On a hot Texas day last June, wildlife photographer Karine Aigner came face to face with a bobcat, and an unexpected relationship began.

“I’d been told bobcats had been denning under the house for years, but for the six summers I had spent teaching photography workshops at the ranch I’d only seen them once or twice.”

Bobcats are notoriously shy, and while they live throughout the United States, getting more than a passing glimpse is rare. She had never considered them serious photography subjects.

But, that week, after having spotted one of the kittens dart across the patio, Aigner decided to try her luck. “I convinced myself I’d be well hidden behind my pseudo photo blind of camo netting fastened on