I truly love the different elements in this photo if you look closely you can see the different aspects of the subject, the darkness and growth of his mane are signs of a mature adult, the deep lacerations around his eye and nose are indications that he has been in altercations with other lions to earn his place as the dominant male.
His body position and the way he is angled looking at me gives the impression of curiousness and a warning to stay where you are and not to come any closer. The way the grass hides the impression of where the lion will create his pathway and emerge through the tall grass gives an impression of not knowing where to expect his next step.
This photo doesn’t do justice to seeing this magnificent animal in person, when your eyes interlock with him it creates such an emotional connection as his character shines through his eyes leaving an impact to be careful around his presence.
I have always seen images of lions running and capturing that perfect moment of freezing time and getting the lion in an element of him running, in this instance it was him running and stopping mid way to examine his surroundings. I love the way his body is turned and how hunched over he is like he is entrancing his prey, the way his tail is extended gives you the impression he has been running and on the hunt for the meal ahead of him.
I have always dreamt of capturing an image like the one below, there are elements that I love and wish could be better but with wildlife its so unpredictable and so grateful for these shots that I am able to showcase of these beautiful animals, to see there stories and to help create my own through my experiences, this time I spend with them is not wasted as animals heal everything people do and don’t do. My life is to dedicate to these animals and to help raise awareness for them no matter how small of big that contribution might be.
The male African Lion has been one of the big cats I have been solely focusing on capturing that one photo that truly captures the essence of there characteristics, in the wild they are the true king of the Savannah, there roar can be heard for miles on end, there speed and ferociousness are not matched, there character of pride, grace, beauty all come together to create this amazing animal.
In these photos I wanted to display just how immersive there presence is, when coming face to face with a Male African Lion its an experience in itself, there manes cover most of there head and the colours and different pallet of light and dark bring to bring out the softness in the eyes, I always try to captivate the eyes of the animal I shoot as I feel thats where you can really connect through the emotions of the beast.
One day I will be moving my life to the African Savannah to help do my part to save and create awareness for the various species that reside there, the African Lion is one that I dream about most nights, taking photos as the Sunrise comes up, I cant wait too see the warmth shine upon the mane of the Lion as he prepares for another day.
The lioness to me is very special, a mother is so strong to any species, they give birth, raise there children and protect them from anything and everything, a mothers love is undying and nothing gets between her and her cubs. The strength that the Male Lions show is just as strong in the Lionesses, there scars run deep of fights they have with there interaction with prey to altercations with other pride members.
This photo is still to this day one of my favourite of the Lioness, she was posing so well for me and I still remember the experience to this day being it was 2 years ago. It’s like she was a model and me the photographer, I definitely captured something unique as the rain was covering her coat, the raindrops have the effect that her presence can stop time as she is so powerful.
