Not that I follow football but as the Women's Football World Cup is taking place at the moment I thought a picture of a Lioness would be appropriate... I am far more interested in the big cats than the soccer team actually so I was very pleased to capture this lovely shot at Chester Zoo, where the Lions have a fantastic new enclosure.
When I was younger I used to enjoy listening to the monologues of Stanley Holloway and in particular the stories of Albert and the Lion which I memorised.
When I was at the zoo and I saw this lion laid out on this log I recalled the line "He lay in a somnolent posture with the side of his face on the bars..." The lion in the poem was Clarence and obviously a "he" and the lion in this shot is obviously a "she" but it definitely fits the bill.
I wasn't able to post anything yesterday due to not having access to an internet connection but I am back with a great post today, at least I think so. I have been waiting all week to share these photos of these wonderful lions.
In the first shot the male was just letting out a magnificent roar that literally made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It is a shame that the picture doesn't really capture that but all the same I like this shot.
I also like the second picture of the female at rest, and you can see how thick and soft its fur is.
By far the best image is the third one. I am really happy with this one, it captures the concentration in the lion's eyes and it says "Don't mess with me, I'm the Boss!". I am really happy with the clarity of this picture given that it was shot through the chain link fence of the lion's enclosure. I am usually quite self critical, and that's no bad thing as it drives me to improve, but I'm really chuffed with this picture.
Over the next few days I will post pictures of some of the big cats at Chester Zoo. I would like to see these creatures in their natural habitat but that's not going to happen any time soon. I was able to get a few good shots during my visit and today I am starting with this beautiful Lion which at the end of the day was relaxing in the late afternoon sun. It was relaxing but as you can see she was closely watching the visitors who were looking at her.
