More than just a leopard in a tree

Sometimes there is a scene that you have been searching for your whole life and most times the factors involved in wildlife photography don't come together. However, this image was NOT one of my photographic dreams.

You are probably all thinking what this is all about, what is there not to like about a leopard in a tree? I have been very fortunate working here for close on 6 years now and there have been many photographic dreams that I have been fortunate to capture. This image is not going to be about my “Pic of the Week”, I’m not going to tell you why I chose these settings or why I edited this image the way I did. This week is going to be about what this image represents.

This image was a photographic dream for one of my guests, and even though this is my image of the sighting, he captured an image like this, as well as plenty other images on his last drive with us. Seeing the pride as he showed me HIS image as well as the welling of emotion he was experiencing, made me realise that I had been part of something far greater than just capturing a moment in time.

This is my last ever “Pic of the Week” and I have enjoyed sharing my images with you. However, it has never been just about photography, a photograph is a snapshot that represents emotion, a window to a memory, a dream. Knowing as a guide that I have been a part of that, is something that can never be explained nor can it ever be edited.

Equipment Used

• Camera - Nikon D4S
• Lens and Focal length - Nikkor 200-400mm F4 VRII @400mm

Settings used to capture this image

• ISO – 1250
• Aperture –f5.0
• Shutter – 1/60