Eye contact

One of the many highlights from our trip was this encounter of a female Leopard Kwela Kwela and her very young cub. When we found her she was on her way to a kill she had made and hidden the cub close by. Sadly because of the dense thicket and limited access we were the only vehicle to have access to both mum & cub.

She was so content, allowing us to have prime sightings of the cub trying to feed (not so good for shooting) and all the antics that then transpired i.e. playing, bonding, grooming etc, a good 3-4 hrs of prime time. In parts the habitat would open up a bit more, allowing more light, albeit at times backlit. Because of the environment I just wanted close quarter portraits at this particular time, other options became available when she and her cub moved around. An awesome encounter both for photography and at times, just to sit and watch.


Thanks for either viewing or commenting on the previous image.

Steve

Subject: Female leopard (Panthera pardus), backlit, lying down, head shot
Location: SA
Camera: Canon 1DX
Lens: 200-400f/4 HH
Exposure: 1/400s at f/5.6 ISO1600
Original format: Portrait, very slight crop from top, FF width