Two Lionesses Walking Our Way

They step out of the long grass, and they are walking straight at you.

Two lionesses. One right behind the other, so close they almost look like one animal with two heads. No hurry. No sound. Just that loose, heavy walk big cats have, shoulder blades rolling under the skin with every step.

Your heart speeds up. You know the rule. Sit still and you are fine.

So you sit very still.

They get bigger in the viewfinder. Then bigger. You stop zooming in. Then you start zooming out.

Now you can see the details. The pale fur on the chest. The round ears. The paws, wide and soft, pressing down a little path through the dry gold grass. The front one lifts her head and looks right at the vehicle.

Then they keep coming, step by step, as if you are not even there.

Further out on the plain, the grass runs flat and gold all the way to the horizon. One small shape breaks the line. A lioness has climbed to the top of a termite mound and is perched up there, above the grass, like it was built just for her.

Then she turns her head and looks straight at you.

Not angry. Just checking. A long, steady look across the grass.

Later, in the shade of a tree, a lioness lies stretched out on the bare ground. Head up. Mouth open, tongue showing, panting softly in the heat. Her eyes are amber and calm, and they are fixed on yours.

You hold your breath without meaning to.

You came out here to watch lions. It takes a lioness about two seconds to make you wonder who is watching whom.

So what makes these frames work?

Movement and eye contact. In the walking shot, the lioness is coming towards you, so the picture feels alive, like the next step is about to happen. Your eye goes to her face, then down her legs to that front paw in mid stride, then back to the second lioness just behind her.

The termite mound shot is the opposite. Stillness. One cat, one mound, one huge empty plain under a big pale sky. It is the kind of picture that gives a room space.

And the lioness by the tree? That is the one people will stand in front of for a long time.

Put the walking lionesses in an office reception, where it says teamwork and strength. Hang the termite mound in a hotel lounge or lodge style suite. Use the lioness by the tree for a brand that wants to look bold, warm and confident all at once.

And if you have never seen a lioness walking towards you through the grass, put it on your list. Go on safari in East Africa. Find a quiet spot. Turn the engine off.

Then wait for the grass to move.

Want these lionesses walking into your reception? License the photos today.

Need copy that makes customers lean in like this? Bring Paul in to write it.