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Daniel J. Cox: The Power and Beauty of Bears and Other Animals

Daniel J. Cox is a Nikon Legend Behind the Lens

If it hadn't been for the bear in the backyard, things might have been different for Daniel J. Cox.

As a teenager growing up in the tiny northern Minnesota town of Twig, Dan took notice of the black bear that liked to wander through the family's yard every so often. "We lived in farm country at the edge of the wilderness," Dan says, "so we saw a lot of animals. At first the bear was a little scary, but we got used to him and he to us. After a while I realized I could photograph this guy."

Bears became an ongoing "life's work" as Dan became one of this country's leading nature photographers. In his book, Bear: A Celebration of Power and Beauty, his photographs combine with text by Rebecca L. Grambo to create a fascinating study of the natural history of the bear, as well as a look at the creature's role in myth, legend and folklore.

Photographing bears in the wild, Dan will tell you, is not something you do without lots of preparation. They are dangerous subjects, and some are a lot more dangerous than other animals.

"You have to take precautions and have respect for all bears, but, in general, black bears are less of a problem to photograph in terms of threat or danger," Dan says. "They're much less aggressive and more predictable than grizzlies or polar bears."

Essentially what you're looking for are...well, contented bears. Meaning, well fed ones.

"I'd say that 99 percent of my work with grizzlies is done in Alaska, along the streams where salmon provide the bears with a tremendous food source. I've worked in the interior of Canada and Montana, and I have a few images of grizzly bears in Yellowstone, but I don't feel comfortable for the animal or myself when I'm working in those areas. The animals there are so highly stressed from trying to find food. They just don't have the food sources that Alaskan bears do, and because of that they're grumpy."

Not that bears will view humans as a food source. Generally a bear will attack only if surprised or if it's guarding a food cache or protecting cubs. But, as Dan says, bears are very sensitive to smells, and they're very curious. "If you're camping and a bear smells anything—could be soap, toothpaste, hair spray—he might come around to check you out.