Meg Sommers was sitting on a rock overlooking one of the settings for the star-studded movie “Out of Africa.” She was soaking in the majestic view while living out a dream to see the vastness of Kenya and photograph its wildlife in and around Lake Nakuru National Park. She even had the soundtrack from the movie playing on her cellphone.

“I never dreamed I would ever be there in person,” she said remembering her perch in the middle of unthinkable beauty on the African continent.

It wasn’t her first trip to Kenya. The former Park County attorney and judge is passionate about photography. Wildlife is her preferred subject and Africa has quite a few charismatic species from which to choose.

“The animals are around every corner,” she said.

Many have traveled to the exotic destination in search of great photographs. But few have had the success Sommers recently had with a photograph of a lion cub wrapped in the comfort of its mother’s tail.

She entered the photo in Outdoor Photographer Magazine’s prestigious annual contest without expectations. It was her first entry and, after reading the magazine “cover to cover” for years, she knew the competition would be extremely tough.

But she had a gut feeling about the photo.

“The cub had played on the log for maybe 20 minutes,” she said. “But when the tail went around the cub, it was so comforting, we could feel it.”

Sommers has photographed wildlife seriously for more than 20 years; mostly in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. When an animal moves within range, there’s a lot of hope for a great picture. But it’s extremely rare to take a frame and instantly know “it’s a great shot,” she said.

Though she had never entered the contest before, her first attempt won the 2022 Grand Prize in the competition, landing her nearly $5,000 in cash and prizes. She was one of less than two dozen finalists chosen from thousands of entries in the international competition.

Back at home Sommers is hard at work trying to capture intimate moments with wildlife. While still occasionally performing legal duties, she spends most of her time in the backcountry looking for another perfect frame. She is also the unofficial leader of the Cody Camera Club and a wildlife photography instructor with Yellowstone Forever.

The club meets in the Alt. EOC (Emergency Operations Center) Room in the basement of the Park County Courthouse on the first Wednesday of the month. The highlight of the meetings usually includes a guest speaker and a show of club members’ art from the previous month.

For more information, visit megsommers.com.