Patagonia, Chile – 2024

“I took this image while hanging out with a wild puma that was hiding from a blizzard in Patagonia. The cat never once acknowledged my presence and instead continued to keep a watchful eye out for guanaco while staying dry. Being a fly on the wall as the pumas of Patagonia went about their daily lives, ignoring me completely, was a childhood dream come true. For days, I watched them stalk prey across the snowy slopes or climb high into the rocky cliffs of the Andes for a better vantage point. To experience a moment like this, lost in the muffled sound of a snowstorm just a short distance away from one of the most beautiful animals on Earth, was the greatest birthday gift I could ever have hoped for.” – Paul Nicklen