This is as close as I would ever want to get to a lion. Although I am protected, because the manmade hole that I am shooting through is the size of a camera lens not his head, my heart wouldn’t cope with anything less than three feet between me and him. This picture was only possible with my partner Kevin Richardson - his understanding of lion behaviour is second to none, but most of all we trust each other.

Much of my approach here is down to simple mathematics and understanding of lenses and depth of field. The fast Nikon 85mm has fabulous optical quality - it is the best portrait lens that I have ever owned - so that was my choice