NYC-based photographer Daniel Kukla captures the contrast of vast horizons and terrains in his series The Edge Effect. Influenced by his formal education in biology and anthropology, Kukla named the work after what is scientifically defined as “a border space created by the meeting of distinct ecosystems in juxtaposition.” Photographing in southern California’s Joshua Tree National Park, Kukla hiked into the great beyond to explore the divides of opposing elements. The series uses a single mirror to reflect the larger, open world past our immediate vision, catching glimpses of an eternal desert horizon.

While The Edge Effect observes landscape, the presence of the easel is a slight nod to yet another contrast in the comparison of painting and photography. Kukla’s mirror acts as both a canvas and a window, the remote expanding universe just out of reach.

This post was contributed by photographer and Feature Shoot Editorial Assistant Jenna Garrett.