Photographing Big Cats: Spotlight Snow Leopards

A few weeks ago I headed down to the San Diego Zoo with one goal - to get some fantastic pictures of the big cats. I love watching the leopards and jaguars, but have never had much luck getting decent pictures of them.

Up until recently I had been using a Canon Power Shot SX150 IS, which is a great camera and gave me some amazing photographs, even award-winning photographs. However, I wanted more. I wanted to get those amazing images that my friends were capturing. Last December I bought myself a Canon EOS Rebel T3 and I've had a blast experimenting with the settings. This particular day I used my 75-300mm lens and was finally able to capture the cats in a way like never before.

Meet Beau, the Snow Leopard

Snow leopards are endangered and need our help. They have thick luxurious fur that is 5 inches thick to help protect them from the extreme cold temperatures of their natural habitat in the mountain ranges of Central Asia.

Their thick tail is used for balancing while climbing the rocky cliffs of the Himalayas.

One of the things I love about photographing wildlife is that it gives me another avenue to use when connecting with my readers. Sometimes it is the picture that tells the story and captures the heart more than the words.

Sadly, these beautiful animals are rarely seen in the wild. Visit SnowLeopardTrust.org and find out how you can help to save these beautiful cats.