He adds: \u2018The way some of these in-depth National Geographic<\/em> projects… like those of Paul Nicklen, Nick Nichols and Steve Winter, who are really able to go deep into an area and get a groundbreaking set of images, not just the odd image… photographically speaking those would be my biggest inspirations.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t Elephants, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. Canon EOS 5D Mark III,17-40mm, 1\/200sec at f\/4, ISO 400<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n In recent years, Will\u2019s photography has deliberately focused on getting as close as possible to wildlife and developing his own line of products that have helped him to do so. He reveals: \u2018As I was building up the line of products, I started putting stuff online, trying to produce stuff that would get noticed and developing my style. One of the things that appealed to me was this close-up wideangle perspective that is kind of rare in wildlife photography, particularly at a time where you\u2019re used to seeing telephoto shots with a narrow field of view and a shallow depth of field.\u2019<\/p>\n Will adds: \u2018If you can get close, wideangles let you see a lot more of the background and you\u2019ve got a perspective that almost feels like the animal is coming out of the frame towards you. I had experimented with it by crawling up to certain creatures that weren\u2019t very threatening \u2013 things like penguins and meerkats that weren\u2019t going to trample or maul me to death. I liked that perspective and it was something different but, in the back of my mind, I was thinking it would be really cool to be able to do this with some of the big charismatic creatures in Africa, like lions and elephants.\u2019<\/p>\n Instead of crawling towards wildlife, the obvious solution for Will was to develop a contraption that got close to the animals but that he could be in control of. The first invention was his so-called BeetleCam, which \u2018really came from me just sitting down and thinking of the obvious solution… putting my camera on a remote- controlled buggy,\u2019 he says. \u2018So, I built it, booked a trip to Tanzania and it worked out. I managed to get the images I\u2019d hoped for, and when I brought them back and showed them to people, they were very widely published and well received. So I knew there was merit to this idea. Over the years I\u2019ve honed the concept and pushed it much further in terms of the sort of photos I\u2019m getting with it.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t Lion, Zambezi Region, Namibia Canon EOS 700D, 15mm,1\/200sec at f\/8, ISO 800, Camtraptions PIR trigger<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Will\u2019s initial BeetleCam was \u2018pretty basic\u2019, but the concept has now been developed and includes features such as a tilt option and a live video feed. Typically, Will says he gets to \u2018within 30 or 40 metres\u2019 of his subjects and then deploys the camera buggy. \u2018What I do is I have a little \u201cminicam\u201d, which is mounted literally bang below the DSLR\u2019s lens and that\u2019s the video feed I\u2019m seeing back,\u2019 he explains. \u2018I can use that to compose and check that there\u2019s nothing like grass in front of the lens, and make sure that the animal is roughly where I want it to be.<\/p>\n \u2018I set it up beforehand and I let the camera autofocus \u2013 usually I\u2019ll have all focus points selected and I\u2019ll know, so long as my subject\u2019s reasonably central and is the closest thing, that it\u2019s going to focus on it. I\u2019ll usually set a minimum shutter speed because I don\u2019t want any motion blur if the animal moves a bit. I\u2019ll set a minimum shutter speed and if I need a bit more depth of field I\u2019ll stop down a little and maybe use auto ISO to then do the exposure.\u2019<\/p>\n Will triggers the shutter remotely. \u2018I\u2019ve got a switch on the controller \u2013 you go in through the same receiver that controls the buggy, but one of the channels is then dedicated to [triggering the shutter],\u2019 he says. \u2018Basically, it\u2019s simulating pressing a shutter release on the camera.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t Will Burrard-Lucas with his own personal invention \u2013 the BeetleCam<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n As for the equipment that Will uses out in the field, he states: \u2018Canon is my go-to stuff. I use a Canon EOS-1D X (I\u2019m going to get the EOS-1D X Mark II before my next trip), while a 400mm f\/2.8 prime is my favourite lens. Unless it\u2019s a project where I know I\u2019m going to need more reach than that, I will use this lens. In Africa, with the size of the animals and how close you can get [to them], 90% of the time this is what I\u2019ll use.\u2019<\/p>\n Will continues: \u2018I\u2019ve got a whole load of other stuff \u2013 cameras for BeetleCams and camera traps, usually EOS 700Ds up to the EOS 6D and sometimes the EOS 5D, and then wideangle lenses and a 70-200mm. Out in the field I\u2019ll use Sony for some wideangle stuff \u2013 for landscapes and maybe behind-the-scenes shots \u2013 but it is a bit of a hassle having different lens systems.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll never be taken away from the Canon telephotos and things. I have other things like GoPro [cameras] and the Samsung 360 camera that\u2019s just come out. I\u2019ll try all these new technologies, and if there\u2019s a project where one of them is going to be better I\u2019ll certainly use it rather than the Canons. I\u2019ll use whatever\u2019s best for the job!\u2019<\/p>\n Will admits that he has to keep abreast of the capabilities of most of the major camera brands for his products, which include his Camtraptions range of camera traps for fellow wildlife photographers. He reveals: \u2018My plan, in 2013, was to set up a company to build BeetleCams, but actually my bigger focus has been camera traps. BeetleCams are quite a niche product, but there are a lot of people getting into camera traps and [now] my main focus is on the camera trap products.\u2019<\/p>\n Having now developed a \u2018second generation\u2019 of his camera traps, Will explains what\u2019s next on the agenda: \u2018Over the next few months I\u2019ll be releasing these new camera traps. Thereafter, I don\u2019t think I\u2019m going to need much more development of them because I\u2019ve already honed the design that I think is going to have some good longevity.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t Crocodile, North Luangwa National Park, Zambia. Canon EOS 5D Mark III,17-40mm, 1,024secs at f\/4.5, ISO 320<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n In the past, the use of camera traps might have drawn accusations of being a lazy way to photograph wildlife, but Will rebuffs this. \u2018I get that less and less,\u2019 he says. \u2018In the early days, maybe, there were people thinking that, but the fact is you\u2019re still composing a shot, you\u2019re still lighting a shot, you\u2019re still modifying the camera settings \u2013 all those steps that go into taking a photo are still there. The only thing is you\u2019re not pressing the shutter; you\u2019re just waiting for the animal to trigger the shutter itself. I think all the disciplines and the artistic side of photography are still in the camera-trap area \u2013 it\u2019s just in a way much harder because you really have to foresee every eventuality and predict almost anything. So it is a really difficult form of photography.<\/p>\n \u2018All the easy subjects to photograph, such as lions, have been done for years and years, and now people are looking at ways to photograph those more elusive or rare animals or nocturnal creatures that have really been neglected. So obviously camera traps allow you to set up the lighting to get these animals.<\/p>\n \u2018The other thing is just the scalability of it. With a traditional photography project you\u2019re the photographer and you\u2019ve got to sit there all year, and whatever you see in that time is what you come back with. But now with camera traps, if you\u2019re able to invest in 20 or so, you\u2019ll have 20 out there working for you 24 hours a day and you can be somewhere else. It really allows photographers to increase their output, and from a photo story you can just get another level of images because you\u2019ve been able to leverage your time in that way. You\u2019re no longer limited to being one person with one camera.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t Leopards, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. Canon EOS 5D Mark III, 17-40mm, 1\/200sec at f\/11, ISO 800<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n As for the images he produces from his BeetleCams and camera traps, Will explains: \u2018I\u2019m shooting in raw and taking them into Lightroom. I adjust all the normal stuff \u2013 levels, contrast, saturation, colours and localised dodging and burning. Definitely every photo will be worked on in Lightroom, but it\u2019s not a case of compositing or putting in or taking out animals. It\u2019s generally global adjustments and dodging and burning.<\/p>\n \u2018If you post a photo that\u2019s maybe flat on social media versus a photo that \u201cpops\u201d, there\u2019s a massive difference in terms of engagement. For that last step there are maybe a lot of photographers who do feel it\u2019s cheating or something, but it\u2019s 100% necessary. You\u2019re really shooting yourself in the foot if you don\u2019t go that \u201clast mile\u201d. Get the image in a state where it grabs the viewer.\u2019<\/p>\n When quizzed about what he tries to convey in his images, Will says: \u2018I like introducing my audience to animals to try to get them to appreciate animals. I guess it\u2019s to educate people to see the beauty in animals. To be inspired, enthused and hopefully, to make a small difference in the way people think about animals, so maybe they\u2019ll want to go and do something to help a conservation cause. Definitely, it\u2019s about inspiring people to take notice and to find an appreciation for these animals that I love… and hopefully to make a bit of a difference that way.\u2019<\/p>\n\t\t A meerkat takes advantage of the situation as Will shoots in Botswana<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n Taking his career experiences into account, what would be the best advice that Will can give to aspiring wildlife photographers? \u2018It\u2019s so difficult if you can\u2019t focus on something you can own and produce something so in-depth that it is unrivalled,\u2019 he says. \u2018If you try to compete with all the established photographers just by photographing the same things as them, then you\u2019re not going to stand a chance. By really owning something different, that maybe hasn\u2019t been focused on before and doing that better than anyone else, or in more depth than anyone else, that\u2019s the way you can really progress in this industry. Also, in this day and age, being able to\u00a0 market yourself and use the internet is important because I don\u2019t think you stand a chance if you don\u2019t really embrace that and use that to magnify your reach.\u2019<\/p>\n As for his key motivations, Will reveals: \u2018On the photography and travel side I just love being out exploring wild areas and being face-to-face with wild animals \u2013 that\u2019s when I really feel alive. I\u2019m quite lucky that I can split my time between being out, away from it all, in the wild, and then running what\u2019s basically a start-up with all the marketing that goes into that.<\/p>\n \u2018I couldn\u2019t choose between the two, and it\u2019s this combination of having both that makes me tick. It leads to challenges, because running a business when you\u2019re cut off in the wilderness is pretty challenging. It\u2019s not been the easiest path, but I wouldn\u2019t give up.\u2019 For those who have seen Will\u2019s pictures or who have used his products, this is probably a very good thing!<\/p>\n![\"Will](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Will-Burrard-lucas-elephants.jpg\")
\t\t\tRemote camera set-ups<\/h2>\n
![\"Will](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Will-Burrard-lucas-lion.jpg\")
\t\t\tWorking with the BeetleCam buggy<\/h2>\n
![\"Will](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Will-Burrard-lucas-BeetleCam.jpg\")
\t\t\tCameras and lenses<\/h2>\n
![\"Will](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Will-Burrard-lucas-crocodile.jpg\")
\t\t\tCamera traps: a lazy approach?<\/h2>\n
![\"Will](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Will-Burrard-lucas-leopards.jpg\")
\t\t\tPost-production workflow<\/h2>\n
![\"Will](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Will-Burrard-lucas-meerkat.jpg\")
\t\t\tAdvice and motivations<\/h2>\n