New Joiners - Animals #583

This is a very striking feline portrait. The point of focus is sharply on the cat's closest eye with everything else drifting attractively out of focus. Eye-contact is strong and the image boasts lovely colour, depth and detail. I would clone or crop out the little distracting splash of blue beneath the cat's neck.

This is a very sweet shot and I like the idea of framing the in-focus duckling with the ones just in front of it. However, that irritating piece of dead vegetation in front of the subject's eye is a big problem, being highly distracting. A slight change of shooting angle might have been enough to solve the problem.

There is something about this shot that I really like. Its very simply - even a bit stark - but it is striking and effective in my view. The contrast between the cat's markings and vibrant eyes and the overexposed, light pavement produces a graphic result. The slightly elevated viewpoint helps convey a sad, lonely vibe.

I love the graphic and simple nature of this high-key shot. The black and white treatment really helps emphasise the texture, detail and shapes within the frame. Its a beautifully captured and well-processed image boasting a fine-art feel. I'm sure this would look great as a big print.

This is an attractive shot of mother and young. The soft, diffused light has allowed the photographer to capture beautiful detail. It is sharply focused, but the slow shutter speed of 1/80sec is too slow and the baby's arm is slightly blurred blurry due to movement. Next time, select a higher ISO to generate a faster shutter speed.

This is a beautifully timed and captured image. The photographer has caught this roe buck perfectly mid leap - demonstrating great camera handling skill. The framing is good and the soft grasses and autumnal foliage provide context and create a gorgeous backdrop for the subject. A really nice image - well done.

This is a beautifully captured flight shot of a striking bird. The dark, diffused background really helps the bird standout. I might calm down the bright, white wingtips slightly and also pull back the overall exposure very slightly, but otherwise a very well captured and bitingly sharp nature shot.

Backlighting is my favourite light type, adding interest to nature shots and highlighting shape, form and detail. Its suits this shot well, rim-lighting the subject's antlers and outline. A lower, ground-level perspective might have benefited this image. Also, I might have looked for an angle where I could have separated the deer from the young tree 'growing' out from its back.

It's the light that makes this shot. The rim-lighting really helps define this fallow buck, lifting the animal from its dark background and creating a three-dimensional feel. The sweet chestnuts on the ground help add a seasonal flavour. A well composed and atmospheric shot.

Photographing birds in flight - and panning - are tricky skills to perfect. The photographer has done well in this instance and should be congratulated for challenging themselves to try new techniques. There is lots to like about this shot, but the main subject it too far to the left of the frame for my liking. I would crop tighter to effectively push the subject further to the right (with negative space in-front of it). Doing so would also exclude the distractions on the right of the frame. Once cropped, this will be an excellent shot boasting energy and life.

This is a very good effort. Photographing a subject's as small as a bee in flight is exceptionally difficult - particularly head-on. This honeybee is relatively sharp and stands-out well from its surroundings. Image quality isn't great, though - I'm guessing this image might be a crop from a wider view. However, the photographer should be pleased with their timing and technique.

I really like this shot and the eye-level viewpoint the photographer has chosen. It is well framed and constructed and the wide-angle perspective creates an environmental result. Unfortunately, image quality isn't great - camera phones tend struggle in poor light, and can produce slightly posterised results. .

This is a very sweet robin portrait - well exposed, focused and composed. I like how the foliage frames the subject and the branch cutting diagonally helps produce a dynamic and impactful composition. For my own personal taste, the photo is a little too contrasty, but overall this is a well captured shot.

This is a well captured tree sparrow photo - the low-contrast light really helps the camera capture fine-detail and accurate colour. For me the framing is a little too tight, though - I would like to see the subject's legs and a little more negative space and context.

This gorilla resembles my father-in-law! The photographer has captured great character and expression in this portrait. The tight crop produces impact and strong eye contact. The long focal length and shallow depth of field helps the subject pop from its background. I might be tempted to just tone down the bright highlights around the gorilla's mouth, though. A lovely image.