Snow leopard in winter

The conditions for photography here in Kalispell, Montana were perfect today. More snow had fallen, the lighting was diffused, and there was no wind. We first photographed snow leopards, and it's hard to take a bad picture of such beautiful animals. I got lucky with this shot because I saw by the cat's body language it was about to go into action. I watched him through the viewfinder, ready to pounce on the shutter button the moment that happened. This time, I was shooting at 20 frames per second -- the fastest frame rate on the R5 -- to catch every nuance of the movement. My settings were 1/1600, f/11, and the auto ISO setting gave me 4000. The heretofore undisturbed snow contours in the foreground worked out beautifully, and the way the snow is being jettisoned from the leopard's body underscores the power of the explosive leap.