TITLE: Instinct

When photographing lions with remote cameras, you often have to rely on their cat instincts for an image to materialise. This makes lions great subjects for remote cameras as the smell of something peculiar is often enough to draw them towards the camera; but this also hugely increases the chances of losing your camera.

The best time to photograph lions is at first light when they are most active. This lioness was walking back to her pride after a failed attempt at hunting wildebeest some 20 minutes before. This presented the opportunity to place a camera in her path up ahead. The image was captured at 6.40am on my last morning in the Mara but my camera ended up in the possession of the pride for the best part of an hour which was quite unnerving but equally interesting as the cubs took their turn in playing with their new toy.

Thankfully, my trusty Pelican case protected the camera from the whole experience and the image is now with us forever.

AUTHOR: James Lewin (United Kingdom)

James Lewin is a rapidly emerging contemporary photographic artist. He has a passion for conservation, focusing his attention on capturing African Wildlife in its most natural form.
By exercising an immersive and intimate approach, Lewin strives to connect people with East Africa's magnificent yet vulnerable inhabitants. To capture his striking portraits, he utilises wide-angle lenses from highly unique perspectives, allowing the viewer to feel as if they were beside the animals within the frame. He views his work as an influential tool to raise awareness and funds for the creatures he admires and spends time with. 20% of every sale feeds directly back to conservation projects in Africa. Having minimal impact on the planet is equally important to Lewin; each safari is carbon neutral. 
 
Lewin's photographs have a timeless quality and convey that his wildlife subjects are endangered and may one day only be witnessed through photography. He finds black & white a powerful reminder of this, as people often associate a monochrome aesthetic with history. Like the photographic masters such as Sebastiao Salgado & Terry O'Neil, Lewin prints his work on silver gelatin. These prints are made using traditional photochemistry and are far superior in archival longevity and tonal range to other printing methods.
 
James' work has been awarded in multiple International Photography Awards, including the Monochrome Awards, Nature's Best Awards, Monovisions Photography Awards, ND Awards and Outdoor Photographer of the Year. James was ranked number 1 B&W Photographer in the UK and number 4th globally in the 2021 One Eyeland Top 10 Black & White Photographers Award. This included winning Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Wildlife Category. James was also a Hasselblad Masters Finalist, which is one of the most prestigious professional photographic competitions in the World.​​​​​​​