Lion Surprises Photographer With Scary Roar, Then Winks And Smiles At Him

A wildlife photographer Gren Sowerby got the ‘shock of his life’ when he came a little too close to a lion before it let out a huge roar and flashed him a cheeky smile in Kenya. Gren Sowerby, 69, leaned in and got close to the big cat when it suddenly flashed its pearly whites and let out a massive roar on a safari in Maasai Mara, Kenya, in September. While he was initially startled, he continued to snap pictures of the ferocious animal and was left astonished when it gave him a smile.

The photo shoot happened last month in Maasai Mara, Kenya. "I was really happy with the photos, I only looked at them properly when I got home. I regularly go on these safaris and really enjoy photographing wildlife. They have grown up around the safari so they're used to cars and tourists." "The King of the Jungle is always something you've got to capture and I'm so pleased I got the shot," Sowerby added. The photographer has spent the last 37+ years taking pictures of wildlife, landscapes, portraits, as well as live music. Though he started out with a 35mm film camera, he switched over to digital photography back in 2003.