FOCUS
It was day one of a month-long trip, and we were out scouting the conservancy to the Masai mara to see which animals were in the location. We set off in the cold, dark, stillness of the morning. Wrapped in puffer jackets and shielding the camera equipment from the swirling dust, we turned off the track just as the sky turned fire orange and the sun peaked over the far hills. In the muted morning we parked up and scanned the area around us. As we glassed the horizon, we heard a muffled call of a male lion in the distance! We quickly packed the kit away and drove in the direction of the sound. After 15 minutes or so we stopped again and listened… nothing. The sunlight spilling across the plains, we continued to look for any sign of lions. Then our guide Peter called out with an excited whisper... “Lion!”. Pointing across to dry riverbed we held on as he drove over to the spot. Walking through the bushes a huge mature male lion calmly weaved through the vegetation and out to the edge of the treeline. It was here he froze, staring into the distance! As I manoeuvred to the floor of the car to get on his eyeline, I began to appreciate how big he was …how close we were … and how there was no door on our vehicle. As I looked through the camera, I could see nothing but intense focus in his eyes. I could hear our guide talking to himself… “What is he looking at?” All I know is that I am glad I was not the animal on the other end of that stare.
It was day one of a month-long trip, and we were out scouting the conservancy to the Masai mara to see which animals were in the location. We set off in the cold, dark, stillness of the morning. Wrapped in puffer jackets and shielding the camera equipment from the swirling dust, we turned off the track just as the sky turned fire orange and the sun peaked over the far hills. In the muted morning we parked up and scanned the area around us. As we glassed the horizon, we heard a muffled call of a male lion in the distance! We quickly packed the kit away and drove in the direction of the sound. After 15 minutes or so we stopped again and listened… nothing. The sunlight spilling across the plains, we continued to look for any sign of lions. Then our guide Peter called out with an excited whisper... “Lion!”. Pointing across to dry riverbed we held on as he drove over to the spot. Walking through the bushes a huge mature male lion calmly weaved through the vegetation and out to the edge of the treeline. It was here he froze, staring into the distance! As I manoeuvred to the floor of the car to get on his eyeline, I began to appreciate how big he was …how close we were … and how there was no door on our vehicle. As I looked through the camera, I could see nothing but intense focus in his eyes. I could hear our guide talking to himself… “What is he looking at?” All I know is that I am glad I was not the animal on the other end of that stare.
It was day one of a month-long trip, and we were out scouting the conservancy to the Masai mara to see which animals were in the location. We set off in the cold, dark, stillness of the morning. Wrapped in puffer jackets and shielding the camera equipment from the swirling dust, we turned off the track just as the sky turned fire orange and the sun peaked over the far hills. In the muted morning we parked up and scanned the area around us. As we glassed the horizon, we heard a muffled call of a male lion in the distance! We quickly packed the kit away and drove in the direction of the sound. After 15 minutes or so we stopped again and listened… nothing. The sunlight spilling across the plains, we continued to look for any sign of lions. Then our guide Peter called out with an excited whisper... “Lion!”. Pointing across to dry riverbed we held on as he drove over to the spot. Walking through the bushes a huge mature male lion calmly weaved through the vegetation and out to the edge of the treeline. It was here he froze, staring into the distance! As I manoeuvred to the floor of the car to get on his eyeline, I began to appreciate how big he was …how close we were … and how there was no door on our vehicle. As I looked through the camera, I could see nothing but intense focus in his eyes. I could hear our guide talking to himself… “What is he looking at?” All I know is that I am glad I was not the animal on the other end of that stare.