This massive leopard seal had found the perfect perch to sun herself, resting her chin on the ice while keeping one eye on the surface below. Her sleek and powerful body is designed to handle Antarctica’s freezing currents thanks to a thick layer of insulating blubber. However, like all pinnipeds, leopard seals rarely pass on an opportunity to revel in the warmth of the sun’s rays and settle down for a nap. I chose to frame her sleepy face between the icy waters below and the soft pale sky above – encompassing the dichotomy of her role as a calculating and skilled predator with the gentler side of her nature.