Through her lens, Julia Cook sees the beauty of wildlife in their native environment in Yellowstone National Park and her impactful and beautiful images come to life in her photography.

Cook, who is based around the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, does not take it for granted. Rather, she embraces it and her photos highlight the "wildness" of the American West. Her love of nature developed at an early age, and she grew up an hour from Yellowstone in Cody, Wyoming. 

"The Curious Fox" by Julia Cook

But her passion for nature doesn't stop at photography as she is pursuing a degree in environment and natural resources from the University of Wyoming. She spends most of her free time in Yellowstone on the lookout for wildlife. In addition to photography, Cook loves to write, draw, fish, paddle board, travel and rock climb.

Her photo "Colorful Display" earned her first place in the floral category of the Wyoming Game and Fish’s annual Wyoming Wildlife Magazine’s photo contest. The Wyoming Wildlife February 2020 edition published the winning image, and a column describing the photo was also published. 

Julia Cook holds up her first place photo, "Colorful Display," in Wyoming Wildlife Magazine. Photo provided by Little Lightning Nature

Cook offers prints in numerous sizes, and also does custom orders for large prints and metal, acrylic or canvas prints.

In an interview with Kinute, Cook described her passion for photography, her lifelong love for nature, and how she decided to become a wildlife photographer.

"I grew up just outside of Yellowstone, so as a kid I spent a lot of time there with my family on drives, days on the boat fishing, or camping trips. We would always see wildlife, and I fell in love with the wildness of Yellowstone," Cook said.  

When she was able to drive on her own, she said she "started going to the park with my dog Beach, and eventually picked up a camera to capture the wildlife I’d see."

"Shoshone Framed by Gold" by Julia Cook

The pandemic had a hand in her becoming more committed to photography.

"I didn’t start to be really serious about wildlife photography until the spring of 2020; my college classes had switch to online amid the pandemic and I had more free time to go to Yellowstone again," Cook said. "I have always been a creative person and craved creativity, while also having an interest in wildlife and the peacefulness of nature. Wildlife photography is the perfect intersection of science and art and allows me to spend time alone amid the wildness of nature, which has always been my biggest inspiration."

She described how her favorite subject to photograph are bears. 

"My favorite subject to photograph is, without a doubt, grizzly bears. I have always loved bears; something about them is almost human. Their eyes are so expressive, and they move with such intention and grace," she said. "I’ve watched a few different individual bears for several years and have grown to know their personalities and behaviors. There’s one bear in particular that is exceptionally carefree and independent, I almost see parts of myself in her. Any time I spend photographing her is really special and meaningful for me."

"The Swimming Grizzly" by Julia Cook

When asked if she has any favorite places in Yellowstone for wildlife sightings, Cook said, "my favorite places in Yellowstone are constantly changing with the seasons, but Hayden Valley is hard to beat. There are several overlooks within the valley where you can search for wildlife on the rolling hillsides or along the river’s edge. In the summer, bison congregate in the valley with their new calves, and the whole valley feels alive again after the long winter."

While not directly involved with leading any wildlife conservation efforts in Yellowstone, Cook said there are several causes she's passionate about.

"One concerns grizzly bears, and the conflicts that arise as our ranges overlap. Bears that consume human food are almost always eventually euthanized by wildlife management; an animal that associates food with human development can be dangerous," she said.

"Sunlit Raspberry" by Julia Cook

Cook explained, "This has become a recent issue in Jackson Hole, where bears wonder into town in search of food in preparation for hibernation. Bears in the area have eaten garbage, animal feed, honeybee hives, and even jack-o-lanterns, all due to a lack of mandates for bear-safe food storage or trash cans. This past year, a set of subadult twin grizzlies I had photographed several times were both euthanized for consuming improperly stored food. There’s an ongoing push to mandate bear-proof trash cans in areas bordering Grand Teton National Park and other areas."

The grey wolf is another cause Cook is concerned about.

"Another conservation causes I’m passionate about is the protection of the grey wolf. Wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone in 1995 and have restored balance to the ecosystem by reducing elk populations to a natural level. Numerous animals benefit from wolves; coyotes, bears, and ravens scavenge wolf kills, elk and deer have a healthier population, and beaver and moose have intact wetland zones without overgrazing and overpopulated elk," Cook explained. 

"While wolves are necessary for an ecosystem, they can have a negative impact on the ranching industry if they kill cattle. This year Montana and Idaho have changed their hunting regulations to allow baiting, trapping, night hunting, and killing of late-term pregnant females to reduce the population to the federal minimum," Cook said. "Already this hunting season over 500 wolves have been killed, including 21 members of Yellowstone’s packs. There’s currently a push from numerous conservationists to temporarily re-list the wolf on the Endangered Species Act which would end hunting, allowing time to develop a sustainable, science-based, management plan."

"The Bald Eagle Takeoff" by Julia Cook

Cook has travelled to many places, not necessarily to take photos in those countries.

"I’ve traveled to a few different places, though not specifically for photography. I have been to England, France, and Italy, as well as Scotland, which strangely reminded me of home," she said. "When traveling, no one knows where Wyoming is, so my family and I use Yellowstone as a reference. In a small town in Italy, I met a family from Rome whose 10-year-old son who had fallen in love with Yellowstone through nature documentaries. He asked every question imaginable about Yellowstone, and I shared my photography with him. He told me big horn sheep were his favorite animal to watch on TV; I now think of him every time I photograph big horn sheep."

"Ram in Sage" by Julia Cook

She has also traveled to the Bahamas and Costa Rica as part of high school conservation trips. She helped trap and tag sea turtles for a population study in Costa Rica, and also checked camera traps in the jungle for jaguar conservation.

As for her future travel bucket list, Alaska is on it.

"For now, the top of my list is Alaska, though I have plans to travel there soon. I have always been obsessed with visiting Alaska since I was a kid. Its wildness seems far stronger and more pure than anywhere else," Cook said. "Another bucket-list adventure would be traveling to the Arctic, either in Scandinavia or Canada, to photograph polar bears."

When asked why she decided to study environment and natural resources and what she hopes to accomplish with that degree, Cook explained her program is different.

"My degree program in environment and natural resources is different than most; it isn’t a stand-alone degree and has to be paired with another, a really interdisciplinary approach to learning," she said. "I have always loved science and nature, but also love writing, history, and creative arts like drawing. Trying to pick just one interest to purse seemed impossible, so I chose the ENR degree which allows me to focus on conservation and the environment, as well as history, which is my second degree. I plan on using both my degrees to help educate others about the environment, conservation, and wildlife, ideally eventually as a tour guide."

Cook had several impactful moments in nature, she said, but one she recalled is a recent one.

"I was coming around a corner near dusk in Yellowstone when I saw a bear along a creek in a small ravine. I immediately recognized the bear as my favorite grizzly and began photographing her from just outside my car. Suddenly, she charged up the hillside in pursuit of a deer fawn. It all happened so quickly, in less than a minute she was on top of the fawn. I was so in awe of what I had just witnessed it took a few moments before I was steady enough to continue photographing her," Cook recalled. "I watched for about 30 minutes before she had fully consumed the deer and walked off into the darkness. Though it was difficult to watch the whole scene, it was a good reminder to the brutal yet beautiful contrast of nature. The bear is a bear I have watched grow up, yet she is still wild and beyond the control of anyone, a quality that continuously inspires me."

"Fritter in Snow" by Julia Cook

Taking a great wildlife photo has a key ingredient, and Cook explained what is involved.

"I don’t think in the moment you can plan a great shot; however, I do have specific images in my head of shots I want to get and place myself in the best scenarios to get that specific shot. Wildlife photography relies on the animal subject and their behavior to be successful, and anything that alters an animal’s ability to behave naturally, like baiting, calling in animals, prolonged presence, or approaching too close, should be avoided," Cook said.

"For me, the key ingredient in taking a good wildlife photo is natural behavior; I want the animal to be as unbothered by me as possible, which allows me to not only keep the animal safe, but also to capture candid images the reveal details about that animal’s life. In terms of technical key ingredients, I try and shoot during the mornings and evenings when the lighting is soft, and try to isolate my subject in the frame through composition and background blur," she explained.

"The Great Grey Forest" by Julia Cook

When asked what she wants her audience to gain from her photographs, she responded, "I hope my photographs can help people connect with nature and view wildness as something worth protecting. So much of the wildlife I photograph relies heavily on conservation and protecting in order to thrive, and I hope my photos provoke a sense of awe and connection to nature within a viewer."

Cook's family has influenced her passion for wildlife and her photography career.

"No one in my family has as strong a passion for wildlife photography as I do, though they have heavily influenced it. As a kid I spent a lot of time outdoors with my family, which grew my love for nature," she said. "Now, I still spend time in Yellowstone with my family and they are very supportive of my passion. I was also lucky to share one of my most memorable wildlife encounters with my mom, who had accompanied me on a day trip to the Tetons. Our goal was to see grizzly 399 and her four cubs, and after all day of waiting we finally saw them. The cubs walked right in front of our car, an unforgettable encounter."

"Bears in the Sky" by Julia Cook

Cook's friends would constantly ask about her about all the time she spent in Yellowstone. "Despite also loving the outdoors, none of my friends shared a similar passion for wildlife photography, so I almost always went to Yellowstone alone, except for the company of my lab, Beach. I soon started to meet people out in the field; in fact, two of my best friends now I met standing on the side of the road watching bears. It’s been great to have people in my life who are so passionate about wildlife, they constantly inspire me and motivate me to be better."

As for her mission as a photographer, Cook said, "I never started out photographing wildlife with a specific mission or goal in mind, I only started because I love it so much. Now, I would say my mission is help others find a deep love for wildness by capturing impactful images."

Ten years from now, Cook said, "I will still be photographing wildlife, though I have no idea where. I love Yellowstone and its wildlife too much to be away for long, though in the next few years I would like to travel to various places to guide wildlife photography tours. I would love to one day own and operate my own guiding company in Yellowstone to share its unique history and wildness with others."