Exploring the mythology of the American mustang

In the vast open spaces of the American West, wild horses embody the spirit of freedom and adventure.

Photographer Craig Iseli explores the landscapes of the high desert and the mythology of the American mustang. Following the trails that crisscross the land reveals a complex society built on family, community, and access to the water that sustains life in an unforgiving environment.

 During four winter days along the Madison River in Yellowstone, a single moment unfolds into a story often played out in the wild, but difficult to truly capture.

What begins as a moment of vulnerability becomes a gathering of wolves, an improbable victory, and a bounty that draws many others. In the wild, little is wasted. What is taken is returned. Survival is not a single event, but a repeating process, a balance of life, loss, and renewal

A photographer’s search for the elusive predator turns into a deeper discovery about family, survival, and the fragile balance between the wild and human worlds.

In 2020, by just 56,986 votes, Colorado became the first state where voters—not wildlife agencies—mandated the reintroduction of gray wolves. That razor-thin margin set in motion the wolf’s historic return to Colorado. Today the wolf is back on the landscape and back in the spotlight and again at the center of a long-running conflict that ended badly for wolves last time - have we learned enough to give them another chance.