Vicki Santello
Camera: Canon R5
Lens: RF100-500mm f/4.5-7.1
Aperture: f/5.6
Shutter speed: 1/160
ISO: 200
Description: A female cheetah walks across the savannah drenched by the rain and wet to the bone.
Story from behind the lens: I was in a doors-off jeep for a low camera angle for this image. The rain was a steady downpour and a critical part of the scene. I used a slower shutter speed to include the rain as a subtle but dramatic element of the image. The slow shutter speed allowed me to create streaks of water which helps tell an important story about the cheetah in tough weather conditions. Her flattened ears and veiled eyes were body language that further illustrated her discomfort and her coat was totally saturated with rain water the whole time I was with her.