New Joiners - Animals #577

What a shame this gorgeous robin isn't sharply in focus. It is a lovely timed shot with the bird drinking, and water droplets suspended mid air. However, the plane of focus is just in front of the bird - you can see the edge of the water bowl is pin sharp. Try again, but ensure the focusing point is on the bird's eye.

The black and white treatment suits this cow portrait, placing focus on the texture of the animals hair. The tight portrait is effective and the focusing is good. I would tidy-up the image a little, by taking the time to clone-out the little, distracting bits of debris on the subject's nose and left ear. It looks like the photographer might have cloned-out something to the left of the cow's nose, as there is a weird area where the transition between tones isn't smooth - this should also be tidied-up.

I think this is a wonderful and original shot, which is well seen and captured. Pigeons are much maligned and often overlooked birds, but I love this urban capture. The outlet hole creates a wonderful frame and the red brick adds texture and colour. It is an impactful shot and beautifully composed, with the bird peering into the negative space. Excellent.

I love the atmosphere of this shot, with hoar frost covering the animals's face and fur, and the cool tones emphasising the wintry conditions. It is a lovely seasonal portrait, but in my opinion, this shot would work better in square format. I would remove much of the right hand side of the frame, as the deer in the bottom right corner is distracting. Instead, I'd place all the emphasis on the buck on the left. I love the way his antlers frame the two out of focus elk behind him.

I do like the vibrant colour of the water and ripples in this shot. It is a striking, clean image, which is nicely captured and composed. I like the way the subject's gaze appears to follow the ripples in the water.

These tightly framed portraits will also polarise opinions, but I think this one works well. The eyes are beautifully sharp and boost lots of life. The photographer has captured lovely detail and interest, but I would clone-out that little lump of dirt on its left ear to help keep this shot clean and free of distractions.

I can't quite work out why this shot is so noisy. The ISO speed isn't high enough at 720 to degrade image quality, yet this file look very 'grainy' and lacks fine detail. Maybe the photographer has has to crop the original aggressively, or it was very underexposed and brightened-up during editing, but unfortunately the file quality lets this image down. Otherwise, its a striking frame-filling composition boosting great eye-contact.

This is a striking portrait of a stunning bird. I'm assuming this is a captive subject, but the photographer has still done well to capture interest, photographing the eagle with its beak wide open as it calls out. The dark backdrop helps the subject standout and highlight its shape and design.

I think this is a very beautifully captured and processed image. Hare's are such handsome animals, and this shot really works well with the animal appearing to be deep in thought, staring into the space in front of it. I love the transition in tone (bottom to top) from dark to light green. A classy portrait.

I do like images like this that show the subject relatively small in frame, within their environment. They often convey far more about the subject than a simple portrait is able to do. This image really highlights the animal's wonderful camouflage, with the wolf blending into its surroundings. I like the texture of the grasses and how the animal is staring directly into camera. A beautifully simple and effective image - well done.

For me, the subject is a little too central in the frame in this instance, but I do like the simple composition and bold nature of this shot. The sky is a little bright, though - I would drag the highlights slider back in processing to (hopefully) recover some information in the sky.

The foliage creates a really lovely frame in this feline portrait. It is a well composed and captured image. However, a little more attention to detail would elevate this shot from good to great. The yellow leaf toward the top left corner of the frame is distracting, as it the out of focus grass just below and left of the cat. A slight crop and a small amount of cloning would soon tidy up the composition and make this a more attractive shot.

I love to see great nature shots taken using relatively basic kit - it helps to highlight that nature photography is accessible to all, despite the camera you own or budget. This is a lovely macro shot, boosting great colour and depth.