2006 Banff Mountain Photography Competition
Best Photo — Y2Y Region
Brian Bastinelli: Madison River Elk Rut
“Late one afternoon in September 2005, I stopped to photograph a bald eagle perched along the Madison River, in Yellowstone National Park. As if on cue, the eagle flew away as soon as I was in position. Disappointed, I moved on. Roughly a mile down the road, I came upon a herd of elk and noticed two bulls posturing along the banks. I first silently thanked the eagle for flying off and then set out to record the amazing battle for dominance unfolding before me.”
Brian Bastinelli is a firefighter and an accomplished emergency-service photographer, but his passion remains landscape and nature photography. Although he travels throughout the American West, he feels most deeply connected to the wild areas of Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front and the greater Yellowstone/Grand Teton region. In his photography Brian strives to capture the drama and complexity of everyday life both in nature and in the emergency services. He feels that these subjects, although strikingly different, have many parallels: both are often a struggle for dominance where life hangs in the balance. His work has been widely published in FireRescue, Firehouse, and FireReporter magazines.