A great animal portrait that's full of character, with an injection of humour, too. The low light picks out the texture of the iguana's and lizard's leathery skin extremely well, giving the image a tactile, almost three-dimensional effect. The judges felt the crop was a little on the tight side, and would have liked to see a little more space on the left and at the top of the frame. Overall, however, it's a great capture of animal behaviour.
Clicking on this image to see an almost-disguised eye peeking out gave us quite a jolt! Much of the success of this excellent shot is down to the careful choice of aperture. By focusing on the beady eye and allowing everything else to fall out of focus, it ensures our attention goes exactly where it's supposed to. It might have been tempting to fill the frame a little more, but that would have lost the context of the snake's environment, which is a very important aspect of the shot.
A simply superb action shot of what must be one of the trickiest wildlife creatures to photograph. Sometimes, the impact of a kingfisher's splash can obscure the important bit - the bird itself - but here, the droplets only serve to enhance the overall effect. Everything is beautifully balanced, from the bird's body being parallel with the water and the unfortunate fish not obscuring anything, to the jewel-like colours jumping out against the neutral background. Wonderful timing and excellent perseverance.
Sometimes, a wildlife shot doesn't have to be a close-up of an exotic species to catch the eye. The way in which the glorious light picks out the detail in both the crashing waves and the gannet's wing and head gives an almost three-dimensional result. It tells a story of a hardy seabird and the environment in which it has to exist. We can see this image printed big and hanging on a wall.
Wow! The use of a wideangle lens, the proximity to the subjects and the conversion to black & white have all combined here to make a memorable and impactful image. The detail is wonderful, right from the feathers of the nearest birds to the shapes created by those in the air. A fabulous image that gives a superb impression of what it must be like to be among this gannet colony.
74,275 Ratings
Meet the expert judge
Brief
See more contest details
This round is our animal, wildlife and nature category. We want you to point your lens and all creatures great and small. It’s a broad topic with a myriad of subjects waiting to be captured – from your pet pooch, to crabs in rock pools, to lions prowling the Serengeti to your local nature reserve – anything and everything is fair game here. When it comes to our animal friends, research is key. Learn how they behave so you’re ready to strike at the opportune moment for shots which rise above the rest.
The framing of this image is what catches the eye, but it hasn't been done this way just for the sake of it. By tucking the pony into the bottom corner of the frame, and keeping everything else anonymous, the photograph becomes about shape, texture, tone and space, rather than being a literal 'account' of a pony in the landscape. There's a lovely light touch to the processing that's very pleasing indeed.