Arranged in a perfect line atop a dirt mound, six relaxed male lions sit with their legs draped over the grassy crest. Their faces hold a neutral expression, as if they’re taking a break from being ferocious. Some look off in the distance, while a couple look directly at Daniel Dolpire’s camera. The New Zealand-based photographer captured this incredible shot in 2012 while in Tanzania. Its tranquil tone, and surprisingly candid composition, goes against the stereotypes we often have about lions—that they are untamed and always on the prowl. Here, those ideas don’t ring true.
“I took this ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ shot at &Beyond Klein’s Camp, a remote and exclusive camp set on a 10,000-hectare concession leased from Maasai landlords deep in the corner of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park,” Dolpire tells My Modern Met. “While the camp lies in the path of the Great Migration, there is also ample resident game, and morning game drives begin at sunrise, with guides often on the lookout for lions resting from the previous night’s hunt.”
Dolpire was accompanied by a guide and tracker team at the camp, and they found the group at the edge of a stream a little after seven in the morning. “I scrambled for my two camera bodies (Nikon D4 and D3s, and 200mm – 400mm and 500mm) and got the shot!” His timing was perfect. “Exactly six minutes later, the first lion got up and, within another five minutes, three were sleeping, and the other three had gone off into the bush.” Had the group been just a little earlier or later, Dolpire wouldn’t have captured the amazing image.
“The &Beyond guides consistently monitor the animals in the region and their movements,” the photographer shares, “so they were able to tell us that these six young males were part of the biggest pride in the reserve—the Black Rock Pride, which frequents the north west region. The pride consists of eight adult females, two dominant males, four sub-adult females, three sub-adult males, five cubs of approximately 7 months old, and eight young males, six of which I managed to photograph.” All of them were just over 3 years old at the time of the photograph.
This image marks a career high for Dolpire and an extremely lucky break. “I have been taking wildlife photos for over 20 years, but this has got to be my special moment!” He says. “Following up on news of the lions with &Beyond Klein’s Camp in August of that year [2012], I learned that they have split up and have only been seen in pairs, so the timing for getting this exceptional shot proved to be crucial.”
Wildlife photography is often about being prepared when you’re in the right place at the right time. Dolpire’s photo proves the magic that can happen when these two things align.
