honorable mention
Donal Boyd united states![Donal Boyd - honorable mention Wilder](/upload/images/1680098357_17ldboyd_donal_wilder.jpg)
Photo © Donal Boyd
title
Wilder
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entry description
At Erindi Private Game Reserve in Namibia, a conservation area where I spend a few months of every year, the guides were rotating on “Night Patrol” tracking a lion named “Wilder”. He had been establishing a new territory on the Southern part of the reserve. With the sky being so clear and dark in June, I suggested we photograph Wilder with the Milky Way. So, as the sun set, we set out in search of the lion. After a short while, we found Wilder, along his usual route. Roaring every few steps it seemed. With our breath now visible, and the sky bright with the Milky Way, we followed. And followed. And followed some more. But Wilder was never in the right position. Either facing away, or the Milky Way just wasn’t right, or we couldn’t get the right exposure. In the pre-brink of dawn, we finally got our chance. Wilder sat down to rest. We positioned the vehicle with the standby lights hitting the distant trees and they reflected back just enough glow to illuminate where he sat. We waited for ~45-minutes while Wilder had a bit of a catnap. Then… all of a sudden, he rose… Sort of surprised to see we were still there, he let out a mighty … yawn. Yes. And then a rather fierce half growl, acknowledging us, I suppose. The portrait was created during this interaction. It’s a combination of images taken moments apart. One exposing for Wilder and the other for the Milky Way just before he stood up, yawned, growled, and walked onward on his patrol. I never thought it would work, but miraculously, we pulled it off. It couldn’t have been a wilder night.back to gallery