New Joiners - Animals #561

The photographer has positioned themselves really well for this shot - perfectly parallel to the bee to place as much of the subject as possible within the narrow plane of focus. The honey bee is beautifully sharp and detailed and the dark background really helps it standout. Unfortunately, the flower is just out of the zone of focus, and is a little distracting as a result. However, given the situation, it would be impossible to avoid this from occurring. Focus stacking would be the only way to extend depth of field sufficiently, but I suspect the technique wouldn't be practical in this instance. Overall, a good macro shot.

I do like this style of arty, shallow depth of field nature close-up. I leaves a little something to the viewer's imagination and draws added attention to the photographer's point of focus. I think in this instance, focus needed to be sharply on the snail's eye, on the tip of its tentacle. However, this is a good, creative shot of a tricky subject.

I love there vivid blue background in this shot, which I'm guessing is the Cornish seas. This isa nicely framed and focused image. The photographer has selected their viewpoint carefully, in order to reduce the impact of the vegetation and keep the focus sharply on the subject.

A very lovely bird portrait - nicely framed with a gorgeous diffused background, which really helps the subject pop. Focus and exposure are spot-on, and the vertical composition helps highlight the bird's stunning plumage and markings. A very competent shot.

At first glance this appears to be a top shot - with lovely, crisp light revealing the starling's colour with the background trees providing a neat frame. Unfortunately, at closer inspection, the bird isn't quite sharp enough. It might be due the file quality, but I suspect the focus is just very slightly out.

This high-key portrait is very monochromatic, which helps those vibrant red eyes really 'pop'. With the monkey looking upward, I would have included some negative space to absorb its gaze. I also think the focus could be more sharply on the animal's eyes. However, I do think this is a simple and striking shot.

This is a gorgeous shot. The contrast of the dark wolf against the frosty surroundings is wonderful - almost too good to be true. The background is very painterly and I suspect a degree of processing has been applied, but unfortunately there is no information supplied. But I'm going to assume this shot is authentic and as such, I think it is a stunner.

I do like shots that are innovative and quirky. Due to the popularity of photography today, it is increasingly hard to be original, or take a photo that genuinely stands-out. You will probably either love or hate this image, but I like it. It is unconventional and highlights sharp, form and detail. A well seen image.

I do like this photo. In an ideal World, the horse which is partly obscured behind the main subject wouldn't be in the shot - if the photographer had the option, I'm sure they would have preferred to capture just the two animals nose-to-nose. But that aside, this is a nice shot - beautifully detailed and graphic. I'd be tempted to try this in black and white to simplify it further.

Visually, this shot simply hits you right between the eyes! I love the use of colour and the impact this provides. The shot is well captured and processed and - if this was my pet - I'd love this shot framed and hanging on my wall.

I do wish photographers would include the story and technical info of the images they submit. This is a really striking image at first glance. However, there appears to movement in the stars above, yet the swan is perfectly sharp. I can't see how this has been achieved in one frame, unless the shot is a composite. I'm guessing the sky is a replacement, but I might be wrong. I do prefer to know the story behind a photo before I judge it.