Instants: The American Wild

In our new series “Instants,” the Proof staff brings you a snapshot of recent dispatches from the @natgeo Instagram feed. Follow us to experience more from National Geographic on Instagram.

What happens when an international photographer turns his lens on to his home country?

Photographer David Guttenfelder is best known for his incredible images taken from inside the tightly guarded borders of North Korea. For over 20 years Guttenfelder worked abroad in Africa and Asia. In June of this year, he was named as one of the inaugural group of National Geographic Photography Fellows. Since then, he’s been covering Yellowstone National Park for our upcoming National Parks series. Guttenfelder also created and contributes to the @EverydayUSA Instagram feed, which was inspired by the original @EverydayAfrica feed created by photographer Peter DiCampo.

While in Yellowstone, Guttenfelder has been chasing bison, looking for dogs in cars and tinkering with the new Hyperlapse app. But more importantly, he’s been using his camera to examine American life and find the things we overlook or fail to appreciate.

Find out why he was inspired to create @EverydayUSA in this Q&A and learn more about what drives him in this video interview.

 Susie, a 20-something year old mare, eats as her mane blows in the breeze on a hillside in Montana’s Paradise Valley.

A seat to share above a bend in the Yellowstone River near Emigrant, Montana. 

 A bison stands in a livestock chute at Fort Belknap Reservation before a blood sample is taken from it during annual mandatory disease testing. The bison herd was originally transported from Yellowstone National Park to tribal lands.

 Work commute. 1982 Cadillac DeVille with a beach towel in the window.

The roads that run through Yellowstone National Park are often roadblocked with roaming bison and other wandering wildlife. This is what my morning commute looks like while on assignment for National Geographic magazine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. 

Follow David Guttenfelder on Instagram and his website.

Read This Next

How a wild river became a national park—and sparked a movement
Legends of Texas come alive along this wild frontier
Will dams spoil one of Europe’s last wild rivers?

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet