Animal Emotion (not domesticated)

Aggression, the photograph just screams aggression and dominance. A great capture, that was the initial thought when I looked at it, then I read you had shot it through fencing at a wildlife park, and I was impressed. I like to congratulate photographers that can take a shot of a wild animal in a sanctuary and still capture the essence of life in the wild, you have achieved this. The was shot at the perfect aperture keeping both animals sharp from front to back and capturing all the detail in both coats. Perfect catch light in the eye, and I really like the wet noses. Amazing work, keep it up.

This is a most charming photograph full of tenderness. it looks like the infant is kissing the mother, with so much adoration. Its so hard when we see animals behaving like this not to give them the same emotions we have as humans. If the photograph makes the viewer feel an emotion then it has a power that pulls them into the scene, this shot does just that. The tight crop gives the viewer nothing but the two animal faces to focus on. The warm tones, sharp eyes, claws and the texture of the fur strengthen the shot. This is a worthy winner because it made me keep coming back to the shot looking for some other tiny detail and each time it still made me smile.

I did not originally have this in my top ten but I kept coming back to it and it continues to make me smile, this is just such a happy shot. The eye contact you have achieved and keeping your camera at eye level really pulls the viewer into the shot. You have achieved a wonderful separation from the background, making the orangutan just “pop”. The sharpness and detail is outstanding and you have even got little catch lights in the darkness of the eyes.

This is a shot that speaks of sadness and loneliness, a captive animal behind bars. We do not know the whole story, but what you captured is a shot that to me speaks volumes of captivity. The eyes looking up and away withdrawers the animal from interaction with the viewer, but the paw on the bar invites us to try to make contact. The inclusion of bars right across the shot are as important as the animal and balances the shot. Using black and white makes the shot strong. This invites me to ask more about the animal, invites me to invent the story. Impressive work.

How can you not smile at this happy giraffe? This is a pose we see often from Giraffes I the zoo while waiting to be hand fed, the tongue sticking out is so mischievous. The use of the wide angle lens, that takes us up close and personal is perfect. The editing achieved an almost caricature of a giraffe that is strengthened with the white background and saturated colors. The little fuzz on the end of the nose is emphasized with the angle and I want to feel if it as soft as it looks.

Charming shot, displaying a tender moment between a mother and her infant. Who can not be pulled into those wonderful eyes, that are alive with light, sparkle and may be a little mischief. Capturing the mother, head bowed towards the infant wrapped in her arms suggests a private intimate moment filled with care and love. The infant just seems happy to be in the world, the smile like position of the mouth is wonderful. This is just a beautiful shot, sharp and full of detail, congratulations on you capture.

Using the tight crop on the mother and infant emphasizes the closeness and bond that the mother has with her young. The tilting of the mother’s face and the hand up to the infant’s mouth suggests a softness and caring from the mother. I love the light you have caught in the infant’s eyes, as always light in a portrait brings the subject to life. You have done well to not over expose the infant, while allowing enough light on the mothers face to be able to retain the details in both. Retaining the definition of skin and hair through out the shot can be challenging but you have accomplished this very well. A wonderful emotive shot.

This is a beautiful emotive shot between an adult and a youngster. I can certainly feel the tenderness and love between them. The use of the black background removes any distraction leaving only the two animals to focus on. The one comment that I would make that didn’t position this shot higher in the competition is it is a little soft in the adult face, I was wondering if this was a result of uploading the shot. (it might be worth looking at) otherwise this is beautiful and a very worthy attempt.

This shot is just something different from the usual. You have used the perfect aperture to place the camel within its environment, letting the viewer know that it is part of herd. The leading line of camels is pleasing to the eye. The composition works very well; placing the camel in the left third of the frame makes it seem as though the camel looked around the corner and was surprised to see the camera there. The ultimate “photo bomb”. All in all a very pleasing composition.

I didn’t know horses laughed, this is a true case of anthropomorphism. The bearing of the teeth leads the viewer to associate the face with a smile, and that suggests the emotion of happiness. I really like that you used a nice tight crop and really focused in on the teeth. The depth of field does a good job of separating the horse from the background. The only thing I would have added was some light in the eye, the eye in any portrait brings the subject to life. All in all a pleasing shot.

Contentment is apparent in this shot, legs crossed, arms above the head, taking the time to just be in the moment. With apes we see ourselves, we see the body language as almost human, and I think we have all stroke this pose at sometime or other. It hits the mark on the brief. You have kept the chimp in focus from front to back and and managed to keep the detail in the fur. Unfortunately, the weakness in the shot is the little space in the top right of the shot where the decking is missing., you had no other way of cropping this, maybe it would have been less noticeable if the shot had been black and white. Still it’s an enjoyable shot.