New Joiners - Animals #640

I like the quirky and distorted wide-angle perspective of this giraffe portrait. It is well composed, exposed, and bitingly sharp. The black and white conversion works well too. iPhone photography is no longer a big compromise in quality compared to a mirrorless or SLR camera.

I really like this helicopter perspective - drones are capable of producing some really unusual, standout nature shots. When you view the high-res version, image quality doesn't quite match the photographer's creativity and vision. But I love the colours, shapes and simplicity of this photo. Well done.

I love this low-key photo of an alligator and its young. This is a really interesting shot, boosting lots of beautiful detail and texture. The vertical composition and tight crop works well and depth of field is just about spot-on in my opinion. Nicely captured.

Wow, this shot has oodles of impact. The tight framing gives the photo immediate punch, together with the vivid colour of all the blood and gore. It is a shame we can't see the lion's eyes in this frame, though - eye-contact often adds interest and depth to images.

Quite simply, a subject's surroundings can make or break a photo. I really like the reflections and icy foreground in this shot - and the crisp, winter light highlights the drake's colour and markings. It is a shame that the duck is looking away from the camera, though, and the frosty branches (creeping into the bottom left corner) are distracting.

This is such an atmospheric photo. I love the cool, twilight tones and mood. The sun is perfectly aligned with the rocky outcrop and silhouetted heron - its almost too good to be true. I like environmental images like this where the subject is small in frame. The post sticking out the water on the right of the frame is distracting, but easily cropped-out. A very striking shot.

This is an interesting shot and a little bit different to all the elephant shots you normally see. I love all the foliage and undergrowth framing the subject, and the little bird - happily perched nearby watching on - adds interest and a sense of scale. The bird also helps create a story - a lovely, authentic looking nature photo.

Taking photos underwater must be such a challenge - I find it hard enough photographing nature on dry land! This is a really pleasing shot. I like the composition - you follow the seal's sweeping body-shape until you reach the subject's head. I like the vertical composition and negative space. Well done. If you want inspiration, visit Alex Mustard's website - one of the World's best underwater photographers.

I love this little group of ladybirds and what an appropriate collective name! The photographer has done well to spot the opportunity and captured a good close-up. My biggest concern is the bright, washed-out highlights in the background, which are quite distracting. A slightly different shooting angle might have allowed the photographer to exclude this bright area from frame, and achieve a better exposure throughout.

One of the most common mistakes newcomers to animal photography make is to frame their images too tightly. Tightly cropped portraits can work really well, but in this instance, the photographer has clipped the subject's backside and legs. Give your subject breathing space or crop in tightly - otherwise, the composition feels awkward and cramped, rather than intentional.

I like this high-key result - created by correctly exposing for the subject, but allowing the sky behind to overexpose. The fast shutter speed has captured the action perfectly, and focusing is spot-on. For me, a horizontal format composition would have worked better in this instance, providing negative space for the kestrel to 'fly into'.

This might be a simple shot in many respects, but it is effective. The tight crop, shallow depth of field, and pinpoint focusing produces a really punchy shot. The clean, diffused backdrop really helps the subject 'pop' from its surroundings.

This is a nice enough photo of a great subject. However, I just wanted to comment on the processing rather than the shot itself. When you view this image at 100% it is obvious that the image has lots of artefacts - particularly in the top third of the frame. I would imagine this is from over-sharpening, noise reduction, or even a combination of both things. It has created an artificial 'texture' that really undermines the shot. Sharpening needs to be applied with care - don't ruin your shots through sloppy post production.