There are no short cuts when it comes to photographing lions. Creating a good photograph is relatively simple, they are after all, kings of the Savannah. The difficulty is capturing something original.

One of the best places to photograph lions is the Maasai Mara in Kenya, famous for being home to a number of lion prides seen in various BBC or National Geographic nature documentaries. It is also where I lived for three years, working out of a safari camp and following the local lion prides, every day.

Throughout this time I hoped to create a low angle shot of a male lion with a clean background, something that was never easy as they spend a great deal of time sleeping in the shade, meaning images were often messy - filled with long grass or think bush. It took until my last week, when I had been in the Mara for 18 of the last 30 months, for the right moment to present itself.

We had been following this male, Half Tail, for a few days. He appeared to be moving territory and establishing himself in a marsh only a few hundred metres from my cottage - making us as good as neighbours.

Just as dusk was falling, and I’d been with Half Tail for a couple of hours already, he finally kicked in to action. As I lay on the floor of our car, level with his feet and about five metres from where he stood, he scanned the horizon from his raised position above me.

This was the first time I’ve been able to photograph arguably Africa’s most iconic animal, by hand, from such a perspective. Thankfully, the light was just on our side as moments after I took this he disappeared in to the darkness.

A special thanks must go to Bernard Koros, Robert Chebusit, Duncan Sorodo and all the guides at Governors’ Camp Collection. They all spent hours with me working on lion imagery and the images are testament to their immense patience and skill.

Standard (5): 40” x 25”

Large (3): 71” x 50”

William is proud to be represented by London’s Red Eight Gallery, where his work hangs along side the likes of Banksy, Damien Hirst and Jean-Michel Basquiat.

With William’s work having sold around the globe, all print sales are handled by the team of professional art advisors and to make an enquiry use the “print enquiry” button below.

10% of the proceeds from William’s print sales are donated to his partnered conservation charities, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation and Saving the Wild.

Both these organisations focus on an holistic approach to wildlife protection, ensuring local communities are at the forefront of efforts and decision making.

With William’s style deeply focussed on wildlife in its environment, working with organisations of this calibre and determination is a natural fit and prints are proudly embossed with the logos of the charities they support.

To date William’s work has been used to raise over £45,000 for a variety of charitable organisations.

Having put so much effort in to capturing these images, it is vital the same attention to detail goes in to the printing and framing process.

Over the last decade William has exclusively used Dorset based company, PictureFrames, the only bespoke framing company in the world certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council - meaning all the timber based products used are sustainably sourced.

In that time they have honed their signature pieces to reflect the style of his work. The use of Innova Etching 315 GSM cotton rag paper perfectly highlights the contrast and tones within William’s black and white images, while using Canon Lucia inks ensures the prints last for 80 years, even behind glass.

Once printed, pieces are framed to museum standard with a black ash frame and off white image mount, creating a timeless look for contemporary photography.