New Joiners - Animals #489

This high-contrast shot has immediate impact. The black and white conversion keeps the shot simple, and places emphasis on the cats fur, whiskers and detail. Its an eye-catching pose, with the lion and lioness's heads overlapping. Instinctively, I would like to see a little more negative space to the left of them, to absorb their gaze. That said, I do like the square crop and the shot overall has a fine-art feel to it. It is a memorable shot.

The lighting and black background creates a studio like feel to this portrait. I love simplicity, so this shot appeals to me. The image really highlights the cat's incredible markings and the texture of its fur. However, I can't help but feel that, had the cat's eyes been open, the shot would have more life and impact.

Robber flies are fascinating, but tiny insects. This is a great find and well-captured. Just look at those amazing eyes and the minuscule barbs and hairs on the insects legs. The side-on perspective helps highlight the insect's profile and design. This is a fantastic shot and just shows what can be achieved with a camera phone today.

It is great to see a handful of insect shots in this competition - and not just larger, more obvious animals. Bees are tiny, busy and unpredictable subjects. To capture one feeding or resting is hard enough, but to photograph one in flight is no mean feat. Depth of field is so limited when working at this level of magnification, but this shot is very well timed and executed. Well done.

This is such a colourful and lovely bee close-up. I think the depth of field here works really well - large enough to keep the insect acceptably in focus, but shallow enough to through the background flowers neatly out of focus. The light is good and, through a close focusing lens, photographers can reveal incredible miniature detail - like the bright orange pollen 'saddlebags' on this bee's leg.

Frame-filling insect portraits have oodles of impact. Subject's like this cricket have an almost alien-like appearance, which is often overlooked until we see them magnified through a close focusing lens. The vegetation create a nice frame, but a tiny bit more depth of field was required in this instance to record the insect's head sharp throughout.

Flight shots are never easy. They are challenging technically - if the shutter speed is too slow, your subject will be blurred. And you need those eyes to be pin sharp - fail to do so and the shot will be ruined. This image is very good. Great eye contact and the shape of the bird is good. The branches either side of the owl help create a frame. Excellent.

Damselflies are among my favourite subjects, so I know just how tricky they are to photograph! This is a very nice image. Depth of field is shallow at this level of magnification, so the photographer has done well to get the insect sharp head-to-tail. The background is nicely diffused, helping the subject 'pop' from its surroundings. This image has a lovely three-dimensional feel. Well done.

Snow creates a perfect backdrop, providing a bright, white canvas for animal's to standout against. It can cause TTL metering systems exposure issues, though, but the photographer has captured and processed this shot beautifully. This is such a gorgeous photo. Wonderfully sharp and detailed, and the soft light and shade help shape the animal - helping to produce a standout portrait.

There is something very sweet about this shot - it conveys feelings of love and companionship. Great photographs are often the result of good timing, opportunism and 'seeing' the shot in the first place - and the photographer has done well to spot this photo opportunity. Yes, there are a few distracting elements in the top right and bottom left corner, but overall, I do like this image.

A lovely action shot of two garden favourites squabbling over food. It is always hard to capture action like this in dull light, but the shutter speed is just fast enough to keep both birds sharp. For these types of shots, lay down on the ground and get as low as you can to achieve the most intimate and natural perspective. Just remember to wrap up warm, though!

What a beautifully natural and endearing shot this is? The warm light is gorgeous - never underestimate the light's influence on your animal shots. The deer's alert and inquisitive pose really helps make this shot. The background detail is lovely too, with the tree trunks framing the animal and providing context. An excellent shot - well done.

I love the way this gull appears to be hanging in the wind. It is a good, open pose and shape. As I've said previously, good flight shots are hard to achieve, but this is a good, competent shot. I like the narrower aspect ratio and love the inclusion of space around the gull - the blue sea and sky help convey seaside vibes.

I do like the contrast of textures here - the rhino's rough skin next to the bark of the tree. The soft, low contrast light suits this image the photographer's technique is good. I wonder if the crop is a little tight at the button of the frame, though, with the rhino's mouth a little too close to the edge.