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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Thirty Two: On Safari -- expressing the essence of nature > Mating lions at rest, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, 2006
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09-JAN-2006

Mating lions at rest, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, 2006

Another pair of mating lions, asleep in a sun-splashed forest, are alone except for a photographer and his guide. They were oblivious to my presence when awake, and dozed off within a few moments after coupling. Of all the images I made in Africa, this is one of the most idyllic, a study of the natural world in a timeless and memorable context. I made many images of this scene, and as I shot version after version, I found that placing the lions in the lower left hand corner of the frame created the most expressive relationship with the leafy context. Although they are inert, the lions create a diagonal stepping-stone that pulls the eye into the lush environment, making this image represent a veritable “return to Eden.”

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30
1/80s f/4.0 at 24.7mm iso80 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis26-May-2008 22:17
Thanks so much for appreciating the idyllic qualities of this image, Karen. It is very much like a dream, not just or the lions, but for the viewer as well. I did all I could to make this image a vision of the "peaceable kingdom."
Karen Moen26-May-2008 22:03
This has such a peaceful dreamy quality. The light filtering in from behind the green trees is magic. The two reclining cats give off that aura of peacefulness.
Phil Douglis25-Jan-2006 05:51
This is nature's own "cut and paste," Christine. I shot many images of this pair. I stayed with them for almost a half hour, waiting for another mating session while they recovered from efforts of the previous one. They changed positions often. But if you wait long enough, good things like this can happen. And it did. And once it did, I simply placed them in various parts of the frame, and this position worked best.
Guest 25-Jan-2006 02:22
It is amazing how they are lying down in exactly the same position, almost as if you had done a "cut and paste". The repetition or pattern is what caught my attention at first. Christine
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