Photo by Sean Mirts. December 26th, 2016.

During the winter on the Southern rim of the Grand Canyon, an elk appeared out of the nearby forest. Only poking its head out into an opening in the trees making the brown coat pop against the brush covered in snow becoming a point. The coat only has some light breaking through the trees onto it adding to the natural gradient from the nose down the neck. The elk’s eyes are a dark black with snow reflecting showing off the smooth spherical shape of the eye. Twisting branches around the elk’s head frame it and add depth and woody textures to the scene. Snow on the branches makes smooth white planes paired with the depth of field causes great contrast with the brown branches. With hints of green pine needles peeking out through the snow adding sharper lines.