Coming to Zion Canyon in the winter after a fresh snowfall gave me the opportunity to see this area in a light I had never experienced before. Usually hot, red, and rocky, it was transformed into almost a snowy alpine environment. Technically, it was a great challenge to photograph because of the extremely bright snow combined with the shadowy depths of the canyon. I love this image because it brings together two of the elements present in abundance that day – the icy cold snow-covered upper canyon formations, with the warm, shadowed depths of the canyon. Also, however, I was immediately attracted to the texture of the leafless trees against the purplish shadowed walls of the canyon. I brought attention to this by using a longer focal length to isolate the trees against the walls of the canyon, and bring the alpine summits in the background to the forefront. I wasn’t quite satisfied with the ‘straight’ image, and used a slight ‘blurring’ technique in post-processing to bring about more of the ‘feeling’ which was present in the area.