Sometimes you’re just lucky. A seemingly random shot while riding a cable car up to Table Mountain turns into an iconic shot.
Or at least I think it should be iconic. Despite my theory that there isn’t a photograph that hasn’t already been taken, I have not been able to find another version of this image in my searching through various online photography repositories.
It was taken from the cable care in Cape Town, South Africa. I have a single picture that contains this particular rock. The cable car rotated as it went up to afford everyone a chance to see all of the incredible views. I suspect I was focusing on the coastline when I snapped this photograph. I don’t remember seeing the lioness when taking the shot.
In my search for other versions, I was able to find Lion’s Head Mountain that is also in Cape Town. I was able to find Lion Rock Hill in Hong Kong. There is Sigiriya, or Lion Rock in Sri Lanka. But, so far, I haven’t been able to find another version of this image of a rock formation of the head of a lioness overlooking the amazing view of the coastline near Cape Town.
This reminds me a little bit of the now lost Old Man of the Mountain rock formation that is enshrined on the New Hampshire license plate. Unfortunately, that rock formation collapsed in 2003. However, the Old Man was visible from many angles and from miles away. The lioness in this picture must only be visible from a very specific point on that cable car ride. Otherwise, it truly would be an iconic photograph. A photograph that would be on every Instagram photographer’s must-have list when visiting Cape Town.
I’ll accept some occasional luck, especially when it results in a beautiful image of a truly beautiful coastline being guarded by an ever vigilant, but apparently invisible, Lioness.