Camera: Sony A9ii

Lens: Sony GM 70-200 2.8 MKII

Aperture: F/9

Shutter speed: 1/400

ISO: 1250

Description: Zebra walking at sunset with a distant downpour over the escarpment

Story from behind the lens: We were driving back to camp when the sky was starting to turn. Admiring the dramatic clouds and setting sun, I was on the hunt for something to photograph in front of it. To my dismay, the plains seemed almost deserted and we were drawing nearer to camp, until we reached this tree near Bila Shaka.

I was thinking I would get a shot without any animals in it, and just focus on the tree, when we saw some straggling zebra walking slowly in our direction. A line of zebra had passed by the tree and I’d tried a few shots, but it was this lone zebra that made the image for me. If you look closely, there is another zebra tucked away in the background, and in the branches of the tree sits a lilac-breasted roller - an iconic bird of the Mara. It’s barely visible, but I love that it was there are the time and I didn’t realise when I shot the image.

Looking at the final image, I truly feel like a zebra was the perfect choice of subject to have in front of the contrasting colours of the sky. The black and white stripes stand out so vibrantly, as I was able to situate the animal’s head and body within the blue band of the escarpment in the background. The zebra’s front leg is raised forward in motion, and the fact it is looking down at the ground with its head low adds to the sense of melancholy in the image.