A portrait of Kruger lion—whose eye looks as if the universe itself lies beneath it—has won an impressive photography competition category. Why? Just take a look at this photograph:
Global (27 September 2024) — A mighty lion looks directly into the camera lens. His tongue protrudes, almost as if he is looking at his next meal. His expression is intimidating, even without his majestic mane in full view. These elements alone give the onlooker a deep sense of the sublime; as if it were a snapshot from the last clear visual memory his prey ever saw. But that’s not what made this Kruger lion a winning portrait.
One eye boasts a soft, fierce flavour of amber. The other is a deep purple with hints of galactic blue peering through. In the right light, it looks as if this Kruger lion holds in his left eye, a portal to the rest of the universe. A doorway to the rest of existence. Perhaps, he does.
Australian photographer Lewis Burnett captured the breathtaking shot on a breathtaking early morning drive in the Southern half of the Kruger National Park. Here, he was lucky enough to spend nearly half an hour with the lion few will ever see up close (or ever be brave enough to).
His shot, aptly titled ‘Window to the Soul’ was entered into this year’s Nature TTL photography competition where it went on to win the Wild Portraits category for an obvious reason–it feels impossible to look away.
“Staring into the eye of this mighty male lion is enough to make you shrink back in your seat,” says Lewis.
“There’s no solid consensus as to what happened to his eye,” the photographer adds. “But weirdly enough his brother also has it. I’ve heard its genetics, that it was a spitting cobra, or perhaps it was an infection, who knows…But I do know one thing, he’s one intimidating lion!”
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