My recent photograph “The Black Panther Club” elicited a material reaction and I knew immediately after I saw the picture that I needed to go back the following evening and see if I could put something else in the can. A fisherman surely does the same and the emotions are not that different. These were big days in the field - the days we dream of. We have many dull days with no opportunity to create and it is in those barren moments that we must remember the very good times. Whilst it is accepted that luck equals out over time, we will do all we can to disrupt that equation.

We invest considerable time in this part of Transvaal and we sometimes return disappointed with the new content. This was time to double up and attack especially since the weather was settled and the light decline in the evening would be the same as the previous night. There was a limited window of perfect light, but I was confident on the logistics and my partnership with Kevin Richardson. The process relies entirely on his talents.

Symmetry matters in these shots as well as facial expression and a head on perspective. It is far from easy and that’s why we haven’t seen much of this kind of work before. This was our only shot that worked that night and it all happened very quickly. I only took a dozen pictures; all within a two second period.

I like the panther’s posture and the angle of his back. They are predators first and foremost. I have seen all the big cats in my career, but this cat is a finely oiled machine.

The cinematic format is perfect for this photograph - after all, Black Panthers elicit heavy Hollywood vibes. It is an animal that has rightly created many metaphors.