Adversity x Opportunity

Timbavati, 2019 - A young male lion keeps a watchful eye from the shadows. The life of a male lion can be described as a rollercoaster, beginning slowly as a cub under the protection of the pride, unaware of the challenges that lie ahead. If he is in the small fraction of cubs to make it to early adulthood, that's when the rollercoaster takes a winding fall where him (and in this case his brother) are no longer always welcome in the pride and begin navigating the wild as nomads with targets on their backs. It becomes a life filled with both adversity and opportunity, avoiding unnecessary conflict while providing for themselves.

This image was taken at that exact point in their journey where him and his brother began spending time on their own. At the risk of sounding cliche, when writing the above paragraph, I realised that the contrast of shadows and light can easily represent the adversity and opportunity that lies ahead for this lion and his brother. The awareness in his gaze only adds strength to that metaphor. 



This is just one of many harsh contrasts in nature necessary to ensure a functioning ecosystem where only the strongest survive. These contrasts create balance.