New Joiners - Animals #521

This is a great action shot, with the photographer capturing the moment the pond heron catches its prey. The photographer has handled the contrasty light well and retained good detail throughout the frame. It is pin sharp, and the depth of field is spot on. Good shots like this only need minimal processing. An excellent nature shot.

This is a very decent macro effort. Shooting at this level of magnification is hugely difficult, yet the photographer has achieved a good level of sharpness and captured some amazing detail. Unfortunately, the small aperture selected (to generate a large depth of field) has revealed a lot of sensor dirt - you can numerous little black marks all over the frame, particularly on the right hand side of the image. Clean the sensor ASAP.

Owl's have such wonderful markings and expressions. As a result, frame-filling portraits can prove impactful. Unfortunately, this image isn't quite sharp enough. The photographer needed to select a smaller aperture to generate a larger depth of field, and also a higher ISO to maintain a fast enough shutter. I would have waited for the owl to open its eyes to enhance the shots immediate impact and appeal.

This hawk image is so sharp you could almost cut yourself on the bird's talons or beak! The blue sky provides nice, flattering background and exposure and post production are spot on. Just a shame about that out of focus branch cutting across the frame, as it does create a rather nasty distraction.

I love the low, eye-level viewpoint of this shot - it helps produce a very eye-catching result. With the crab slightly angled right to left, I would favour some negative space to the left of the subject. Also, there are a few background distractions that could be tidied-up. The sky is a little too vivid and contrasty for my liking. but overall I think this is a fantastic result from a cameraphone! Well done.

This is a delightful shot. It might not be the type of image that jumps out at you at first glance, but the longer you look at it, the better it is. It is beautifully captured and processed. The seals and their seaweed clad rocky outcrop are pin sharp and perfectly exposed. Meanwhile, the glistening water adds a summery feel to the image. Nicely done!

This shot made me chuckle - the squirrel looks exactly how I've been feeling in the recent heatwave! It is a fun shot and images like this certainly have their place in nature photography. Sadly, this shot just isn't quite sharp enough to make the cut.

This muddy water buffalo makes a great subject. The mud and hair combine to create a wonderful texture, which the warm light helps reveal. The composition is simple, but effective. Given the low ISO, I'm surprised the image quality isn't a little better. Which makes my wonder if this is a big crop from a wider view?

Dragonflies disproportionately large eyes look fantastically impressive in close-up. I like the head-on viewpoint and tight crop. The even, overcast light suits the subject and the shot has loads of impact. The image looks a little noisy, though, and I wonder if the file is slightly over sharpened?

I do love simple images like this with no clutter or distractions. I might have placed the wader a little further to the right of centre personally, but otherwise I like the amount of space around the bird and shallow depth of field which helps direct the eye to the subject.

The file the New Joiner supplied is quite small and low-resolution, making it hard to properly assess the quality of this shot. But assuming the original is pin sharp, this is a really striking photo. The diffused background helps the reptile standout from its surroundings - and the attractive sidelight has helped reveal the wonderful texture and depth of dragon's skin.

Cropping is an important part of the compositional process - it can transform a good shot into a great one. This is a good shot - the texture of the dog's wet fur and its alert and endearing expression makes a good photo. But the out of focus dogs at the top the frame are distracting and dilute the photo's overall impact. But tighten the crop to remove the top of the frame and this shot immediately becomes a stronger and more successful image.

This is a really well timed shot, with the oystercatcher just in the midst of finding a limpet to devour. Unfortunately, shots where the subject is walking away from the camera generally don't work quite so well - eye-contact is lost and images tend to be less engaging overall.