‘In Poland we have a proverb: ‘What the eye does not see, the heart does not grieve over,’” says the 27-year-old wildlife photographer Mateusz Piesiak. “I believe that if there were no photos of wild animals showing their beauty and diversity, most people wouldn’t even be aware of their existence and certainly wouldn’t spend money on their protection.”

Piesiak, who has won numerous awards for his work — including for his picture of bramblings, above, taken with a wireless remote camera — is one of a new generation of snappers using the latest technology to capture images of animals that would not have been possible a generation ago. Camera traps, drones and all manner of innovative, remotely operated gear allows them to document animal behaviour