Wildlife in the Water

I can't imagine how long it took the photographer to capture this shot. The lighting is perfect, the action is amazing and the fast shutter speed captured a rarely seen sight. I absolutely love this image. I like that the aperture is medium range and throws the background out of focus a bit. Definitely makes for a stronger shot. The focus is all on the action. The aggressive action of the horses is in stark contrast to the otherwise serene waterway which gives the image a wonderful quality. The color palette and light dance around in perfect harmony.

This seal just makes me want to smile. I love the placement of the seal at the bottom of the frame surrounded by sea foam. I love the way the seal is looking just past the camera with such a wonderful smile. This is a great captured moment. The black and white spots of the seals' coat create so much visual action that the seal really pops out against the otherwise busy background of the ocean. A great shot!

This is a stunning shot of a gorgeous pelican. The placement of the stork is great within the frame. The use of seeing both the cool action below the waters surface, and the warm stillness above the water line helps make this image a winner. The color palette is great and the very shallow depth of field works wonderfully here.

This photograph spoke to me on many levels. The human like gesture the elephant seal is making feels so relatable as a human being.. The way the seaweed wraps around the seal is also so beautiful. . I love how the curving shapes of the seaweed mimic water when it's wavy. It makes it feel like the seal is moving forward through gentle waves. The grey color palette is beautiful and the soft light is perfect. Definitely worth the time it took to capture this exact gesture. A wonderful moment caught beautifully. I love the single drip of water across the bridge of the nose. Absolutely perfect.

What a great shot of a playful little bird. I love the caught moment of the bird washing itself and looking directly into the camera. The shutter speed was fast enough to capture the action and slow enough to add just a little bit of blur which ads to the splash of this image. The bird is well placed in the frame, the selective focus is great and the color palette and low angle work wonderfully.

I love the intimacy of this moody image of two monkeys. It's so relatable to us humans. A mother and her baby. A universal theme captured well here. The selective focus makes the moneys stand out from an otherwise drab background. The only thing I would suggest is to lighten up the image just a bit.

What a beautiful action shot of this polar bear swimming. I'm not sure how this image was captured. Was the photographer in the wild? Or standing behind a glass wall. I'm going to home that it was in the wild! A wonderful shot.

Such a fun shot of this alligator! He looks like he's dancing! This shot is all about the action and it's done well. I wish the head was totally in focus. That would have helped this wonderful shot. Good use of the very fast shutter speed to capture it all.

There were so many jelly fish submissions for this contest. I chose this one to highlight because of the beauty and simplicity of it. I like how the jelly fish glow purple against the black. The placement of all the jellyfish is also wonderful and encourages the viewers eye to dance around and discover the image. Well done.

I love this shot of the dolphin blowing a sizable amount of air out. The direct overhead angle is wonderful. The water is so still and quiet but you know there has to be movement from the movement of the bubbles. I love the peacefulness and elegance here. The cool colors work well too.

I love this shot of the fish poking through the sea anemone. I especially like that you can see the little teeth. The LR post work definitely works! I love the placement of the fish in the square frame. The complimentary color contrasts of orange, purple, black and white enhance this shot. The way the eyes of the fish are buggy and round blends in with the round shapes of the egg like anemones. Great underwater lighting.

There were many frogs to look at in this competition and I like this one best because it's just so perfectly cute. The selective focus works well here and the direct gaze of the frog is captivating. The greenery is perfectly placed by nature and the frog is well placed in the frame. It's a very simple, yet effective and engaging image.