Road Rage
Yellowstone National Park - 2025

Yellowstone is the only place in the
United States where bison have
lived continuously since prehistoric
times. By 1902, poachers had reduced
Yellowstone’s herd to about two dozen
animals but the recent estimates suggest
this has grown to around 5,000-5,400. It
is America’s largest and oldest wild, freeroaming
herd.
We only film bison in Yellowstone in the
depths of winter. There are two reasons
for this: one of course is that the traffic
is bearable in the winter and we are very
often on our own and out of the park by
10 am; the second more important factor
is that the presence of snow plays to
the animal’s fortitude. I would not film
the Amalfi coast in the winter, as it is a
summer holiday destination, and in the
same way I have no interest in filming in
Yellowstone in July.
I tend to focus on the male bison which
can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand
6 feet tall. From the right angle, their
enormous heads and curved horns elicit
imagery of mythological beasts; they
are part cow and part fantasy. The bison
are a revered part of the tapestry of
Americana.
This immersive photograph was shot on
a remote camera with a wide-angle lens
on the road between West Yellowstone
and Madison Junction. It’s an iterative
process and I often fail simply because
I am not in charge of the bison’s
movement. But a pattern can develop and
then we must be patient.
Yellowstone is very accessible these days
and there are many photographers up
there every day. I think the important
thing is to be true to oneself and do what
you do.