Butte, Montana, USA – 2020

This is Smokey – the mountain lion who lives in a sanctuary not far from where this photograph was taken. He has a keeper who he responds to, but he really does not care much about the wishes of anyone else. This photograph on fresh snow was therefore quite well earned.

Manifestly, he came to me from a long way off and when he arrived, I was left intact.

There are many dynamics that were vital to the concept working, but we like to retain some mystique. A wide-angle lens and an appetite to get cold were two that I can disclose. Access to private land with the best land above Butte was a third.

In my view the best pictures tend to be made rather than taken and this was most certainly made. Made in Montana.

​This photograph works equally well in colour as it does in monochrome, so on this occasion we have decided to do editions of both.