With those journeys, he’s grown a deep love for the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
“I look at the landscapes differently as far as where the light is, and how the light is affecting what I’m looking at,” Greco said. “It changes the way I look at the world. That’s what hooked me.”
Greco recalls seeing Grizzly 399 for his first time—the beloved matriarch of Grand Teton who died in a car accident in October 2024. “It took me three years to finally put eyes on her,” he said. Observing wildlife, particularly bear cubs and how they interact within their siblings and mother, is captivating.
Words by Mira Brody & Photos by Jeff Greco
An east coast photographer, and Dave Matthews fan, finds his place in the wild landscape of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
The first time photographer Jeff Greco arrived in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks in 2021 on a photography tour with Backcountry Journeys, he stood in awe of the mountain ranges, geysers and wildlife.
“I literally burst into tears it was that beautiful,” Greco said, recalling the way the early morning light spilled over the Grand Teton Range’s jagged peaks.
While photography has always felt like a side gig to his full time job—owning and operating the family’s dog boarding and grooming business, Lucie’s Barkingham Palace, alongside wife Lucie—he’s made it a priority to chase that feeling and head west with his camera whenever he can. The Philadelphia native currently resides in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with Lucie and their daughter Isabella, as well as their eight dogs, and a green-cheeked parakeet named Lola. He purchased his first Canon in 2019 and fell in love with the art form, a spark that was fueled by that first trip to Yellowstone.
A family of foxes playing near the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone.
An avid outdoorsman, and musician, Jeff and Lucie are also avid Dave Matthews fans and jumped at the opportunity to see him in Big Sky this past August for Wildlands, not only for the live music experience, but also to support the cause. This year the event raised a record-breaking $1.3 million for nonprofit partners American Rivers and Center for Large Landscape Conservation, both organizations devoted to conserving land, rivers and wildlife in the region.
“I wanted to be a part of it,” Greco said. “The fact that it was conservation-focused and had to do with something that meant so much to me, that’s really what drew me.”
Grizzly family stretching near Yellowstone lake.
Greco’s attended 40 Dave Matthews shows, some at large stadiums with several thousand attendees. The Big Sky Events Arena, he noted, is different; more intimate. Attending shows has also helped him heal from the death of his older brother Joe, who died in 1998 and who he said was his “best friend, hunting and concert partner.”
“His music got me through the death of my brother,” Greco said of Dave Matthews. The show, its cause and the landscape it brought him to was a trifecta trip he’ll not soon forget.
While in Big Sky this August, Greco enjoyed some time in Yellowstone park, and was able to show Lucie the landscape for her first time. While his photography career has taken him to some beautiful places—Badlands National Park, Valley Forge National Park, Cape May Point in New Jersey, and Conowingo Dam in Maryland—he hopes they can return together this fall when the park slows down, the weather cools and the elk rut begins.
“I cannot wait to get back out there,” he said.
Dave Matthews performs at the Big Sky Events Arena for two nights at Wildlands. The concert raised money for local nonprofits devoted to local conservation.
