New Joiners - Animals #535

This is a clean, simple and very effective shot. The composition is conventional, but strong, while the sky provides a stark background from which the donkey stands-out. All that white sky could have caused metering issues, but exposure is spot-on. I love the way the animal is looking straight down the barrel of the lens...

I like simple images like this. That lovely clean, dark background helps the flamingo standout boldly. The use of a large aperture and pinpoint focusing ensures the viewer's eye is immediately directed to that of the subject's. A nicely captured portrait.

This is a very well-timed and executed shot. Technically, the photographer is clearly very competent. The higher ISO has generated a shutter speed fast enough to capture the kite's movement. Focus is good (not easy when the subject is moving toward you head-on) and the processing is sensitive too. The midday sunlight is a little harsh, but otherwise a shot to be proud of...

Who can resist a baby barn owl? They are as cute as they are ugly and - as the photographer says - full of character. I'm assuming this was taken at a bird of prey centre. The low shooting angle works well and has helped maintain a diffused background, free of any distractions. The focus and depth of field are spot-on.

This is a sharp, punchy image boosting lovely saturated colour. The foliage creates a very effective frame. While the photographer has done very well to find a little 'window' in the leaves, it is a shame that the bird's beak is partly obscured.

I love the array of pastel colours within this shot. The warm sunlight, rainbow, and geese in flight combine to produce a really attractive result. This is one of those shots that you enjoy more and more the longer you look at it. It goes to show that opportunism is an important part of nature photography.

You see lots of peacock photographs, but they are mostly head-on compositions showing the bird's full display. I like this side-angle, though. We might see less plumage and colour, but this perspective highlight's the bird's head and neck beautifully. Focus and depth of field are spot-on. A very nicely captured and processed portrait...

Capturing one bird in flight is challenging enough, but two is excellent. The photographer has displayed great skill to capture this shot. The Sea eagle is beautifully sharp and this is a great bit of action and behaviour to record. I might have included a little more space around the birds to prevent the composition looking cramped.

I love this shot of a 'cigar' smoking squirrel. Depth of field is good and the composition works well too. Unfortunately, it just isn't sharp enough on the animal's eye and face - the point of focus is slightly further along its body sadly. A near miss!

This is a striking shot. I'm normally always banging-on about the importance of sharp eyes, but here the point of focus is the gaping beak and it works. The shot is noisy, but it suits the mood of the image. Yes, the highlights are blown, but again it suits the style. The heavy vignetting helps direct the eye effectively. This is definitely a Marmite shot - you will either love or hate it. But speaking personally, I like Marmite...

You see lots of photographs of 'gulls in flight', but this is a great perspective, with the photographer directly beneath the bird shooting up. The eye is pin sharp and beautifully side-lit - therefore, the viewer's eye is immediately drawn to the gull's angry looking glare. With wings outstretched, there is a lovely feeling of symmetry about this shot, although the wing tips are uncomfortably close to each side of the frame. The undersaturated processing works well in this instance too.

This composition is too tight in my opinion. I either want to see the animal on the right in its entirety (not with its bottom awkwardly chopped off), or a much tighter crop of both the animal's heads. As it is, the composition doesn't look balanced or intentional enough. However, the light is gorgeous, as it that brooding sky. The overall mood is lovely and the interaction between the two elephants ensures this is still a very good shot. .

This is a very quirky urban wildlife shot. It is well seen, nicely captured and the black and white treatment suits the image well. I would be interested to know what post-processing has been applied - on close inspection, there appears to be some haloing/artefacts around the pigeons, maybe due to some localised adjustments? If only it weren't for that fourth pigeon walking the opposite way, with its back to camera, this would have been a very successful shot.

I do like bold, unconventional compositions where the photographer has taken a risk with framing. It is good to be different and experimental. I don't think this shot quite works, though. Maybe if the gull had been looking into the frame, rather than out of the composition it would have helped. Crucially, the subject isn't quite sharp enough.

This close and wide-angle portrait approach creates a really eye-catching and wacky perspective. Its good to see a less conventional view of such a well-photographed creature. I like this image, but would prefer to see the end of the swan's beak, and maybe also a slightly lower viewpoint so that the background was purely sky.