At the Watering Hole

Greg du Toit went through a lot to get this photograph. He simply wanted to shoot a lion drinking from a watering hole. He first built a trench in order to hide, but the baboons used it as their bathroom each night. Then he pitched a tent on a small dirt island in the middle of the watering hole. Many animals came, but not a single lion, as they perceived him as a threat. Months went by, and then one day in the sweltering heat, he went into the watering hole with only his head and hands showing above water holding the camera. It worked. The lioness wasn't upset by his bobbing head, and spent a fair amount of time drinking. Besides recuperating from parasitic infections from being in the watering hole, Greg thought it was well worth it.