New Joiners - Animals #634

The simplistic nature of this shot really appeals to me. Boldly placing the subject (and horizon) centrally creates a pleasing sense of symmetry. And the high-key processing - which has an infrared feel to it - is clean and effective. An eye-catching shot.

This is a very beautiful shot, which is well timed and captured. Focusing and shutter speed are spot-on - this image boasts remarkable sharpness and detail. While the composition is tight and slightly cramped, the impression of motion makes it engaging. The colours and reflections are very complimentary.

I think this is an engaging shot. The eagle is bitingly sharp and the lighting and inky background provide contrast and drama. The photographer has carefully used the fencing to frame the subject's eye, and the composition - with the bird staring into the negative space - is effective. The shot certainly conveys a certain sadness about the subject's captive state.

This is another nice capture. The photographer has captured both animal's sharply and their pose is interesting, with both subjects turning together and looking in one direction. The slightly desaturated style of processing works well in this instance. But you can clearly see where the photographer has tried to clone-out the grass overlapping the animal's face (right) - this needs to be done with more care and attention.

This vibrant, impactful shot boasts lovely symmetry and balance. The two birds almost create a mirror image of each other. The tight framing works well and the shallow zone of focus helps direct the viewer's eye. A fun and pleasing shot.

I love the use of negative space, and the way the background colour complements the subject. This is a nicely composed and captured portrait - beautifully sharp and detailed, colourful and attractive. I would just tidy-up the little bit of branch creeping up into the frame along the bottom.

This is a lovely image full of movement and interest. I love the way the gazelle's overlapping tails form a heart shape. Not everyone will like this composition, with the two animals moving in opposite directions and competing for attention. But there is lots to like about this shot in my opinion.

I love there golden light, reflections, and tranquility of this shot, but the frame is a little untidy. The reflected post (just above the swan's head) and the foreground reeds (some of which overlap the swan) are distracting in my opinion. Sometimes a simple change of shooting position - or waiting for a better moment - can make all the difference.

This shot appears wonderfully lifelike, with a great sense of context. But I'd like to know more about how the image was captured. On close inspection, it appears the subject has maybe been cutout - and the light and shadow throughout the shot doesn't appear consistent. Personally, I'm not a big fan of composites, but obviously its all down to personal taste...

This is a fantastic and authentic nature shot - and the story behind the image is interesting too. I love the bright white, snowy backdrop which produces a striking high-key effect. The dead mallard adds a vivid splash of colour. To my eye, the frame is just a little bit too busy, though, with the branches and foreground grasses diluting its simplicity. The shot maybe lacks eye contact too.

I know from experience just how hard it is to capture two macro subjects sharply in one frame. Depth of field is incredibly shallow at higher magnifications, so (unless this is a stack) the photographer has got their plane of focus spot-on to render both butterflies sharply. This is a lovely shot of male and female blue together - the light is pleasing and the background sufficiently diffused.

This is a well timed and captured action shot. Its unusual to see an eagle captured with a relatively short focal length - I'm guessing the bird was either captive or accustomed to human activity. However, the resulting larger depth of field produces an interesting, environmental perspective.

Lifting shadows or reducing the brightness of highlights can be an important part of photo editing However, localised changes like this must be subtle and not immediately obvious to the viewer. In this instance, the photographer has increased shadow detail around the subject too much and the effect is obvious - not natural. Lifting shadows also reveals more noise. A tighter crop would help simplify this shot.