Wednesday, October 13, 2010

A close shave

129 A close shave
1. Jonathan Griffiths held his camera just inches away from tigers, bears and cougars as he took the pictures. (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
212 A close shave
2. The 32-year-old endured minus 40 degree Celsius temperatures at a Canadian wildlife breeding reserve as he gained the trust of each animal over two or three days. (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
312 A close shave
3. He enticed them with meat - mainly chicken - to photograph them close-up in his 15-month project. (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
410 A close shave
4. In one photograph a lion demonstrated its raw power by swiping at his camera... (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
510 A close shave
5. ...and in another shot a tiger left condensation on his lens with its breath. (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
610 A close shave
6. Jonathan, from Egham, in Surrey, only got a camera two years ago as a birthday present from his fiancee with the intention of photographing their newborn son. (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
710 A close shave
7. However, after spending time at the local zoo, Jonathan decided he wanted to take pictures of powerful predators in the wild and researched the best places to spot them. (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
810 A close shave
8. The currency trader flew to Canada, where he stayed in a lodge by a wildlife breeding reserve. He would wake up at 5.30am each day, trekking off mountain trails in search of snow leopards, wolves and black leopards. A guide at the wildlife reserve stood by his side as he came face to face with some of nature's most dangerous animals to capture them in intimate detail. (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
910 A close shave
9. Jonathan said: "At first I was quite nervous being so close to the animals as I did not know what to expect and they are wild... (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
1010 A close shave
10. For Jonathan the scariest moment came when he came face-to-face with a black leopard, "which made me fear for my life and I thought it could attack at any moment. It was was just mean and did not like humans full stop". (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
1112 A close shave
11. "My family think I'm a bit nuts and worry about the consequences if something went wrong. But I just like getting as close as possible to get a different kind of shot." On the approach....a Bobcat. (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
1210 A close shave
12. A Siberian tiger bares its teeth. (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
139 A close shave
13. A Brown bear covered in snow. (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
148 A close shave
14. Two Brown bears roar at the camera. (Jonathan Griffiths/Solent)
156 A close shave15. A Siberian tiger.

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