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Adult male Lion sleeping on a track in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve in western Kenya; Apr 1979.
This picture is really all about that thick and very powerful foreleg and paw, and the few flies taking the opportunity to openly forage “while the beast sleeps”. Because the underside of the foreleg and paw are a little paler than the rest of the animal, converting the shot to mono further separates the leg from the out of focus, slumbering face behind, which was my intention.
OM-1 with 75-150 Zuiko at 150mm (and from the safety of a vehicle!); Agfa CT18 colour slide; converted to mono in Silver Efex Pro.
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FATman Photos 
Wonderful, Adrian.
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M, thank you >>> and welcome back! A đ
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Thanks, Adrian. Busy catching up đ Hope all is good with you.
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Things are ok – and as I’ve just said to Hallysann, I’m off to buy hats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh god, I mean, oh good …………. đ ……………….
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Sounds wonderful ……. and not a little intriguing! Have fun đ
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Have done … two … with wide brims … Ascot here I come! …..
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Such a wonderful portraiture!
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Thank you! A đ
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Wonderful Adrian! That outstretched paw is great đ
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Sarah, I’m glad you like it – thank you! Adrian
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Trouble is, I’d want to cuddle him đ
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Good job you weren’t working on safaris then!!! … đ … OMG, I joke about this, but (a very, very few) such things did happen, with appalling consequences. It may sound a strange thing to say, but it was a relief to return to England in that – other than aggressive bulls, stampeding cattle and maybe over excited horses – I never had to think about such things when roaming in the countryside, never had to think about what might be lurking behind the next bush! A đ
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Great shots!
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Thank you, Mindy! Adrian
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Sorry, for colours, read shades… and lovely textures.
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Thanks, D&Z! (I was going to amalgamate your two comments into one but was unsure of the best wording, so I’ve got both here. A )
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Brave! Not sure I’d want to sneak up on him to take a photo!!! Love the colours.
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Well I was in a vehicle, so not that brave! But it was only a small telephoto! đ
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Something about this rings a rather large bell with me and my considerable experience with a variety of cats through the years, and I feel this urge to gently tickle the hairs between the pads. I think, though, that one might well give heed to second thoughts on following through with such an impulse.
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Sensible Bolstad! Giving heed to those second thoughts is probably in your horoscope … unless you’re a Leo of course …. đ ….
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Great shot.
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Thank you!
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Doesn’t look very dangerous. đ
Nice shot, bud.
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Glad it gets to you. Dangerous? No, but he does have this thing about freaking out first and asking questions later … đ …
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LOL
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Love how you took his picture…left us plenty for the imagination. Very good indeed. Like the processing too.
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Paula, thank you very much! Adrian
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Excellent – I love the attention to detail. Sort of makes you want to go over and scratch him just behind the ears…
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No, YOU go over and scratch him, James, he might give me an allergy! đ I remember a safari vehicle driving right up beside mating lions, whereupon the male precipitately disengaged and charged – well who wouldn’t??? – the van tried to flee but the lion was too quick, and I’ll never forget the crash of the huge raised forepaw as it hit the van’s bodywork – ha, interesting days those were! Apologies for this late reply – we’ve just returned from a few days on the Dorset coast. Adrian
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Wow! That would have scared me to death. I am pretty sure the male lion could get inside one of those vehicles if he really wanted to. That must have been terrifying Adrian.
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Yes, terrifying, and also a very useful dose of reality, a real wake up call. Taking people on safari to see animals, we often saw all kinds of creatures in “relaxed mode”, and I sometimes had to remind my clients that this wasn’t a zoo, they were all wild, and dangerous too. There were instances of lions trying to get into open-topped vehicles – and a friend had a baby Thomson’s Gazelle, a darling little “Bambi” – but it had tiny little pin-sharp horns, and just having it playfully but my leg was really painful! A
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