How a love for big cats and the 'myth' of the leopard sparked this wildlife photographer's career

Meet Rodney Nombekana, wildlife photographer and seasoned safari tour guide at Kruger National Park in South Africa, who has earned the reputation for finding and photographing big cats.

(CNN) — People travel across oceans and from the other side of the world for a chance to see the wonders of Kruger National Park. The South African game reserve was established more than 120 years ago and ranks among the best national parks in the world. Bucket-list adventurers visit with the hope of encountering the "big five" -- lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo -- and, with any luck, capturing a memory-worthy photo in the process.

"Our animals basically make wildlife photography fashionable," says Rodney Nombekana, a safari guide who prides himself on giving visitors a camera roll of reasons to fall in love with Kruger's wildlife. "By doing so, not only do they appreciate the wildlife but they also get involved in conservation of our natural world."

Tourists on Nombekana's safaris may well find themselves in a prime position to capture the perfect shot -- because Nombekana is a wildlife photographer himself, a passion he says he fell into years ago while leading a safari group through a different park.