New Joiners - Animals #548

This is such a fun shot. Any dog owner would love a photo like this of their pet, showing their character and playful side. I'm always amazed at how many mobile phone shots make my top 10 - the quality is excellent today. The photographer has captured and timed this shot superbly - well done!

This is a nice enough pooch portrait. The photographer has sat the dog in a nice position, with the waterfall behind to create a sense of place. Meanwhile, the shallow depth of field helps the animal standout nicely from its surroundings. However, without eye-contact, the shot lacks a bit of life and connection in my view.

I love the backlighting and atmosphere of this shot. Its so tempting to always capture nature in frame-filling close-up, but often a wider, more environmental study will convey far more about the subject. The branches and foliage create a lovely frame for the mallard, and the early morning light and colour create oodles of impact.

This is a hugely challenging shot to capture, with limited light and depth of field. The photographer has done well, capturing a shot with a great sense of motion. In my view, enough of the subject is within the plane of focus, and the level of wing movement adds life to the shot, without proving a distraction.

Capturing one bird in focus can be challenging enough, but to photograph four is quite an achievement! This is a nicely timed shot, with the bee-eater in flight being greeted by the three perched birds. All four birds are just about acceptably sharp - no mean feat when depth of field is so shallow. Personally, I'm distracted by the bird looking away from camera (perched on the left of the branch). Had it been in profile, I suspect the shot would have worked better.

Bees are such tricky subjects, being small, active, and difficult to capture in focus throughout due to their shape. The photographer has done well in this instance, achieving a good depth of field and capturing the insect sharply. I would prefer the bee to be looking into the image, rather than away from the camera, though.

They say the best camera is the one you have with you at the time. That certainly rings true here. I think this is a very striking shot, which succeeds due to the photographer's creative vision, not the cost or quality of the camera. It is an opportunists shot. The foggy conditions create mood, which the black and white conversion emphasises further. Placing the subject so close to the right edge is a bold move, but I feel it works in this instance, with the heron staring into the scene. A very effective environmental portrait.

This is a cute shot. The composition might be a little tighter than I would have opted for, but the photo boasts immediate impact. Normally, focus should be on the subject's eyes, but in this instance, focusing on the cow's nostrils works well. The short focal length helps create a result with a lovely three-dimensional feel.

A nice enough portrait, with the owl standing out boldly against a clean, inky backdrop. Unfortunately, the shot just isn't sharp enough, though. I suspect this is due to slight camera shake. Next time, generate a faster shutter through the selection of a higher ISO speed.

The low-key lighting really suits this shot. The dog's dark markings practically merge into the inky backdrop, creating a pencil-drawing effect. It is a simply, arty animal portrait, which the black and white conversion and processing suits well. The image boasts great eye-contact.

Red squirrels are popular subjects - and it is easy to understand why. They are full of character and hugely photogenic. This is a nice portrait. The composition is simple, yet effective. The subject standouts nicely from its woodland setting. The out of focus background foliage is attractive - although there are a distracting few hotpots that would benefit from being calmed-down a little in processing.

Is this shot too good to be true? If its genuine, it is a lovely capture - beautifully timed and framed. But given the lack of a narrative - and the limited camera info supplied - I suspect this might not be quite as it seems. The light doesn't appear consistent either. What do you think? I suspect a fake sadly...

Nice vision by the photographer here, with the footbridge creating a neat and effective lead-in line toward the subject. It is well composed and captured, but for this image to really succeed, I feel the dog needed to be looking directly toward the camera. Unfortunately - instead - the dog's gaze leads the viewer's eye out of frame.

This is almost a brilliant image. The timing is good and the photographer has done well to react, as the hawk and carcará clash. Unfortunately, the hawk isn't quite sharp enough. This is because the two birds are on slightly different focal planes and depth of field is shallow due to the long focal length required. It is unfortunate, but credit to the photographer regardless.