New Joiners - Animals #593

I really like this tightly framed cheetah portrait,. However, shots like this heavily rely on the subject's eyes being pin sharp for their impact. Unfortunately, this image just isn't sharp enough - maybe due to focusing or possibly a large amount of cropping.

This is a slightly unconventional, but clever composition, with the overlapping starlings creating a symmetrical looking result. With the birds looking in opposite directions, your eye is encouraged to continuously explore the frame. The low contrast light has really helped the photographer capture colour and detail. An eye-catching shot.

This tightly composed shot is full of motion and interest. The shallow depth of field helps the elephant 'pop' from its surroundings and you can see the dust and dirt fly as she stumps along. Its beautifully exposed and it is nice to see a slightly different take on such a well-photographed subject.

I just love the backlit outstretched wings of this Pin-Tailed Wydah - they create a beautiful shape and texture. The photographer has controlled exposure well in very challenging conditions. I wonder if a vertical composition would work better in this instance, though - much of the left third of the frame feels unneeded.

Ducklings are cute and hugely photogenic subjects. The light is lovely in this image, gently highlighting the main subject's outline. The central duckling is bitingly sharp and exposure is spot-on. I'd prefer the subject to swimming more toward the camera than away from it, but overall this is a sweet shot.

This is a sweet photo of two hungry swallows calling in unison for their parents to feed them. It is a well timed frame and the focus is beautifully placed on the closest juvenile bird. The shallow depth of field suits the shot perfectly.

This is a very nicely captured flight image. I like the shape of the hummingbird's wings and the detail captured. The subject stands-out beautifully against its green backdrop. Image quality looks to have suffered slightly from the higher ISO and possibly also over-sharpening.

What a great subject to find and photograph. I love the water droplets which help add interest and create a sense of scale. A landscape format composition would have placed more negative space in front of the subject. The focusing isn't quite sharp enough in this instance to make this a top 10 shot.

This is a really nicely captured shot. I love the wide framing - it is often so tempting to fill the frame with the subject, rather than convey context. I love simplicity, so in my opinion, I think this shot would work better without the distraction of the elephants in the backdrop - but you might disagree?

This image has such lovely eye contact, with the viewer being drawn into the image and directed immediately to the subject. The vertical composition works well, as does the shallow zone of focus and tone of the shot. A nicely captured and processed portrait.

This is a lovely close-up of a stunning little butterfly. The photographer has focused beautifully on the insect's eye and selected a natural and intimate side angle. However, the photographer hasn't quite got their camera perfectly parallel to the butterfly, which is why its wing drifts out of focus (the entire butterfly hasn't remained within the plane of focus). A slightly larger depth of field would have provided a bigger leeway for error.

This is a beautifully sharp image and a well-captured shot overall, with the shallow depth of field helping the subject to standout. However, with the bee's head is buried in the flower and obscured from view. Also, it looks like some highlight detail is lost on the flower with some obvious posterisation.

This is a very interesting and striking close-up. I love the vivid colours of the caterpillar contrasted against the green leaf and also the number 9 shape that it has created. The slightly unconventional overhead viewpoint and composition work well overall. Although the composition is arguably a little tight at the bottom of the frame.

I know the frame is a little busy, but I like the light and atmosphere - the image has a very natural feel to it. The young deer is sandwiched between layers of light and shade, which create good depth and interest.

Puffins are not easy to photograph in flight, so credit to the photographer for capturing this image - particularly as its harder shooting from a boat. The processing is a bit contrasty, though, and there is some nasty chromatic aberration (coloured fringing) obvious around the bird's wings.