By: Nic
Located in Russia’s Far East, the Kamchatka Peninsula is the region with the highest density of brown bears in the world, which is why wildlife photographer Sergey Gorshkov returns year after year to photograph and study them.
The brown bears here can stand as tall as 10 feet and weigh up to 1,433 pounds, making their size truly impressive, yet they rarely come into conflict with humans. They feed on salmon and berries in the summer, and add nuts to their diet in the autumn.
Speaking about why he came to photograph in Kamchatka, Sergey Gorshkov said that he was captivated by the nature there during a visit many years ago. He had bought a local photo album as a souvenir but ended up losing it and being unable to find it again, so he decided he had to return and document the scenery himself through photography.
Years later, Sergey Gorshkov’s first documentation of the brown bears in Kamchatka ignited his passion for photography, changed his way of life, and eventually led him to pursue wildlife photography as a career.
Through photography at different times of the year, Sergey Gorshkov managed to capture images of brown bears swimming in the icy waters during the harsh winter and catching leaping salmon in the rivers in spring. After years of working with the bears, he learned how to gauge their aggression and determine when to shoot and when to leave.
Nowadays, Sergey Gorshkov continues to document wildlife in remote parts of Russia, including Arctic foxes on Wrangel Island, but the brown bears of Kamchatka remain his signature work.
To see more, you can visit Sergey Gorshkov’s website and Facebook.
Source: MyModernMet