arts & entertainment Artist's wildlife portraits are on display at two Metro Detroit locations. Giraffes in the Sunset, "one of my favorites," says Linda Rottman Worthington, was taken during a horseback safari at Plettenberg Bay Private Game Reserve, South Africa. "Our group was heading back to camp, I turned my horse around and waited because the sun was just coming down, the sky was changing and the giraffes were slowly walking toward the hill. Timing is everything; it was a magical moment." --Lisa... • t . The Leopard, taken at Pumba Private Game Reserve, South Africa, on Worthington's first safari. "I was so lucky to have seen this beauty; leopards tend to hide in the brush:' Suzanne Chessler Special to the Jewish News L inda Rottman Worthington built a career as a financial planner, often seeking safe retirement options for clients. Two years ago, when Worthington decided to retire from her longtime profession, safety was not the objec- tive she had in mind. Giving up her own job so she could accompany her husband assigned to work in South Africa, Worthington decided to establish a second career as a wildlife photog- rapher. Mostly on horseback, she photographed tigers, giraffes, leopards and other huge animals in their natu- ral environments and prepared the images for sale. Her unaltered digital pictures will be available through June at Art-Is-In Market at Laurel Park Place Mall in Livonia and Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi. "This is my second coming of age, doing something OWAI JaP. Reflecting Zebras, also taken on horseback, "pretty much put me on the same level as the zebras. That one makes me smile." ..zitsa0Atfatee;t7 Penguins on the Beach, shot near Cape Town, with Table Mountain in the background, covered by clouds. "I was on a trip with my sister, visiting from Paris, France." Lion Profile, taken on a different day at Pumba. "We were in a Range Rover and very, very close. As long as you are part of the vehicle, don't stand up - and the lions are not hungry - it's OK." I love as I begin working the second time around," says Worthington, 58, of Canton, whose pictures also are avail- able on notepaper, mugs and calendars. "This is the first time I've really shown my work seri- ously:' she says. "I was a member of ORT when I lived in Chicago, and I did sell a few of my pieces through an event they had. That was probably 20 years ago:' Worthington, who has lived in Michigan for 15 years, is part of a co-op arrangement at the malls. She is among 40-100 artists who rent space and volunteer their time to operate the outlets. Interested in photography since learning camera skills as a teenager taught by an uncle, she is most interested in nature as subject matter. "When you go on safari, it's not just a matter of shoot- ing pictures of animals," Worthington says. "It takes a long time because you have to watch the animals and catch them at right moments. There's just an instant before each Gone Wild on page 71 JN November 29 • 2012 69