Given the choice between working in strong light that allows for the camera to excel at high shutter speeds and produce flawless prints or having to deal with flatter and calmer light that forces the camera to operate at the edge of its capability, I will always go for the latter. The margin for error is tiny, but that is the way it should be. Flat light is kind and elevates portraits. This is as true of a lion, as it of a person.

The light that morning in the marsh was subdued and that worked very much in my favour. These are not easy projects - I am in a cage in 6 inches of water and there is an adult lion coming straight at me. Everything is either wet or about to get wet.

It is always a bonus when an image like this works in vertical format. It doesn’t happen that often, but when we see it, we grab it.