‘The longer you spend in an area, the more that it reveals its rhythms and its essence,’ says photographer and TV presenter Jonathan Scott.
He’s talking about the Maasai Mara in Kenya. But the same lesson applies to any wildlife location. ‘Over time, we’ve learned about seasonal changes that affect the movement and behaviour of the animals and birds we wish to photograph,’ he continues. ‘And when it comes to big cats, there’s nothing like really investing time in understanding their behaviour – learning where are their favourite places to rest up, their favoured places to den their cubs, or favourite ambush sites.’
Jonathan and Angela Scott are on first-name terms with many of the Maasai Mara’s lions. Famous for several books and TV shows, including the BBC documentary series Big Cat Diary, Jonathan is originally from England, while Angela was born in Egypt and grew up in Tanzania. They’ve lived in Kenya since the 1970s and got married in the Maasai Mara National Game Reserve in 1992. They live in Nairobi but base themselves at Governor’s Camp in the Maasai Mara.
Both photographers have won the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, Jonathan in 1987 and Angela in 2002, the only couple to do so. ‘In the early days, it was more about taking pictures that could help earn us a living through picture agencies,’ says Jonathan. But the couple now focus much of their photography on raising awareness about wildlife and environmental issues, including the Sacred Nature Initiative that they founded in 2021.
Making connections
There are many advantages to spending so much time in a location, including making connections. ‘Building up a network of contacts with the local community – the Maasai – and the drivers and guides and camp managers is so important,’ says Jonathan. ‘If
