Kevin Zarmer just wanted a shot of Old Faithful. But as he waited in the snow for the world’s most reliable geyser, an unexpected guest lumbered quietly onto the scene.

The Scottsdale anesthesiologist moved quickly, and his ghostly portrait of a bison grazing in the Yellowstone hoar frost won him first place in a national photo contest for Parade magazine. “This is my first contest,” Zarmer chuckled. “Right now, I’m kind of reeling.”

Zarmer’s photo was one of 62,000 submitted to Parade’s “Celebrate America’s Beauty” contest. The top 16 photos appear in today’s issue of Parade magazine, which is included in paid editions of today’s Tribune, and the more than 100 selected photos can also be seen at www.parade.com.

The award was a pleasant validation for Zarmer, a soft-spoken father of two who first picked up a camera four years ago. “I really started taking pictures as a way to see Arizona,” he said. “I had lived here for about 10 years and didn’t get out to see a lot.” He began taking photography workshops with Arizona Highways magazine “and they took me out to ghost towns and scenic spots and helped me discover the state.”

It was on a photography field trip in January 2006 to Yellowstone that Zarmer made contact with his celebrated partner.

“We were up there to shoot steam from Old Faithful,” he said. “That’s what the fog you see in the background (of the photo) actually is.” But the interval between eruptions gave Zarmer time to look around. “Yellowstone is very quiet in the winter. You can only get up to Old Faithful by snowmobile and snowcoach. So I was looking for things that might seem interesting, waiting for the 'big event,’ and I decided to shoot these trees.” That’s when he got company.

“There aren’t many bison in the park in winter. But there’s fewer tourists, so the animals come out more. Next thing I know, here’s this bison, coming closer ... closer...” Zarmer snapped the photo as his subject nosed the ground, and didn’t fully appreciate the shot at the time.

“I was surprised when I got home,” he said. “I looked at it and said, 'Wow.’ ” But it was praise from family and co-workers that inspired him to send the photo to Parade when the publication announced the contest last spring.

The prize has bolstered his confidence in his own work. “It’s positive feedback, and it has motivated me to put together a more professional Web site and expose my work to a larger audience.” He said. In the meantime, the Zarmer family will enjoy its prize: a vacation for four to Bear Mountain Lodge near the Gila National Forest in New Mexico.

“You know, I’ve always wanted to go there,” Zarmer said. “I hear it’s a great place to take pictures.” The bison could not be reached for comment.