A winter wonderland - in the middle of summer.

At first glance this looks like a cold winter’s day in the Canadian Rockies. This image was actually captured during an unexpected summer snowfall whilst hiking alone along the border of Alberta/British Columbia.

The young mule deer carefully greeted me at the base of a meadow and we shared a peaceful moment surrounded by the peaks of Banff National Park. I managed to get a few shots from this brief encounter, but Sunshine Deer stood out for the perfect ‘winter wonderland’ framing and his inquisitive expression.

One little detail I particularly like about this image - which is best seen in print - is the incredible clarity in his eyes, reflecting like glass from the bright white snow. Every hair on his body appears perfectly groomed, and the small dusting of snow on his nose adds a touch of playfulness to his character.