A Caracal is a pretty special sighting – they are usually rare to see. This sighting was very special for me as it was my very first, and the gorgeous cat stuck relatively close to our vehicle for a pretty long time. There were rumours that this one had some young ones in a hole nearby so we waited for a few hours hoping to get a glimpse of them. Sadly that was not meant to be for us but I was still pretty stoked with the photo opportunities offered by the adult.

Techs: Canon 7D | Canon 300 2.8 IS II + Canon 1.4 Extender Mk III | f/4 | 1/500s | ISO 200

Caracals are not easy to see. I lost count of how many safaris I was on before I finally hit the jackpot last year in the Maasai Mara. True to their reputation this one was secretive, spending all of its time in thick bush, but it was at ease with our presence and we spent around 3 or 4 hours in its company. It was mostly sleeping but every now and then it would look at us and perhaps change position, looking for cooler shade. I was enchanted by its beautiful face, and chose to take a lot of portraits of it to show off its features but especially showing the markings on the fur of its face. You would think it’s one solid block of colour but there are so many different shades contouring the face. One thing I learned when photographing this Caracal is to be careful not to clip the ear tufts. Unless you have a nice clean background it is a bit difficult to see them through the camera’s view finder, so you have to be aware of them at all times.

Techs: Canon 7D | Canon 300 2.8 IS II + Canon 1.4 Extender Mk III | f/4 | 1/500s | ISO 200