TITLE: Morning

In this capture the stillness of dawn is suspended between the earth and sky in a quiet Appalachian valley. Taken in Cades Cove, a historic and scenic pocket of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the photograph captures a thin veil of fog creeping low along the forest floor, parting gently around the silhouettes of grazing deer and bare-limbed trees. The effect creates a natural chiaroscuro that balances light and shadow in a landscape both wild and serene.

The image was taken with natural light and minimal post-processing to preserve the authenticity of the scene. It serves as a reminder that sometimes the most powerful photographs are not the loudest or most colorful, but the ones that hold the most stillness.

AUTHOR: Kayla Bowling (United States)