First Signs of Spring in Nature

Firstly, Thanks to everyone who entered my contest. The standard of photography was very high indeed. I chose this image as my 1st place photograph for several reasons. Firstly, the subject matter is bang on brief, with the crocus flower forcing it;s way through the spring time earth. Secondly I loved the aspect of the shot, down low and even slightly lower, than the flower itself. One can then only admire the sharpness of the image with the bee caught in flight so well defined, but correctly exposed. Not easy to accomplish at such a super-fast shutter speed. The framing of the shot is also spot on and the colour is not over saturated. All in all, a fabulous shot.

A beautiful image capturing the very essence of new life in spring. The mother encouraging the newly born lamb to stand, perhaps for the first time. An excellent photograph, taken with a zoom lens which allows the photographer to remain at a discreet distance, whilst also creating a narrow depth of field. It is challenging to get sharp images in such a situation, especially when the subjects are constantly moving, so well done indeed.

This image just missed out on my top ten, but is still worthy of comment. The way the butterfly is camouflaged on the tree is beautifully captured; The subject is pin sharp whilst having a beautiful, out of focus bokeh as a backdrop. A beautifully executed photograph. Well done.

I chose this image for my top ten, because it shows both an excellent understanding of Landcsape photography and also good technical knowledge, in producing a sharp image, whilst also using a slow shutter speed. to generate the milky white of the waterfall. Overall a captivating image of a spring thaw.

This image made me smile. New spring life is plain to see, in this emerging young fern. It is unfurling itself in a way which seems to mimic a young child. Chest out, arms back, taking it's first breath, on a new spring day. The image is sharply taken against a coloured background, which complements the new green of the emerging fern, perfectly.

This shot is probably what I had in my minds eye when I wrote the brief for the contest. The first signs of life, pushing through melting snow. This particular image is sharp and not over saturated, so it has retained the detail in the texture of the flower. It has been shot against the bright light, reflecting off the white snow, which can be difficult to get right. An excellent shot.