Pride's Rock

2025

Tanzania

Image Story

14 lions in one shot - or in this case three shots morphed in to one panorama.

Namiri Plains has boomed in recent years with photographers. When I first took my cameras there back in 2023 there were only a handful of photographers venturing in each year, among them some of my favourites of all time; Nick Brandt and Federico Veronesi. Fast-forward a few years and the quality and quantity of work coming from these kopjes has exploded - as with many areas of Africa with the post-Covid travel bonanza.

Each time I go back I wonder what there is I can offer that is new, that is original. I take different lenses on each shoot, just to challenge myself to shoot something I may have missed the time before, twice in the last two years I have left bitterly disappointed.

This Spring, as the long rains began to take affect we had had five pretty wet days, with sideways rain and washed out evenings - it’s all part of the gamble when going in search of big clouds. Having left to follow the wildebeest for a couple of days, only to find ourselves too late and they had already gone, we ventured back to Namiri to where the Semetu Pride had taken up residence on a stunning kopje formation.

The pride is growing rapidly and sadly perhaps too quickly. With 23 members, many of them cubs, we fear they may not all make it, but as 14 of them climbed upon the kopje these thoughts were shelved as cameras were scrambled to try and do the scene justice.

This is a combination of three images to create one long panorama - it takes a big wall space to show it but the result is one of my favourites to date.

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Large: 66" x 17" X-Large: 88" x 23"

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Behind the Lens

Lons on kopjes has been a long term fascination for me. I've always strived to stray away from the stereotypical, low angle big male shot - which usually means a little more imagination is required.