Steve Winter is one of the best photographers National Geographic has. He truly cares about the animals that he photographs and believes that a single photo can change the world. His mission is to bring big cats, including leopards▼ and cougars▼, to the forefront. Winter took a picture of a cougar near the Hollywood sign in California, and everyone thought it was photoshopped. This particular picture has raised awareness of the struggles facing big cats and other animals in urban environments. Talks of conservation, such as building a wildlife tunnel▼ across one of the busiest highways in the world for cougars, have been discussed. It was because of this single photo that led to him working on Mission Critical: Leopards at the Door for National Geographic Channel (NGC).
In Mission Critical, Winter's goal is to photograph the leopards of Mumbai, India, living close to the city with a population of around 24 million people. Winter finds the perfect spot on a walkway near an apartment complex and has his crew go to work. They build a camera rig▼ with bamboo scaffolding▼, and then they attach cameras and lights to the branches. This way, some stunning shots can be easily captured at leopard level. The big cats only come out at night, so Winter must remotely work using infrared▼ sensors.
To get the perfect shot, Winter typically has to wait months on end. Eventually, he gets his shots for Mission Critical as the biggest leopard of the bunch▼, Big Daddy, shows up on the walkway. Those dedicated to filming these beautiful, mighty creatures firmly believe that photography can make the future of coexistence▼ between big cats and humans in urban places possible. With this enlightening show, people can better understand why NGC's photographers love what they do and how these types of pictures hold the power to change the world.
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