Finding the Frame: How I Captured the Cheetah Coalition Shot

I had been tracking this coalition of three male cheetahs for four days before I got the shot. Not because they were difficult to find — my guide knew their territory well — but because the light was never right. On the fifth morning, everything aligned.

The Setup

We left camp at 5:15am, before first light. The termite mound was about 12km from camp, and I knew the cheetahs would be on it at sunrise if they were hunting that morning. We arrived with 20 minutes to spare, which gave me time to evaluate the best angle relative to where the sun would rise.

The Technique

I shot at f/6.3 to get sufficient depth of field to keep all three animals sharp at distance. The 500mm focal length compressed the background beautifully while the f/6.3 aperture was open enough to render the distant grass as a clean, undistracting blur. ISO 200 kept the image clean. A shutter of 1/1250s froze the occasional head movements.

The Lesson

The best wildlife photographs are never accidents. They are the product of extensive preparation, intimate knowledge of your subjects and location, and the willingness to return to the same spot until the conditions are exactly right. Plan obsessively. Then let go and be patient.