This mating session ends with both parties licking their chops. Unfortunately, lion matings are generally unsuccessful. Most lionesses bear cubs every two to three years.
Lions prefer to mate in the shade, which cause exposure imbalance. I used my spot meter to expose for the sunny area, and let the animals fall into shadow, rather than expose for the shadows and burn out the grass. I knew I could bring out the detail in the shadows later with Photoshop. I used the multiple image option on my camera to expose a burst of frames at the end of the coupling. This was the frame that expressed the strongest emotion, and also created an essential sliver of space between the bodies of the lions.