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More than wildlife photography: Luke Katemba on giving Africa’s conservation stories a voice – EnviroNews
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The Elephant Protection Initiative (EPI) Foundation’s friend of the month for August 2026 is Luke Katemba, a passionate photographer, filmmaker, and storyteller from Zambia whose lens brings Africa’s wildlife, people, and conservation stories to life.
From working with leading organisations such as WWF and GIZ to capturing Zambia’s landscapes through aerial cinematography, EPI Foundation had a chat with Luke about the power of visual storytelling in conservation communication and advocacy.
To begin, tell us about your upbringing and journey into photography and storytelling.
I grew up in Mumbwa, a town in Zambia’s Central Province. I grew up in a family where we kept cattle, and whenever water and food became scarce, we would move the animals to the Kafue Flats, where there was plenty of water and grazing. Our cattle would often mingle with wildlife, and it was through these experiences that my love for nature and wildlife really began. As I got older, I watched a lot of nature and wildlife documentaries, and I remember thinking, “This should be me one day.” I didn’t necessarily know what that career would look like at the time, but I knew I wanted to tell stories about the natural world.
I picked up photography while at university, where I was pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. I had always wanted to become a wildlife photographer, but the cost of professional equipment and the cost of accessing national parks made it difficult to pursue initially. So, I explored other forms of photography, including weddings, portraits and documentary photography. Looking back, those experiences were incredibly valuable because they shaped the way I approach photography today, how I see and interpret light, work with people, observe moments and ultimately tell stories. It wasn’t always an obvious career path, but the desire to work with wildlife and tell stories about the natural world was always there.
How has your journey evolved from passion-driven capturing of beautiful images to creating impact using visual storytelling?
I think the biggest change came when I discerned that a beautiful image attracts someone’s attention, but it’s the story that makes them care. As I started working more with conservation organisations and communities, I began to see that there are so many deep stories that aren’t immediately visible when you look at wildlife. There are people working behind the scenes every day, communities living alongside wildlife, researchers, rangers and organisations trying to protect these places. That changed the way I approach a project. I’m no longer just asking myself, “What is the best photograph I can create?” I’m asking, “What does this story need people to understand?” Sometimes that means photographing an elephant or a landscape.
Other times it means putting the camera on a farmer, a ranger, a woman running a community cooperative, or someone whose livelihood is connected to conservation. For me, visual storytelling is about creating that connection. If someone sees an image and understands the story behind it, feels something, and perhaps becomes more interested in supporting conservation, then the photograph has done much more than simply look good.
You have worked with organisations including WWF, GIZ, African Parks and WeForest, documenting conservation and community stories across Africa. What have these experiences taught you about the people working behind the scenes to protect wildlife and their habitats?
One of the greatest things I’ve learned is that conservation is fundamentally about people. I’ve met people who are working in incredibly difficult circumstances, often far away from the attention of the outside world. I’ve met conservation professionals, community members, rangers and people developing alternative livelihoods who are all contributing to the same bigger picture in different ways. What has stayed with me is the level of commitment many of these people have. Conservation isn’t always glamorous.
It’s long days, difficult conditions, travelling to remote communities or work that may not be noticed immediately. It has also taught me to be more conscious about how I tell these stories. I don’t want to simply arrive somewhere, take photographs and leave. I want to understand the people I’m photographing and ensure that the story represents them with dignity and authenticity.
Is there a particular wildlife encounter or image that has stayed with you and changed the way you see the natural world?
One encounter that has stayed with me was with a pack of African wild dogs in Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia, that we found living close to a village. At the time, the pack had not yet been collared, so very little was known about them. What struck me immediately was the condition some of the dogs were in. Several were clearly struggling. One was limping badly, while another had a wire snare wrapped around its neck that had started cutting into its skin. Another had a wire caught around its mouth, leaving visible wounds. It was difficult to see, especially knowing that these injuries were the result of traps intended for other animals. We immediately alerted the conservation officers and stayed with the pack while we waited for them to arrive.
They were eventually able to intervene, treat the injured dogs, and collar the pack so that they could be monitored and protected. Thankfully, the pack is now on a path to recovery. That experience showed me one of the darker sides of our relationship with wildlife. Snares are often set to catch animals for bushmeat, but they don’t discriminate. A trap intended for one species can just as easily injure or kill another, including some of Africa’s most threatened predators. However, the experience also left me with a sense of hope. Seeing the conservation team come in, treat the animals, and put measures in place to protect them reminded me why this work matters.
Why is it important to you to tell the wider story behind wildlife conservation?
Wildlife doesn’t exist in isolation. An elephant is part of a landscape. That landscape is connected to communities, livelihoods, water, forests, tourism, and ultimately the people who live alongside it. If we only photograph the animal, we can sometimes miss the reasons why protecting its habitat matters in the first place. I’ve become particularly interested in documenting the human side of conservation because I think those stories can sometimes be overlooked.
There are communities developing new livelihoods, people finding ways to coexist with wildlife, and individuals whose everyday decisions have an enormous impact on the environment. I also think it is important for African stories to be told by Africans. We understand these landscapes and communities from a different perspective, and we have a responsibility to tell those stories in a way that feels authentic rather than presenting Africa only through the familiar images of wildlife and wilderness.
You also use drone photography and cinematography to show landscapes and wildlife from a unique perspective. How has aerial storytelling changed the way you communicate the scale, beauty, and challenges facing Africa’s wild spaces?
A drone completely changes your relationship with a landscape. From the ground, you experience a place at human scale. From the air, you suddenly see how everything connects: rivers, floodplains, forests, roads, settlements, and wildlife corridors. You can communicate a sense of scale that is difficult to achieve from the ground. I’ve found aerial imagery particularly powerful when telling conservation stories because it can show both the beauty of these landscapes and some of the challenges they face.
You can see how vast a protected area is, how water moves through a landscape, how communities are situated around natural areas, or how fragmented certain habitats can become. At the same time, I think aerial imagery should have a purpose. It’s easy to use a drone simply because the shot looks impressive. For me, the most successful aerial images are the ones that actually help the audience understand something about the place.
Looking at the next generation of African photographers, filmmakers, and storytellers, what opportunities do you see for them to use digital platforms and innovative technologies to give African conservation stories a stronger voice?
The opportunities are enormous. The biggest change is that you no longer need to wait for a major broadcaster, magazine, or international organisation to decide that your story is worth telling. With a camera, a phone, and access to social media platforms, African storytellers can take their work directly to an audience around the world. But I think technology is only part of it. The real opportunity is developing a strong voice and understanding the responsibility that comes with telling these stories.
We need more African photographers and filmmakers telling conservation stories from their own perspectives. Not just documenting wildlife, but documenting the people living alongside it, the challenges they face, the successes, and the solutions being developed locally. There is a huge audience interested in Africa. I think the next generation has an opportunity to move beyond simply being subjects of stories and become the people telling them.
Finally, when you look through your lens at Africa’s wildlife and wild places, what gives you hope for their future, and what is the conservation story you hope your work will help tell in the years to come?
What gives me hope is seeing how many people care. I’ve had the privilege of meeting people working in different parts of conservation, and despite the challenges, there is a tremendous amount of passion and determination. I’ve also seen communities finding ways to build livelihoods while protecting the natural resources around them. Those experiences remind me that conservation isn’t only a story about what we are losing. It is also a story about what people are trying to protect, restore, and build.
The story I hope my work can help tell is one of possibility. I want my photographs and films to show Africa as a place of incredible wildlife and landscapes, but also as a continent full of people who are actively shaping its conservation future. Ultimately, I hope that when someone sees one of my images, they don’t just think, “That’s a beautiful elephant” or “That’s an incredible landscape.” I hope they think, “This is something worth protecting.”