Rick Beldegreen

Camera: Nikon Z9

Lens: Nikon 80-400 mm

Aperture: 5.6

Shutter speed: 1/2000

ISO: 320

Description: This silhouette photo of the famous and beloved leopard "Fig" was taken several weeks before her untimely death. She was killed by a male lion

Story from behind the lens: We were fortunate to find the leopard "Fig" in a tree in the setting sun. It was difficult to get a clean, unobstructed view of "Fig" with the sun to our back, so I opted for an unobstructed view shooting into the sun. I waited, as Fig" sat high in the branches, for the moment when she would descend. I could only hope she would stop and pose in the only unobstructed area of the tree that I was focused on. She did not disappoint!