Leon worked out how to use a telephoto lens thanks to his dog Scooby. His dad would throw a tennis ball and, as Scooby raced after it, Leon would try to get the shot. They practiced, and by the time Leon went on his first safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, he was ready. One evening, on the drive back to camp, they saw the cheetah. She had just finished eating an impala and was lying in the grass. Most people climbed on the roof, but Leon, then eight, was able to squeeze through the small side window and get a view almost at ground level. Though full and relaxed, the female was alert for danger, not least because she had a cub nearby and her kill might attract lions or hyenas. “You can tell the animal’s feelings from the look in the eye, the way the fur lies and the ears move” says Leon. He particularly likes portraits, he says, because ‘the animal’s feelings talk to you’.