Malaika vs the wretched flies!

Malaika vs the wretched flies!

 

It’s no secret that I love the close shots, which for wildlife photography translates mostly into animal portraits. When they are tight shots of the face like this one there is a risk of them being too mundane and undistinguishable from the many others. The lack of environmental context needs to be offset by something else. Thus I am always waiting for the perfect expression, which sometimes only lasts a split second. Even though many advanced photographers consider such portraits unimaginative I still feel that these kind of portraits connect the viewers more closely with an animal, especially if it brings out their character.

Anyway back to the star of the photo now – Malaika the cheetah. She resides in the Masai Mara and we were privileged to have a close encounter with her during one of our game drives in September last year. It looks as if she is annoyed with the many flies surrounding her – also pictured!

Techs Canon 7D | Canon 300 2.8 L IS II | f4 | 1/400 | ISO 100