Black Panther Tales

Combined, the Black Panther movies have grossed more than $2
billion, and the character is now a new cult superhero. I wanted to
take a picture of a panther that did both the animal and the superhero
justice. My preconception was that the key feature had to be the eyes,
and I also needed a ground-up perspective. I was in a heavy metal
cage to take this image and lying on a bed of mud. My camera was
already filthy, and in the seconds after this photograph was taken, it
was covered in splash water. This all happened before 6.30am, and I
was home and in a hot shower before breakfast.
It is all about going the extra mile and doing all one can to be below
the eyes of the cat and in place before the sun gets too high. The
rest is down to luck and a small bit of experience working in sports
photography. I say that only because black panthers move quicker
than any athlete I have filmed.