Wildlife Lion Portrait Close-Up

Wildlife portrait of male lion in natural habitat, close-up head and mane composition filling frame, magnificent full mane in tawny gold and dark brown showing individual hair texture and wind-blown appearance, powerful facial features with intense amber eyes showing intelligence and focus, broad nose with visible texture, prominent whiskers, slight scar above left eye showing battle experience. Natural savanna environment: golden dry grass in soft focus background, warm late afternoon lighting. Natural wildlife lighting: warm golden hour sunlight from side creating dimensionality, rim lighting on mane creating glow effect on backlit hairs, one side of face well-lit while other in softer light showing facial structure, eyes catching light showing amber color depth and reflection. Shot with 400mm telephoto lens at f/5.6 for wildlife distance maintaining safety while achieving intimate portrait, shallow depth of field with face sharp and background completely soft bokeh, eye-level angle creating connection and showing lion from respectful equal perspective. Photorealistic wildlife rendering: individual mane hairs showing texture color variation and natural tangling, facial skin showing texture and scars authentically, eyes showing depth with proper catch lights and reflections, whiskers showing fine detail against mane, nose leather showing texture. Natural wildlife color palette: tawny golds and browns of mane, tan facial fur, amber eyes, warm golden hour light, golden grass bokeh, creating authentic wildlife portrait meeting BBC Earth and National Geographic wildlife standards.