TITLE: The Leopard's Realm

Although leopards are widespread across almost every habitat, they are one of the most elusive big cats making even split-second sightings a real thrill. I have lived in Kenya for several years and can count my moments shared with a leopard on a pair of hands. If you are lucky enough to see one, you may only see a flick of a tail or a blur of spots as they disappear into the bush. Interestingly, they are also the most adaptive of the big cats and are known to prowl the streets of cities during the night. What I experienced though, was something out of a dream, a leopard in his realm, looking out into the distance beyond. I will never know what he was thinking or what he was looking at, but I like to think he was watching over his domain beyond the rocky outcrop.

Moments before I captured this frame, the leopard woke up from one of the branches and started moving towards the vantage point on top of the rocks. I didn’t know that the most fairy-tale or Disney animation-like scene was about to unfold. With a slight adjustment of the vehicle, I could frame the leopard perfectly between the branches of the giant rock fig tree. The leopard looking away makes this image work the most for me. It completely fits with the mythical nature of the species and the utterly unique and equally mythical setting. The dense vegetation punctuated by towering granite rocks and a sprawling giant rock fig tree provides the ideal environment to capture this half landscape, half wildlife image.

I don’t know if people will resonate with this image as much as I do, but one thing is for sure, this once-in-a-lifetime moment in nature will likely never repeat itself.

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.​​​​​​​