Brown Bear salmon hunting in the Russian Far East

When photographer Michael Roggo came to Russia, more precisely to Kamchatka, he had only one task — to photograph brown bears hunting salmon as close as possible. Admittedly, he fulfilled his task — as can be seen from these wonderful photos.

(Michel Roggo / Rex)

Armed with an underwater camera on a pole, Michael took a series of unique photographs, offering a fresh look at this well-known animal behavior. (Michel Roggo / Rex)

"It was very important to keep a safe distance from the bear, so to get detailed photos, I mounted the camera in the underwater hull on a 9-meter pole. But even that was sometimes not enough," says the photographer. (Michel Roggo / Rex)

A brown bear hunts salmon. (Michel Roggo / Rex)

That's a selfie! (Michel Roggo / Rex)

Michael had to closely monitor the bear's body language to see if he was glad of his presence or not. (Michel Roggo / Rex)

"When photographing bears, it is important to understand their behavior. You need to know when to move away, and when you can get closer." (Michel Roggo / Rex)

"In the first few days in Kamchatka, I only watched different bears to understand which ones are the safest to approach." (Michel Roggo / Rex)

Every year, 5 million salmon migrate from the Sea of Okhotsk to the Kuril Lake, where they spawn. (Michel Roggo / Rex)

It is not surprising that Michael found bears on the stretches of the river where most of these fish gather and where the water is low enough for bears to wade for fish. (Michel Roggo / Rex)

"The dominant male was very calm and didn't seem to be afraid of my presence. So I decided to approach him first. To be so close to such a large animal was for me one of the most unforgettable experiences in my career as an animal photographer." (Michel Roggo / Rex)

"Bears inspire respect, and they constantly reminded me that they are the main ones here, not me." (Michel Roggo / Rex)

Someone caught lunch. (Michel Roggo / Rex)

The bear's body conveys his mood well. For example, if a bear sits, looks away and yawns, as if he is not interested, this indicates that he is ready to obey and is not going to fight with other bears for dominance, hot spots or females. (Michel Roggo / Rex)

"During my first meeting with the dominant male, I did not take pictures. I just sat there, avoiding looking him in the eye. As soon as the bear calmed down and realized that I was not a danger, I took the camera." (Michel Roggo / Rex)

Salmon hunting - bottom view. (Michel Roggo / Rex)

"At first, the bear was afraid of the camera and moved back, so I put it away and tried again the next day. Eventually, after a couple of days, I was able to take some photos and get closer to the bear." (Michel Roggo / Rex)

Brown bear is looking for a suitable breakfast. (Michel Roggo / Rex)

Ow-ow-ow! (Michel Roggo / Rex)

Eh, it's not an easy job! (Michel Roggo / Rex)

Brown bear in the process of catching fish. (Michel Roggo / Rex)

A fisherman from God! (Michel Roggo / Rex)