Will Burrard-Lucas

Determination is essential to taking outstanding wildlife photos, but Will Burrard-Lucas takes determination to the next level. Not only does he work on long-term projects, often photographing rare and endangered species, but he has also produced his own equipment for that task, including camera trap systems and the BeetleCam remote-controlled buggy camera. “You just have to go as far as it takes to get the photos you have in mind,” he says.

Will’s most recent project saw him go to even greater lengths: he spent over two years searching for and photographing a rare black leopard in Kenya’s Laikipia County. The stuff of myth and legend, black leopards (also referred to as black panthers) get their striking colouration from an excess of the dark pigment melanin, a recessive genetic variation (melanism) that’s the opposite of albinism.

Will’s leopard photos and story are brought together in his new book The Black Leopard, along with photos of other animals, from wild dogs to rhinos, and a memoir of his life so far, including his childhood in Tanzania, his technological inventions and his work with conservation organisations. Here, he talks about his black leopard quest, the tech innovations of the future, and putting his photography to good use in