Groups of Animals

The even spacing of each bird which gives the image a lovely balance. The subject itself is frozen in action and you've nailed the focus on the gannet's face. It can be quite difficult to capture a flying group of birds and to pull off such a charismatic shot is worthy of praise!

This image was quite mind-blowing to me and taught me something new: that aphids give live birth! The composition is excellent and I love the baby aphid at the bottom. I awarded second place for this one because of the technical excellence of the image combined with such a strong narrative and fascinating behavior.

Everything about this image is beautifully crafted from the bold reflection of the snails to the gentle swirls of the animals' shells. Their interactions with each other lead the eye around the photo and altogether it is a very aesthetically pleasing image of creatures we rarely see in this definition.

One of the most important parts of preparing a final image is choosing a frame from the sequence with great posture, flow, and energy. This elephant's pose is fantastic. I love the motion captured here and the tilt of his head- as well as the other elephants in the background giving us a nice depth of field.

As a photographer who has spent a lot of time photographing bear cubs I know how difficult it is to get charismatic shots of a family group where every character is posed well and dynamically. This shot pulls it off! I love the soft greens of the background and the expressions of each cub with their individual personality shining through.

Black and white was a great choice for this image. I absolutely love the movement of the white sheep flowing down and around the bend and the final animal jumping into the frame. It is a great action image and has excellent narrative which tells a story.

Photography is mostly about the capture of light and this is an excellent example of a dynamic shot with beautifully exposed light. The drastic white of the seagulls in their nest site stands out from the darkness of the rocks and there is a clear subject perfectly silhouetted that draws in the eye. It is impressive to craft such a beautiful image of a species that might often be overlooked by many.

This is such a skillful usage of a slower shutter speed and panning with animal action. I love everything about the image from the dark masks of the animals standing out from the stark white of their body and the blur of their horns in motion. The background provides context to their habitat in minimalistic simplicity. This is an excellent image, and definitely a plus that the subject is a rare and imperiled wild species brought back from extinction. Bravo!

You've captured the bold light filtering through the dust of the elephants' movements well. I love that we are eye level with the subject and feel like we are standing among them. One of the strongest parts of the image to me is the darker silhouetted trunk on the left, it helps create depth in the image and is one of many beautiful lines that lead the viewer's eye through the scene. Altogether great work!

The first quality of this image that really stands out to me is the bold colors. I love the rich green background and the brilliance of the bee-eaters lined up. The subject is perfectly exposed and your eye travels along the branch to each bird blending more and more into the background.

This bold, dramatic image caught my eye instantly. The leading lines pull you across the frame and the stark contrast of the fish scales provides excellent depth. I love the diagonal angle of the subjects. Pulling off underwater shots of this quality is not easy.

Capturing intense action in wildlife photography is a difficult task, especially with the excitement of the moment. This shot is the perfect moment of action and really showcases the heat of the moment. Encounters like these prove your skills as a wildlife photographer.

Being at eye level with these penguins pulls the image together quite nicely. It is important to feel like you are looking at your animal subject from the perspective of another of its kind, rather than the perspective of a human. The attitude of these characters really shines through and speaks for itself.

Each character in this image plays an equally important role in the composition. I love the off-center subject vocalizing, he immediately drew my eye right in. This is quite a striking high key image and minimalism suits these black and white penguins. Sometimes, less information is more powerful in a photo and I think the lack of an exposed background here was a really poignant choice.