Wildlife / Animals nominee

Artistic rendering of a leopard (Panthera pardus) gracefully raising its head in ecstatic posture with closed eyes while straddling the forked bough of a tree during a post-prandial nap. The foreground and the background were darkened purposely to heighten the sense of ecstasy, thus hinting that nothing mattered but the glowing bliss of the feline oblivious of its surroundings. The photographer stood in the rover for a good 45 minutes from a distance of 25-30 meters until the leopard woke from sleep to vary head position. Captured in Tarangire National Park near Mpingo ridge, Tanzania.

Amateur nature photographer since 2009, and self-learner in digital photography, I am interested in capturing images where light and its absence, the negative space in a scene and the composition combine to create a sense of interconnectedness with our natural environment.

Selected twice for the final round of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, once in 2020 and this year in 2021.