Footage, photography spans more than 50 years
EBS STAFF
Steve Quayle, a Bozeman native and documentary filmmaker, has released “Yellowstone: Above and Below,” a film drawing on more than five decades of exploration and aerial cinematography inside Yellowstone National Park.
Quayle began photographing Yellowstone in 1972. Raised in a family of geophysicists, he was introduced to the park’s geological significance early in life. He later earned a degree in motion picture production and still photography from Montana State University. The film marks his 13th documentary.
The GenSix Productions film was shot between 2023 and 2025 using 6K-quality Cineflex and Shotover camera systems mounted on a gyro-stabilized helicopter. Quayle filmed at 2,000 feet above ground level—as mandated by law—by helicopter between Bozeman, Gardiner and Jackson, Wyoming, capturing footage of the park’s geothermal basins, waterfalls and backcountry terrain, according to a press release.
“Yellowstone National Park is THE wonder of the world, not just a wonder of the world,” Quayle stated in the release. “… This film is the culmination of a lifetime spent documenting the park and sharing its awe-inspiring beauty, hidden details, and incredible scale in a way audiences have never experienced before.”
The film includes aerial cinematography, rare landscape photography, geothermal formations, wildlife imagery and sections of the park inaccessible to most visitors. Yellowstone covers nearly 3,500 square miles, and the film aims to document portions of the park that the majority of its visitors never see.
Ten percent of the film’s proceeds will be donated to Yellowstone Forever to support conservation, education and stewardship efforts. Quayle believes preserving the wild nature of Yellowstone National Park takes long-term vision and significant legacy funding.
“If this film inspires people to not only experience Yellowstone differently, but also invest in its future through organizations like Yellowstone Forever, then it has accomplished something meaningful,” Quayle stated. “This park changed my life, and I believe we all have a responsibility to help protect it for generations to come.” “Yellowstone: Above and Below” is available on DVD and video-on-demand platforms, according to the release.
