New Joiners - Animals #495

What a shame this snake close-up isn't quite sharp enough. There is a very big risk of either subject or camera motion at shutter speeds as slow as 1/15sec, and that is the culprit here. A faster ISO would have helped - or consider using a larger aperture instead.

This is a fun shot that makes you smile. The head-on perspective, with the cockatoo peering mischievously downward, is engaging and quirky. The blue sky creates a clean, contrasting background and the shot is well exposed and sharply focused. A very sweet portrait.

This is a really nicely captured pooch portrait. Had the dog's closest leg been entirely in frame (rather than cut off by the bottom of the frame) I suspect this would have made my top 10. As it is, I would crop out some of the sky - currently there is a little too much space at the top of the frame competing with the subject for attention.

This is a nice enough frog close-up, but the shot has been undermined by the sensor dirt which is most obvious in the top right corner. Sensor's need cleaning periodically to avoid the problem. When you notice marks on your files, use a Clone Tool to remove any blemishes.

Spiders are tricky subjects to photograph well, but this is an excellent effort. The side angle highlights the spider's body, shape and web and produces a very three-dimensional result. Focusing is good and an aperture of f/7.1 provides just enough depth of field. For me, the crop is slightly too tight, though. Maybe a vertical composition would have allowed the photographer to capture the spider's legs in their entirety.

This is a lovely capture. The calm blue water provides an attractive, colourful and complimentary background. While I like the square aspect ratio, the image is cropped too tightly in my opinion - more breathing space around the subject would strengthen the composition overall in my view. I very nice nature shot, though.

This is a very striking and beautifully captured shot. It is clearly well thought through - the lighting, backlit water droplets and low key effect. Not an easy shot to take, but well executed. It is always good to see less conventional shots of well photographed subjects.

Capturing aspects of behaviour or interaction are great ways to help your animal shots standout. Obviously, timing is important. In this instance, the photographer has captured a nice moment as the young monkey appears to be asking its mother for more food.

What a wonderfully eye-catching shot this is. Images like this underline the importance of always having a camera with you - even if its simply your cameraphone. The cat's eyes are piercing and the detail is bitingly sharp. Simple, but effective.

Distracting backgrounds often ruin nature shots, so I understand why the photographer here attempted to replace it with a cleaner backdrop. However, you can clearly see the artefacts of this process around the edge of the bird. When shooting at higher ISO's, its worth employing dedicated noise reduction software to enhance image quality.

Another very striking shot. Shooting tiny insects is fraught with technical difficulties - for example, depth of field is shallow and any movement appears exaggerated. This image is well-captured. The backlighting highlights the translucency of the insect and leaf, while the photographer has cleverly used the leaf to frame the subject. Well done!

I love the simplicity of silhouettes. They only work successfully if the subject has a strong, instantly recognisable outline and is photographed against a lighter, contrasting background. This is a really striking shot, with the reflection adding further interest. I would even up the space either side of the insect's 'horns' to reinforce the shot's symmetry.

While this is a very striking tiger portrait, that tall grass to the left of the cat's head is very distracting. But let's face it, you would have been ill advised to try and remove it before taking the photo!! Much safer to remove it using the Clone Tool or Healing Brush in post processing - or maybe even try a tighter crop.

This is very much a Marmite shot - you'll either love it or loath it! Personally, I love Marmite and I think this is a very graphic shot which is innovatively framed and stands out. The helicopter perspective places emphasis on shape and form, while the black and white conversion reinforces the photo's simplicity. Always good to see original shots of well photographed subjects.

What a brilliantly original perspective this is! Great to see such inventiveness and full marks for capturing a pin shot result from such an awkward angle. The grasses around the edge of the frame are a little distracting, but well done for being so creative.