What a lovely image! We love the simplicity of this shot and how it manages to keep the theme of the round nicely grounded in accessible animals seen in many gardens. The lighting is soft and beautiful while the framing is well balanced. We're not sure how this scene was set up but it was a moment well-caught.
Simple is often bets in the quest for garden subjects and this snail is a great choice. This commonly seen creature might not seem the most exciting but, shown in the correct light and from this engaging angle, the shot has a magical appearance. The shot is an insight into the world of an animal we walk by every day.
1,839 Photographers
4,414 Images entered
This shot makes us feel cold. The shutter speed is perfectly selected to freeze the movement of the falling snow and the white balance manages to capture the coolness of the environment without being overpowering. The choice to include the wire fence is a great one as it lends the shot context. Well done.
This is another shot that puts the garden environment to good use. The slightly wider framing allows us to see just enough of the surroundings to form a picture in our minds of where the subject is. Meanwhile, the lighting adds an ethereal glow that gives the shot an attractive painterly theme. Well done.
This is a beautifully exposed scene! The composition allows us to see just enough of the surroundings to suggest the garden environment while the shallow focus firmly holds attention on the squirrel's face. The eye falls neatly close to a third too, demonstrating the importance of remembering the basics of photography.
We received a plethora of avian action shots for this round and this one quickly rose to the top of the rankings. The colours of the birds make the scene pop, while the photographer has caught them in an eye-catching pose, forming an arresting arc. It goes to prove that timing is everything but you don't need to venture far for amazing shots!
The colours and light in this shot are truly gorgeous. The arrangement allows us to admire the natural gradation of colours from yellows to greens in the background, while the purple of the lavender pops against it. The focus is well-managed too, revealing excellent detail in the subject despite the shallow depth-of-field. Very nicely captured.
Not all animals found lurking in a common garden are wild! This cat is a regular sight and the image uses its gaze to great effect. The lighting and exposure are beautiful, giving the colour theme a cinematic style that merely suggests the wider garden environment. It's a well-constructed scene that makes the most of a common subject.
Spiders are rarely seen as 'cute' animals, but shots like this really demonstrate their beauty. The composition is intimate and simple, while the soft lighting really gives the scene a studio-like appearance that lends the photo a uniqueness. Technically, the shot is bitingly sharp and well-exposed. Very well done to the photographer.
Brief
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As we often advocate in Digital Photographer Magazine, you don't have to travel far to photograph great wildlife. Capture images of your favouite garden visitors which control the background, lighting and colour
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The detail in this macro shot is superb. We can see all of the individual hairs on the insect's body and in the petals. Meanwhile, the composition makes the most of the colour contrasts and the amusing pose of the subject. The scene looks almost staged but the raindrops give the photo an organic feel.
