THE FULL NINE YARDS

LARGE Edition of 12
Unframed 56" x 64"
Framed 71" x 79"

STANDARD Edition of 12
Unframed 37" x 42"
Framed 52" x 58"

There is nothing more exciting or fearsome than the sight of a lion charging towards you in the wild. To try and capture this image, I travelled to South Africa to work with Kevin Richardson – The Lion Whisperer – an extraordinary man that has become a good friend.. . Early one evening, we were working with this beautiful lion. I was out of the jeep, hand holding my D4S with a fast 300mm lens, but the jeep car door was open behind me and I had a second or so to get in and close the door as the lion came towards me. Kevin was also at hand – but manifestly not directly between the lion and myself – the camera does not lie.. . I don’t think a photographer should be closer than 10 yards to an incoming running lion and perhaps this was the “full nine yards”. I banged my knee and the lens in jumping back into the jeep, but the image – the last in the series before I jumped – is now with us forever. Kevin’s relationship with these lions is remarkably strong and had something gone wrong, I do believe he would have prevented me from being mauled. I trusted him implicitly and was able to focus entirely on the job in hand and hold the camera steady.. . The fact that the shot is backlit adds to its emotion and power – the sun hitting the blades of grass reminds me of Ridley Scott’s opening shots in Gladiator. What a magnificent gladiator the male lion is.