New Joiners - Animals #545

Not your standard pooch portrait. This is a well-captured image. The dog's eyes are pin sharp and the exposure is spot-on - not easy considering the poor light and movement. The file is nicely processed and the contrast provides good depth and life. The composition works well, with the dog looking into the negative space to the right.

This is a nicely captured image of a beautiful animal. The warm sky and wintry conditions help create atmosphere. For me, the composition is a little too tight, though - I'd rather the tips of the dog's ears and its feet were included. A small step to the right might have allowed the photographer to exclude the poles from the subject's background. Always scan the backdrop for distractions before triggering the shutter.

This is a nicely time shot. Had the egret not been calling, this image wouldn't standout in the same way. Being able to anticipate and react to your subject's behaviour is a key skill as a nature photographer. I would be tempted to crop this photo into a square or vertical format to exclude the distracting object in the bottom left corner.

This is a very striking portrait. Those vibrant yellow eyes create a striking contrast to the cat's black fur and feint, white whiskers. The frame-filling composition works well in my view. However, I do believe the cat's eyes need to be pin sharp - not just its nose. (which is the point of focus). A smaller aperture and greater depth of field would have achieved this.

Capturing a dolphin mid-air must be one of the most difficult techniques to perfect for any nature photographer. The photographer's patience and perseverance has paid off with this well-captured shot. A fast shutter speed is key, together with good anticipation and great reactions. Nicely done!

Admittedly, this is not the most attractive subject, but shooting at this level of magnification is far from easy. Light and depth of field are limited and so the photographer should be congratulated for capturing such a technically good close-up. Lovely detail and focus.

Recording more than one subject in focus in a single frame can be incredibly challenging, as typically subjects won't be aligned or on the same plane of focus. Meanwhile, depth of field is shallow when using telephoto lengths. The photographer has done well in this instance, capturing two shots - each focused on a different duck - and then blending them together to create one final shot with extended depth of field.

This is almost a top shot, but on closer inspection the image just isn't sharp enough. It looks to be in focus, but I suspect camera or subject motion has softened image quality, degrading the photo. No shooting info was supplied, but I suspect a higher ISO to generate a faster shutter would have solved the issue.

This shot is a little too dark (underexposed). Use the camera's histogram function to help assess if exposure is correct or not. Also, keep an eye on shutter speed. 1/15sec is typically too slow to capture sharp results of animals handheld. Compensate by increasing ISO - or try to work in better light.

This is a lovely action shot. It is well captured, beautifully sharp and exposed. The framing might be too tight for some, but the photo has instant impact and interest. Eye contact is strong and the light is soft and attractive too. Well done.

This shot has oodles of 'ahhhhhhh' factor. It might be too cute and cliched for some, but I think it is a nice frame. The shallow depth of field helps direct the viewer's eye to that of the dogs. I might have included a little more negative space in front of the subject to create a more balanced frame.

This is not a bad shot, but the wonky horizon is a real distraction. Admittedly, it is not always easy to keep the camera level when you are concentrating on your main subject. However, it is important to correct and straighten the horizon during editing.

A simple, but strong portrait. Great eye contact, with the leopard staring down the lens. The lighting is well balanced and the high ISO hasn't degraded image quality significantly - noise is well-controlled. Just a slight shame about the distracting grass in the bottom left corner.

I've photographed many damselflies over the years, but never one resting on a crocodile's head! This is an interesting shot, with a 'beauty and beast' vibe. The crocodile itself probably needs to be a fraction sharper for this image to succeed - with the point of focus on the damselfly, the croc's nose and closest eye are fractionally out of the plane of critical sharpness. A great effort, though.