Leslie (Les) Saunders was born in London, England, on December 3rd, 1895, and emigrated to Canada with his family in 1912. Saunders received a diploma from Truro Agricultural College, in Truro (1914 ), a Master of Science from MacDonald College, McGill University, in Montreal (1921), and a Doctor of Philosophy form the Molteno Institute for Medical Parasitology at Cambridge University in England (1925). Saunders taught invertebrate zoology, entomology, and parasitology as a Professor with the Department of Biology at the University of Saskatchewan (1925-1961) and traveled extensively throughout Asia, Africa, Western Canada and Central America on research expeditions.

Saunders was a member of the Saskatoon Camera Club and assisted Ernie Lindner in reviving the Saskatoon Arts Association, becoming president in 1932 and remaining an active member into the 1940s. Although he did some watercolour paintings and linocuts, Saunders is best remembered for his photography. He became a member of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain in 1938. Between 1928 and 1955, his photographs and other works were exhibited across Canada, the United States and England.