A WILDLIFE photographer from Timperley did not need her long lens when she came face to face with a brown bear in the wilds of Alaska.

Anne Michaelides, owner of Nature Design Signs in Timperley, had a close encounter with a wild bear on a recent trip to Mendenhall Glacier in the North American state.

The 58-year-old, a former college lecturer at South Trafford College, first spotted the bear fishing for salmon in a river whilst on a tourist trip in the national park.

A rare sight, Anne considered herself lucky – but unbeknownst to her, an even more unusual experience was waiting just around the corner. “I looked up and the bear that we saw in the river was right in front of me,” said the mum-of-two.

“Talk about my heart stopping – I was only about six to ten feet away.”

Anne was by herself when she stumbled across the bear but the group soon caught up with her and stopped in their tracks.

“I was petrified but there was nothing I could do,” added Anne. “You just have to stand and be quiet, I didn’t run or scream. When it happens to you, you are frozen to the spot; I couldn’t have outrun it anyway.”

Although the photographer was transfixed by the encounter, she knew that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and had the foresight to capture the moment.

“I thought, ‘what am I going to do?’ and I just got out my iPhone and videoed it,” she said. “It was just so amazing.”