I like to photograph animal expressions, especially big cats as they have such expressive faces. I clearly remember the encounter with this lioness and her pride in September 2010 in Nxai Pan, Botswana. We had just arrived at the park, located our campsite and then went for an evening game drive. We were lucky and stumbled upon some lions almost immediately. We spent about 3 or 4 hours with this pride, which also had two most adorable and naughty lion cubs. I took a particular liking to this lioness which looked a bit melancoly. The setting with the dried yellowish vegetation and soft light was also perfect, even though bush fires were raging in and out of the park.

Tech: Canon 550D | Canon 100-400L IS @ 400mm | f5.6 | 1/125 | ISO 100