New Joiners - Animals #537

This is almost a cracking shot and I love the golden light backlighting the eagle's plumage. But the shot just isn't quite sharp enough sadly. Tightly framed portraits like this require the subject's eye to be bitingly sharp. And the fine detail looks a little bit 'mushy' - this might be due to too much shadow recovery and increased noise.

This is a very attractive shot. The extremely shallow, dreamy zone of focus helps draw the viewer's eye to the zebra's face and stripes. The photo boosts a strong feeling of symmetry and the vertical composition proved the perfect choice. A different view of a well photographed subject...

This is a very sweet shot and it is nicely captured - sharp and well exposed. But it is important photographers time their shot well, and think about their shooting position. In this instance, the otter behind merges with the main subject to produce a rather odd shape and result. A slight change of position, or better timing, could have easily prevented this.

Let's begin with all the positives. This is a great composition, with lion standing proud against a backdrop of nicely out of focus zebras. The light is dramatic. The shot tells a story and effectively coneys a sense of place and supremacy. Unfortunately, the lion isn't bitingly sharp on close inspection, which is such a shame. It is a wonderful effort, though.

This image made me smile. The file quality isn't high, but the timing is fantastic with the deer peering through the gate, creating the impression it is wearing big, round glasses! So many good animal images are the result of opportunism and the photographer quickly reacting to the situation.

Such a beautiful and elegant animal and this is a lovely capture. The colours are punchy without feeling oversaturated and the track helps the leopard standout boldly. I would consider removing the branches in the top left corner of the image by cropping or cloning. Personally, I would prefer a little more 'breathing space' around the animal.

Bees are tricky subjects - small and constantly on the move. This is a good effort and the clean, diffused backdrop helps the insect standout. However, the shutter speed wasn't quite fast enough to freeze its movement and one of its legs is quite blurry. I also think a side- or head-on view would have had more impact.

I love the sharpness of this image - the clarity of the reptiles eye and texture of its skin. It is hard to capture clean images of animals in captive or urban settings, but the low viewpoint, telephoto lens, and shallow depth of field have helped minimise the background distractions.

This is a very striking image. Even without the ringlit outline of the hyena in the foreground, the silhouetted wildebeest and setting sun create a strong, impactful shot. However, the hyena changes the story entirely and adds a different aspect to the photo. A well seen and captured image. Well done.

If the bird was pin sharp, this would have been placed more highly. Unfortunately, the subject's head is a little soft. However, it remains a good capture with the glow of the sun creating a striking, halo effect. I love the backlit feathers, while the branch acts like a frame and adds balance to the composition.

Digital makes it so much easier to capture great animal images - with film, opportunities were far more limited. This is a lovely photo and it is good to see a scan of a slide for a change. The light is lovely and the photographer has captured a nice moment of collaboration, with the pond heron using the deer as a fishing perch. A lovely and well-captured nature shot.

This shot lacks immediate impact - you could easily skip past it. However, the longer you look at it, the more you appreciate the framing and the subject's camouflage. Its a busy, authentic shot, with lots of distractions, but well worth a longer look...

This is a simple shot, which works beautifully well. The light bathing the wild dog is warm and attractive. The composition works well, with the subject looking into the negative space. The foreground vegetation creates a neat frame, and the backdrop is nicely diffused due to the shallow death of field. A lovely photo.

This is a beautifully timed frame, with the fox mid leap, as it pounces on its unsuspecting prey. The file is a little noisy, which is hardly surprising given the low light and the need to use a high ISO speed. Dedicated noise reduction software like Topaz Labs DeNoise is worth considering when using higher sensitivities.

As a shot of a group of cows, this is nothing special. However, the inclusion of the out of focus barbed wire (neatly framing the cattle) adds a new dimension to the composition. It tells a story of captivity, farming and agriculture. An interesting image.