The Black Leopard … an exceptional photographic wildlife book
Photographer and wildlife conservation enthusiast Will Burrard-Lucas captures the black leopard, the most elusive of all big cats, in this new wildlife coffee table book.
The Black Leopard – My quest to photograph one of Africa’s most elusive big cats, by Will Burrard-Lucas
There are few creatures as gorgeous and elusive as the black leopard. In Africa, these magnificent cats are so rare as to be the stuff of legend. They are individual animals in whom a gene mutation results in excess melanin and an elegant black coat. Most are found in Southeast Asia, where lush vegetation offers them camouflage, but in the semi-arid shrub lands of Africa, black leopards are extraordinarily rare.
But in 2018, Will Burrard-Lucas – who’s love for leopards began during his childhood in Tanzania and propelled him into a career as a wildlife photographer – heard about sightings of a young African black leopard in Kenya. With the help of people from the local community, he succeeded in capturing a series of high-quality photographs of the elusive cat, images which we can see in his stunning book, The Black Leopard.
In the book, Burrard-Lucas tells his story of creativity, entrepreneurship and passion for wild animals, alongside awe-inspiring images of lions, elephants and the black leopard itself.
While the photos of these gorgeous cats, prowling their territory under cover of night, are amazing, there’s more to the book than just astonishing images. It’s also an adventure story that takes place in remote and wild corners of Africa. A lovely book for aspiring and professional photographers and photography buffs, as well as nature and animal lovers, big cat enthusiasts, conservationists and fans of memoir and adventure stories.
The Black Leopard costs R695 and can be ordered from www.hphpublishing.co.za.
About the photographer … Will Burrard-Lucas is an advocate for wildlife conservation and works with various non-governmental conservation organisations, including WWF, African Parks, the Tsavo Trust in Kenya, and the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Programme.
He founded the website WildlifePhoto.com to provide nature photographers with online services, products and educational resources, and, in 2009, created the BeetleCam, a remote-control camera buggy which enables photographers to take close-up photographs of wildlife.
He later created a high-quality camera trap system for photographing rare and nocturnal animals, and is the founder of Camtraptions, a company specialising in products for remote and camera trap photography. His work has been featured in numerous international publications, and it’s no suprise that he has half a dozen or so international photography awards tucked firmly under his creative belt.
