One of the best leopard pictures I've ever taken

[Jogeephus]

Magnificent photo! About how many hours do you reckon you have invested in that photo? (Meaning with camera in hand)

Hey Jo,

On this particular trip I spent 20 days in the park with an average of 12 hours per day on game drives, so about 240 hours "work" for this pic... :shock:

This is another picture of the same leopard taken right after the good picture. Leopards (unlike lions who will lay right in the road and make you drive around them- seriously) only stick around for less than a minute when you spot them. I have lots of pictures of leopards walking away from me exactly like this one.

I suspected it was a lot. People often look at good photos like yours and never think about the time and effort it took to capture that moment. I know some wildlife photographers who might sit for hours waiting on that money shot. I'm sure luck can play a part but I suspect most of these good money shots come from a huge investment in time and a good dose of stubbornness from the photographer. Well done!

 

[andybob]

A very nice picture, leopards are not the easiest to catch on film, even the melanistic I had on the Ranch in Rhodesia, I was never able to get a clear photo over the 5 years she lived in a rock shelter about a mile from the house. The farm in Okahanja Namibia only had cheetah but is now all barbel (sharptooth catfish) and Talapia as the ranch is now under the Omatako dam.

 

[Txpiney]

Very nice pic. I thought it was gonna be a picture of a tiger stripe.

 

[bball]

What was the distance between you and the leopard? Fantastic photograph!

About 20 feet. I was driving down the road and passed the leopard without seeing him (happens all the time I'm sure). About 50 more feet down the road a bushbuck was alarm calling (kinda sounds like a dogs bark) and looking back in the direction I just came from. I stopped, backed up and there the leopard stood in the brush along the road.

Congratulations! Way to be in tune with your environment. I figured you were quite close.