The transition between day and night is always an enchanting time, and when a skilled photographer like Will Burrard-Lucas captures it, the result is extraordinary.
Burrard-Lucas, known for his remarkable wildlife photography, was recently recognized by MailOnline Travel for winning the Natural World category in the 2017 Sony World Photography Awards.
Now, he offers a fresh glimpse into his stunning work through a series called Backlit—a collection of breathtaking photos taken in Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, and Uganda at dawn and dusk.
The series features striking images of lions, hippos, meerkats, African hunting dogs, and other wildlife, all illuminated by the golden glow of early morning and evening light.
Some of the most captivating shots show animals in silhouette, creating dramatic, almost mystical scenes.
Burrard-Lucas, 33, from Beaconsfield, shared his approach to achieving this mesmerizing backlit style.
He explained, “The best time for backlit photographs is sunrise and sunset when the light is low and warm. Positioning your subject directly in front of the sun enhances the effect.”
Burrard-Lucas often finds himself lying flat on the ground to get the perfect angle. He describes two key techniques for backlit shots: “You can either underexpose the subject, creating a dark silhouette against a glowing sky, or expose the subject, allowing the background to become overexposed, which produces a beautiful halo and warm effect.”
Africa’s natural conditions sometimes present challenges, with dust and smoke dimming the light at sunrise and sunset.
However, Burrard-Lucas finds that the best-backlit images often come during the wet season, when rain clears the air, making the light stronger and more vivid.
One of his favorite images from the Backlit series is a shot of a silhouetted African hunting dog. He notes that capturing this elusive species was a long-awaited achievement, as wild dogs are both endangered and notoriously hard to track.
“It took over ten years of traveling through Africa before I could photograph them for the first time,” he said. “Even today, I still feel excited when I encounter them.”
Known for using cutting-edge techniques, Burrard-Lucas often employs unique tools like ‘BeetleCam’—a remote-controlled buggy with a mounted DSLR camera—to capture wildlife from ground level.
BeetleCam allowed him to photograph the African wild dog as the sun rose behind it.
“My goal is to create wildlife images that stand out from anything you’ve seen before,” Burrard-Lucas said.
And with his Backlit series, he continues to accomplish just that, offering a fresh perspective on Africa’s magnificent wildlife.
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