lens used throughout Road to Records demonstrates that professional photographic work does not depend on buying new equipment. Through MPB’s circular model, photographers can access high-quality gear while extending product life cycles and reducing unnecessary waste.
Join us on the Road to Records with MPB
This doesn’t happen in a single moment.
In the lead-up to the attempt, we’ll share the process, testing, preparation, and behind-the-scenes moments as they unfold.
This is about opening the work, not just showing the result.
ROAD TO RECORDS DIARIES
Throughout the preparation period we will document the decisions, challenges, successes and failures that shape the final attempt.
Episode 01 – Choosing the System
Episode 02 – Speed vs Quality
Episode 03 – Can Medium Format Keep Up?
Episode 04 – Building the Workflow
Episode 05 – Final Rehearsal
Episode 06 – Record Day
Explore Equipment Through MPB
The cameras, lenses and accessories tested throughout Road to Records are sourced through MPB’s circular photography platform, demonstrating how professional photography can be both high-performance and sustainable.
Equipment tested during Road to Records will be added here throughout the project.
Every participant becomes part of the final result.
Road to Records is open.
Whether you are a photographer, a student, or simply curious, there are different ways to be involved.
Join the largest photography class.
Be part of the portrait record.
Support the project as a volunteer or collaborator.
This is a collective effort, and every participant becomes part of the final result.
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THE RECORD IN NUMBERS
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+ A second attempt: Largest Photography Class
OFFICIAL ATTEMPT
This attempt follows official Guinness World Records guidelines, including strict documentation, independent witnesses, and validation procedures..
BEYOND THE RECORD
The impact of this project does not end with the final result.
The images, the participation, and the experience will continue through exhibitions, publications, and educational initiatives connected to the festival.
What begins as a record attempt becomes part of a larger cultural archive.
A PERSONAL NOTE
Produced by F/262 & Associação F/SOS
With the support of:
May – September 2026
Caldas da Rainha Portugal
About F/262
F/262 is an international photography festival rooted in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal.
Through exhibitions, talks, education, and public installations, the festival engages contemporary photography with place, community, and the world we share.
©2026 F/262 – Festival Internacional de Fotografia
Produced by Associação F/SOS – Fotografia, Solidariedade e Obras Sociais
English (UK)