![\"Lion](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/daniel-dolpire-lions-photo-1.png\")
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Arranged in a perfect line atop a dirt mound, six relaxed male lions sit with their legs draped over the grassy crest. Their faces hold a neutral expression, as if they\u2019re taking a break from being ferocious. Some look off in the distance, while a couple look directly at Daniel Dolpire<\/a>\u2019s camera. The New Zealand-based photographer captured this incredible shot in 2012 while in Tanzania. Its tranquil tone, and surprisingly candid composition, goes against the stereotypes we often have about lions\u2014that they are untamed and always on the prowl. Here, those ideas don\u2019t ring true.<\/p>\n \u201cI took this \u2018once-in-a-lifetime\u2019 shot at &Beyond Klein\u2019s Camp<\/a>, a remote and exclusive camp set on a 10,000-hectare concession leased from Maasai landlords deep in the corner of Tanzania\u2019s Serengeti National Park,\u201d Dolpire tells My Modern Met. \u201cWhile the camp lies in the path of the Great Migration<\/a>, there is also ample resident game, and morning game drives begin at sunrise, with guides often on the lookout for lions resting from the previous night\u2019s hunt.\u201d<\/p>\n Dolpire was accompanied by a guide and tracker team at the camp, and they found the group at the edge of a stream a little after seven in the morning. \u201cI scrambled for my two camera bodies (Nikon D4 and D3s, and 200mm \u2013 400mm and 500mm) and got the shot!\u201d His timing was perfect. \u201cExactly six minutes later, the first lion got up and, within another five minutes, three were sleeping, and the other three had gone off into the bush.\u201d Had the group been just a little earlier or later, Dolpire wouldn\u2019t have captured the amazing image.<\/p>\n \u201cThe &Beyond guides consistently monitor the animals in the region and their movements,\u201d the photographer shares, \u201cso they were able to tell us that these six young males were part of the biggest pride in the reserve\u2014the Black Rock Pride, which frequents the north west region. The pride consists of eight adult females, two dominant males, four sub-adult females, three sub-adult males, five cubs of approximately 7 months old, and eight young males, six of which I managed to photograph.\u201d All of them were just over 3 years old at the time of the photograph.<\/p>\n This image marks a career high for Dolpire and an extremely lucky break. \u201cI have been taking wildlife photos for over 20 years, but this has got to be my special moment!\u201d He says. \u201cFollowing up on news of the lions with &Beyond Klein\u2019s Camp in August of that year [2012], I learned that they have split up and have only been seen in pairs, so the timing for getting this exceptional shot proved to be crucial.\u201d<\/p>\n Wildlife photography is often about being prepared when you\u2019re in the right place at the right time. Dolpire\u2019s photo proves the magic that can happen when these two things align.<\/p>\n Daniel Dolpire: Website<\/a>\u00a0
\nMy Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Daniel Dolpire.
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