New Joiners - Animals #563

This is a well timed and captured shot. The high ISO has generated a shutter fast enough to capture the bird's movement. It's a shame the bird is looking away from the feeder. If it were my shot, I'd crop this into vertical format and exclude the feeder and tree, and instead isolate the one bird in flight.

This is a well-timed shot, with the gull at full stretch as it lunges forward to take off. I love the gull's profile and the wing detail captured. You could argue that the composition would be strengthened with the subject off-centre. I'm not overly keen on the sepia tone - I'd be interested to see how the image looks in black and white, though.

I do like how the central animal is looking directly toward the camera and is highlighted by the light - the viewer's eye is quickly and neatly drawn to the subject. It is an eye-catching shot that is well seen by the photographer. However, I'm a little distracted by the out of focus foliage at the bottom of the frame.

This is not a pretty shot, but it is well captured and a good documentary-style photo. Despite the poor light, the photographer has generated a fast enough shutter to capture a sharp result, while the shallow depth of field has softened the background to retain attention on the subject.

It is always a challenge to take natural looking photos of captive animals. The photographer has captured a lovely, sharp head shot, but sadly the out of focus wire fence is still very recognisable and quite distracting. Ideally, use a long lens and a large aperture to keep depth of field shallow, and wait for the subject to be in a position where its captive state is less obvious.

This is a nice enough portrait and the vibrant blue water provides colour impact. The image appears to be quite noisy, though. This might be due to a high ISO being used, or maybe the way it's been processed. Consider using dedicated noise reduction software like Topaz Labs DeNoise AI.

This is a beautifully timed and executed shot. The photographer has captured the bird in a dance like pose, which gives the shot added interest and character. The focusing is spot-on and I love the detail recorded in the bird's wings. I might be tempted to try to recover a little more highlight detail in the heron's white plumage - as it is, its a tiny bit bright.

I like this tightly framed portrait - the seal pup looks alert and is staring down the lens. But it is not quite sharp enough sadly. The focus should be on the subject's eyes, while a smaller aperture would have generated a larger zone of focus.

They might be well-photographed subjects, but puffins are hugely photogenic and this is a really nicely captured portrait. The detail is just fantastic, with both puffin and its mouthful of sand-eels bitingly sharp. I would prefer a little more breathing space in front of the subject, but otherwise this is a well captured and processed photo.

I love the falling rain in this shot. The shutter speed has recorded the rain as blurred streaks, creating interest and neatly conveying the wet conditions. Despite the poor light, the photographer has captured a beautifully sharp image and adapted camera settings for the challenging conditions. The image is nicely processed too. Well done!

What a beautifully sharp and lifelike image this is. The attractively diffused background really helps the subject 'pop' from its surroundings and the detail in the plumage is simply stunning. The subject is arguably a little too central in the frame, but otherwise a very lovely and competent image.

This tightly framed portrait really highlights the texture of the elephant's skin. The photographer has captured a sadness in the subject's eye, which reflects the animal's story. I would crop the image very slightly to remove the top left corner and ensure the animal fills the frame entirely. I like the muted tones and subtle processing.