The Image was taken in Masai Mara, Kenya in December of 2018 in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy.
We had been following a pride of lions with a dominant male for over a week. The pride had a month-old litter of cubs and were constantly on a hunt in order to satisfy the feeding mothers. Since the pride got extremely comfortable with our presence, we were able to approach them quite closely while respecting their surroundings.
On one occasion, very early at dawn, we saw the pride on the move towards a herd of wildebeest. It was very interesting to see the male lion participate in the hunt along with three other lionesses. It was nerve wracking to see the four lions strategize and surround the herd from all directions to finally attack.
I was very lucky to capture the magnificent male as he approached the herd stealthily very close to our vehicle. I tried to capture his laser focused eyes and his beautiful mane from an extremely low POV as he walked towards us. The whole encounter lasted only for a few seconds but that day those eyes spoke volumes as he looked straight at me and were a sight to behold.
Post Processing: Convert to black and white, minor levels adjustment, minor sharpening.
Technical Specs: Canon EOS 1DX, Canon 500mm F/4 L lens, 1/1000 sec at F/4, ISO 1000
