The Lion King - Lion in the golden hour

This lion sits on a large rock in the evening sun, looking out over its kingdom. Proverbially, we are talking about the monkey rock, but even with lions, hierarchy determines who gets the sweetest spot.
With this image, who does not immediately think of the iconic scene from Disney's film "the Lion King"? Yet this is spontaneous - a real lion does not let itself be told where to sit or lie.

Typical is the peace and calmness the mighty animal exudes, perhaps also logical if you are on the right side of the food chain.
Could that have been the inspiration of the ancient Egyptians for the statues of the sphinx?

The low-lying late-summer sun gives a warm colour and high-contrast shadows. This makes details, such as the lion's fur for instance, easily visible.
The sky, on the other hand, consists of subtle shades of colour from the pale blue sky to the white dispersed clouds, forming a calm background.

Although this lion photo was taken at a great (safe!) distance, its high resolution certainly makes it suitable for larger images.