On previous trips to Africa I had not been able to get a really good leopard shot. So, on this trip we decided to go to Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana, which is renowned as one of the best places for viewing leopard. Fortunately we were able to get extremely close to this magnificent specimen. When we first arrived, the leopard was sleeping in this tree and even when he awoke he was perfectly relaxed. It was a huge tree and the canopy acted as a diffuser to give the scene a beautiful soft light. Here this powerful animal is looking right into my lens. It's an amazing thing when a big cat looks right into your eyes - it's like you really connect with them at a deep level. I guess it's also true of animals that the eyes are the windows of the soul.

Catalog Number: BWCF000963
Edition: 300
Image Ratio: 3:1