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    How far would you go to get the perfect shot? If you're Sergey Gorshkov, you'd go all the way into dangerous waters to get as close as you could to some magnificent yet vicious brown bears. According to the (U.K.) Daily Mail, Gorshkov knew he was taking a huge risk by capturing these photos, but aspired to be the first person to take a photo of a bear underwater.

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    One mistake: that's all it would take to turn Gorshkov's photographic feat into a death trap. The only thing separating him from the bears was a flimsy cage.

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    It took Gorshkov more than a year to bring his plans to life. "I understood that it would be not only difficult, but dangerous too." 

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    "I was so inspired by the idea of taking pictures underwater that I decided to take the risk. To achieve my dream, I spent long hours in the icy water [faced] with many problems. You can get very close to a bear, a nose to nose so to say, and there is only one thing in your mind: how not to lose the moment. I would not recommend anyone to repeat what I did," said Gorshkov.

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    Next: BEAR FALLS FROM TREE & MORE BEST ANIMAL PICS 2012

    After all was said and done, Gorshkov's extremely personal photos shed a new light on these majestic and enormous carnivores.