Speaker Julia Cook uses a variety of her images to discuss a range of ideas relating to wildlife photography, specifically in Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, including why the area is one of the best locations for wildlife photography. She also covers her recent photojournalism project, “This is Grizzly Bear Country: Human Grizzly Interactions in the Yellowstone Ecosystem.” Completed for her fellowship as the 2022 Larsh Bristol Photojournalism Fellow at the University of Wyoming, the project highlights the complex ways humans and bears interact within a shared landscape, with images showing the possibility of coexistence. Wildlife photography and viewing ethics are also discussed.

Julia Cook is a wildlife photographer and naturalist. Growing up in Cody, less than an hour from Yellowstone, she developed a love for nature at an early age, which eventually led her to pick up wildlife photography.

A recent graduate from the University of Wyoming, Julia holds a B.S. in Environment and Natural Resources and a B.A. in History; she is now pursuing wildlife and outdoor photography full time. Cook spends most of her free time in the field photographing various species of wildlife, though grizzly bears are a favorite.

Her overall goal in photography is to capture impactful images of native wildlife that highlights the wildness of the American West while inspiring others to care about wildlife conservation. Cook is also dedicated to ethical wildlife photography in order to keep wildlife wild and allow them to behave naturally without interference.