FALL IN LOVE WITH AN ENCHANTING REAL LIFE TEDDY BEAR
OLGA BARANTSEVA
Olga Barantseva takes photographs of wild animals and children that truly capture the beauty of youth. They transport us to a childhood-dream-like place.
In this series, Barantseva worked with a very special brown bear, named Stepan. Yuriy Panteleenko, a circus trainer, found the bear barely alive, in the hands of hunters. He rescued the bear, took him home, and raised him to be people-friendly.
The photos, taken in a forest near Moscow, capture the softer side to an animal that is usually typecast as a deadly predator. The series of whimsical images are reminiscent of storybook fables.
In one photo, Stepan, is gingerly tucking a child into bed. In another, the bear is goofing around in a forest, playing hide-and-seek with a little girl.
Another photo shows the bear having a campfire meal with a young mother and her little girl.
Yet another photo shows a young girl laying across the bear’s back in the snow, with a soft cable knit blanket draped over them.
Stepan is like a real life teddy bear that stands over 7’ tall and weighs more than 1,400 lbs. Pantaleenko used Stepan’s favorite treats, mozzarella and sweet cookies, to entice him into position for the remarkable photographs.
Barantseva spent her own youth frequently surrounded by nature and wild animals near the Russian village where she grew up with her grandmother. She marveled at the fact that Stepan was so gentle with her human models, that any fear quickly dissipated.
With Stepan, Barantseva saw that humans and wild animals can sometimes coexist together peacefully.
Barantseva states that her images will be used for an anti-hunting campaign.
In addition to posing for Barantseva, Stepan, now 23 years old, has played roles in over 20 Russian films.
Read more about Beautiful Youth in 10 Precious Images & Ideas About The Beauty of Youth, Beautiful Baby Superstars Seen For The First Time Now, Edible Pretty Young Things, Old Masters Inspire The Beauty Of Youth In These Incredible Portraits and The Most Beautiful Place For Baby Turtles.
And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.
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IMAGE CREDITS:
All images by Olga Barantseva.
