Dinokeng, South Africa 2014

Remote control positioning requires days of research and monitoring of past behavior and then a strong mathematical head. Once the camera is positioned neither the exposure settings or the focus can be changed. At sunrise and sunset this represents a big dilemma because the light changes by a “stop” every 5 – 10 minutes. Also in fading or rising light (in this case fading) the aperture of the lens will not be so closed down as to offer accommodating depth of field.
The use of remote controls with lions is also dangerous, because if the lion gets as close to the remote as one would like – and I tend to shoot with a wide-angle lens on a remote – there is every chance that the lion – on seeing the camera – will attack it.
I wanted an angle from the ground looking up right underneath a jumping lion and this required placing the camera in a muddy stream in the hope that the lion would jump so as not to get wet. Seconds after the picture was taken the lion took my camera hostage but the image that survived the mauling conveys beauty, power and vitality.