New Joiners - Animals #579

Using a 'frame within a frame' is an effective compositional trick. The photographer has done well to use the tree, foliage and river bank to frame the swan so effectively. It is a shame there a few distracting branches hanging down and overlapping the swan's head. I might also be tempted to reduce the brightness of the swan's wings and tail using the highlights slider in photo editing software.

This is a very cute portrait of a fox cub. The dark background helps the subject standout and it is a clean, simple image. A little extra negative space might have benefited the composition, though. In my opinion, the shot is over-sharpened, which has degraded overall image quality. Always apply any sharpening with care and sparingly.

I love the framing and timing of this shot. The light is beautiful too - diffused and subtle. At first glance, it is a wonderful image. However, the shot doesn't look bitingly sharp. It is a small file, which might be the reason - or this shot might be the result of a big crop. But based on the quality of the file submitted, I sadly can't elevate it into my top 10. Sorry!

This is a brilliantly sharp image of this robin, who is presumingly collecting caterpillars for hungry young. Focusing and exposure are spot-on. The background is a little busy, but not too distracting thankfully. I might consider cropping this photo slightly tighter to remove the bright leaves in the top left corner, though.

What an extraordinary encounter with this stunning animal. The photographer has done well to stay calm and capture this image. There is no time to think when reacting to situations like this, but in hindsight, I think this is a shot that would have been better composed in vertical format, as the framing feels a bit tight top and bottom.

Mandarin ducks are stunningly beautiful and this is a nice capture. The light is a little contrasty, but the reflection adds interest. I would suggest making the gap between the duck's head and the top of the frame equal to the distance between its reflection and the bottom of the shot to enhance the feeling of symmetry.

The photographer has captured a nice bit of interaction with these two fox cubs. Its a cute photo and well-captured. The image has been over-sharpened in processing - its important to remember that this can do more harm than good to image quality, so do take care when applying.

This is a very attractive and effective shot. The window frames the cat beautifully, and the shallow depth of depth helps direct the viewer to the cat's stunning powder blue eyes. The painted walls compliment the cat's fur and the colour and tone of this shot are really pleasing. A well seen and captured feline portrait.

I love the quality of the light in this picture - its warm, diffused and creating beautiful rim-lighting around the subject, highlighting the fox's fur. However, the crop and composition feels slightly awkward. I think a composition in horizontal format would have suited this shot better, allowing the photographer to capture the fox in its entirety, and enabling them to exclude the brightest part of the sky too.

A rhino's skin suits being converted into black and white, due to its wonderful rough texture. I like this tightly framed portrait - it boosts lots of impact, contrast and complimentary shapes. It is nicely processed too, and has oodles of impact.

This is such a well timed shot with heron taking flight, with dinner securely held in its beak. The long focal length has thrown background distractions nicely out of focus. However, the shot just isn't quite sharp enough sadly - on closer inspection, the bird's legs and water are sharper than its eye, head and beak. It is a near miss, but still a very good attempt.

Who can resist a puffin?! They are such photogenic birds and this is a very sweet shot, with the puffin carrying nesting material in its beak. The light is a little harsh, though, and I would consider reprocessing this shot in order to reduce the highlight brightness and hopefully recover some detail in its white chest. Ideally, puffins are best shot early in the morning or late evening when the light is warmer and softer. Or on a bright, overcast day, when the light is less contrasty and more flattering.

So many photographs today are overly sharpened, saturated and too contrasty in order to grab attention, or standout on social media. Therefore, its lovely to see a shot like this that is subtly processed, subdued, yet very beautiful. It is a tranquil image and I love the cool tones, perspective and context. A very nicely captured and processed image.