Wildlife Photography 1/1s by Manish: Perched

It was Christmas day, and it had been raining in Masai Mara since we arrived the day before. We were on the way back to camp for lunch when our guide noticed a frenzy of safari vehicles near a tree. At first we thought there was a lion sitting below, but were pleasantly surprised to see that the excitement was because of this handsome leopard, that had perched itself perfectly on the branch. Leopards are not uncommon in Mara, but getting such a frame with the leopard perched perfectly on a clear branch with the leaves acting as a canopy, is definitely a rare sight. We kept coming back to this tree over the next few days in the hope that the leopard would oblige once again. However, some frames happen once in a lifetime, and this was definitely one of those!

The leopard was in a relaxed posture, seemingly unperturbed by the presence of onlookers. The lighting was perfect, casting a warm glow on the leopard's fur and illuminating its distinctive spots. Processed the image in black and white to showcase the beauty and grace of the leopard perfectly complemented by the tree.