A Wild Challenge in Yellowstone

While filming a class on photographing Big Game in Yellowstone with Moose Peterson, a renowned wildlife photographer, he playfully challenged me to create a video that could rival the one we made for Joe McNally. Moose, knowing about our previous shootout success, wanted something just as unique.

The Creative Spark

On the first day in Yellowstone, as we scoured the park for bison without any luck, an idea struck me. Moose had a background in high fashion photography before he turned to wildlife. What if we combined the two? I envisioned a high fashion shoot with a twist—the model would be a bison, seemingly shot in a studio setting using the natural green grass as a makeshift green screen.

Overcoming Nature’s Curveballs

Our initial efforts to find our ‘model’ were thwarted by a heavy snowfall that covered everything in white, far from the ideal backdrop for our intended green screen effect. Moose was unaware of my specific plan and sensed my disappointment. He reassured me that we could try something back at the studio in six months.

An Unexpected Turn

Surprisingly, Moose showed up just three weeks later, eager to see what I had in mind. I shared the high fashion bison concept with him, and he was immediately on board. With no bison on hand, we shot the entire setup in the studio, planning to superimpose the bison later.

Creative Post-Production

After Moose left, the search for the perfect bison footage continued. I found a video of a bison, but its legs were obscured by grass. Then, I stumbled upon an image of a bison with clearly visible legs standing on a road. Merging the studio footage with the bison image, I edited the legs from the road image onto our studio bison, completing the illusion.

The Final Reveal

The final video was a hit—Moose and everyone else loved it. It wasn’t until I saw the completed video that I fully appreciated the crazy idea we had brought to life. It was an unusual blend of wildlife and high fashion, but we made it work beautifully.