Animals in numbers

This image for me sums up the problem with so many entries into this competition. Although it is well taken and composed it lacks two very vital things. No story to it and no focal point. My eye just cant settle or be drawn in to the image and hence you feel a sense of detachment and lack of empathy for the image.. Always try to look for a tale to tell or something that stands out among the masses. Good effort.

Not sure why but I really like the blue tones you have added to this image!. Nice composition, well timed and love the way all the other birds are looking as the one lands.The use of blue mono effect just seems to work in this image and well chosen process by you! Love it!

What's going on here then? Love the story within this shot. Again, to win or get in the top ten your image must try to tell a story as well as match the brief of the contest and this one stood out for me from all the Puffin entries. Not only technically good, you really want to know what they are planning! Great image.

This was not going in to the top ten initially but something just kept drawing me back to it. In the end it got in at the last minute and here is why. The leading lines, the story and the composition work really well. You can almost smell the trepidation as these animals ponder the risk of crossing the Mara with all the crocodiles waiting for them! Its just let down by the prongs from the fourth animal in being cropped out of the top of the image! Well done though a great shot.

A worthy winner for me! Love the focus of the image, the subject matter is very close to my heart and the way the eye is drawn to the centre turtle just nails it. So many images in this contest fail because there is no focal point and your eyes just cant settle anywhere on the image. THIS image is how to fulfil the brief and hence why it wins for me.

Would have won but for the watermark! Just too big and distracting for me! But what a superb image, well taken and getting one of the gnu's faces in focus among the chaos of the herd moving through the river is genius! I myself have tried these shots with only limited success so know hard it is to achieve......but oh that watermark Andy!!

God they look like they are loving it dont they! A really well timed shot and good storytelling. It just looks like everyone is having a ball ! Love the blue eyes and there is just enough detail in the background to see the pure enjoyment of the sledgers. Great shot.

Very very close to my top ten but decided to leave it out simply because the image seems overly sharp? Not sure if this is something you have added in proccessing but it just feels too over done. But what an action shot and great focus on the wolves faces to really highlight the aggression there. Good job.

What a beautiful image! I love Polar Bears and you have really captured this family group nicely. The crack in the ice behind breaks the white up nicely and fits the image well and of course good use of the rule of thirds! Also nice to see a Mum with two very healthy looking young! Great image and I wish I had been there!