Purple and yellow what a wonderful color combination, not often seen together in nature. This little bird has been captured perfectly with a great depth of field that isolates it perfectly from the background while keeping both bird and banana flower in focus, and the focus is spot on as can be seen by the capture of the pollen on the bird’s beak. An impressive shot.
What made me come back to this shot many times over the judging was the fact that you captured the movement of the bird’s head beautifully and managed to snap that shutter at almost perfect time to have the eye center. It’s a very delicate shot, right down to the rain drops on the Protea. I think the shot may have been stronger had you used a stronger rule of thirds on the crop, especially as the bird is facing left. A worthy shot.
364 Photographers
An amazing macro shot filled with sunshine yellow, he obviously has been busy collecting pollen and you have caught that beautifully. Macro is so hard to achieve and everyone has their own views on depth of field, but this to me is perfect, the antenna being a little soft makes the shot less intimidating and also takes the viewer right to the eyes which are tack sharp. A great macro shot.
846 Images entered
As soon as I saw this shot I smiled, to me its just a happy shot. I really enjoy how the color if the yellow fungus is reflected in the front legs of the mantis. There is enough distinction in the color from background to mantis that the little creature is well defined almost floating in the foreground. The curved tail is almost repeated in the bend of the branch making a very pleasing composition. A very worthy shot.
23,744 Ratings
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***This contest is open to subscribers (members on the Challenger, Pro and Master subscription tiers). However if you're not a paying subscriber you can still purchase entries for £2 (GBP) per image.*** Colour plays a huge part in nature – from the dazzling blue of a kingfisher to the vivid red of a rose; but combining these colours in one shot to make a good composition can sometimes be a challenge, even for the most experienced photographers! We want to see you capture photos of wildlife that's bursting with colour. With all those bright hues vying for attention, how can you use them to create a beautiful image that engages the viewer?
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The colors in this shot are beautiful. The muted gold tones of the background paint a perfect canvas for the pheasant with his beautiful earth tone plumage and bright red eye. I do feel that the cropping is a little constricting and it may have made for a much stronger photograph had you left more room in front of the bird.
