Sudburian's grizzly pic lands Canadian Geographic cover

A photo of a grizzly bear taken by Sudbury photographer Don Johnston will appear on the cover of the April issue of Canadian Geographic magazine.

Johnston, the owner of Dawn's Images Nature Photography, said he often relies on the services of an agent specializing in the marketing of photos.

Last fall, Canadian Geographic had a call-out for grizzly bear photos, and Johnston's agent submitted several of his images. He said he learned a few weeks ago that one of his photos will be used on the cover.

The image in question, featuring a bear looking straight at the camera, was taken in the fall of 2012 in the Chilcotin wilderness area of British Columbia.

Johnston and his wife, Brenda, both retired teachers, spent a week in the region, photographing grizzly bears that were snacking on salmon carcasses in a river.

“We work in flat-bottomed boats that are guided by knowledgeable guides,” he said. “So you're photographing the grizzlies from a boat, and the advantage there is you're safe.”

Johnston, whose work has also appeared on the cover of National Geographic's youth magazine, Explorer, said he's pleased his image landed the cover, especially with so many talented shutterbugs around shooting nature images.

“Certainly, it's an exciting coup to nail this one in the face of all the excellent wildlife photography that's out there,” he said.

Learn more about Johnston's photography by visiting donjohnstonphotos.com.