2023, Namiri Plains, Serengeti, Tanzania

Without doubt one of my favourite lion images to date, perhaps of any I have taken. This was the shot I had in mind when first visiting Namiri Plains in 2023, something different to all the other lion portraits I’d seen - either closely cropped on a long lens or taken with a remote control camera, with the lion looking suspicious or unnatural, not something I like in my images.

The image comprised three key elements; proximity, achieved through eight patient days of watching a trio of lions to determine which was calm enough to attempt the shot. Storm clouds, providing wonderful atmosphere to the shot that a clear blue sky could never achieve. And a big mane. This was crucial above all else. The lion needed to be big and imposing to really complete the image.
This is the same lion from my Wildlife Photographer of the Year image, Romance is Dead and taken mere moments after, the calm after the storm in many ways.