A story of sorrow

Working as a guide in a game reserve, you get to know the back stories of the resident predators quite well. A lion isn’t just another lion any more. At one point, this lioness’s pride was 22 individuals strong, but disease and clashes with other prides diminished the group to one. Just her. Her story isn’t exactly a happy one, so a happy portrait wouldn’t be fitting for this cat. One winter morning, we found her in the company of a male lion on the banks of the Sand River. I positioned the vehicle so that the lioness was backlit. I underexposed the shot to emphasize the rimlighting effect, and to create a moody portrait.

HOW? Canon EOS 70D; 300 mm lens; shutter speed 1/1250 second; aperture f5; ISO 250. #175