Florida Panther

I like this photo, Michael. Rather than the perfectly composed, perfectly focused animal shot, this one gives much more a feeling of the moment. The lioness seems to pad softly into the picture. Despite the movement blur, that one in-focus leg anchors the picture. That dark area to the left - probably a cage bar - adds to the sense of the big cat emerging from the darkness into the light.

I've been to the area where this panther is housed quite a few times. On each occasion, I observe it walking the perimeter of its enclosure, never in the middle which appears more friendly. When I shot this photograph, it was coming from behind a very dark hedge. That's why not all of its body is visible. My priority was to capture its movement; I wasn't concerned too much with its appearance. So I wasn't bothered by the blurry areas.