Mithun is a talented wildlife photographer with a passion for photographing wild cats, especially leopards. His Instagram account is filled with many images of leopards and he has over 500K followers. One of his recent photographs managed to attain so much attention due to its rarity. The image portrayed a leopard and a black panther a sighting that is as rare as a blue moon. The male black panther can be seen standing behind the female leopard.
What makes this image even more unique is the appearance of the black panther as the shadow of the leopard in the front. Both these animals are facing the camera and seem unfazed. The photograph went viral in the blink of an eye and people were fascinated by this stunning sight.
Mithun named this image “The Eternal Couple”. “I can still close my eyes and relive that moment every single day of my life. You don’t see that often. Probably a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” the photographer conveyed.
It was no easy task to capture the image as Mithun had to wait patiently in the same spot for six days. It also required years of experience and knowledge to track the panther. However, it was all worth the wait since Mithun captured the ideal image. “I could wait for 6 years for a moment like this,” expressed Mithun.
The photographer began his wildlife photography journey back in 2009. Since he was born and grew up in the jungles of South India, this instilled a passion for wildlife photography within him.
After picking up his first camera in 2009 he was able to capture a huge male tiger swimming and wading through a flowing river gracefully and this inspired his love for wildlife photography. His heart holds a special place for leopards as they are agile and graceful animals. Even though wildlife photography can be quite risky, according to Mithun, “These beautiful creatures are generally more scared and shy than we think. Give them space and let them get comfortable with you and you realize how close and personal you can get with their world. The secret is patience and respect.” Enjoy the images and feel free to give us your feedback in the comment section below.
