New Joiners - Animals #646

This is an eye-catching shot. I'm guessing this is a composite, though, with the original sky replaced with a colourful sunset (given the sun's position, the animals would be in silhouette otherwise). It is a shame there is no separation between the first and second Oryx, with its nose 'touching' the second animal's rump. And its tail is very close to the edge of the frame too.

This is a lovely colourful close-up. Ladybirds are tricky subjects to photograph well, as they are often on the move and being so small, you need to shoot them using a high degree of magnification (so depth of field and light are limited). The photographer has done well in this instance - focusing is good and the subject stands-out well against the nicely diffused background. However, I'd prefer to see more negative space in front of the subject, rather than behind it.

This is a large and impressive bird to have visiting your backyard! This is a nice capture, let down by the harsh, midday light which has rendered much of the subject as a silhouette. Some shadow recovery at the editing stage would definitely help, but ultimately the light's quality undermine's the photo unfortunately.

I love the context of this shot, with the tall lilies adding interest to the shot and helping frame the moorhen. However, the file quality is quite poor, with the high ISO speed producing a slightly grainy result. I suspect the small aperture (f/40) has also degraded file quality (due to the effects of diffraction). A larger f-stop would have allowed the photographer to use a lower ISO and produce a higher quality file. Finally, I think the subject is positioned too far to the right of the frame.

You can almost feel the windchill when looking at this shot. This is a gorgeous portrait of a truly impressive bird. The low shooting angle produces a very natural and intimate result. Focus and exposure are spot-on and the tiny piece of red flesh in the eagle's beak creates a key focal point. The streaky white snow adds visual interest to the photo. I'd love to see a wider version too, showing the bird in its entirety together with more of the carcass it is feeding on.

The light, dreamy backdrop really elevates this shot and helps the subject standout from its surroundings. The photographer has taken a risk using such a slower shutter (1/80sec) - next time, increase ISO or switch to auto ISO to generate a faster, more reliable speed. Thankfully, despite the slow shutter, the blackbird's eye in perfectly sharp and the tight composition produces an impactful result.

This is a very striking perspective. The subject's welfare should always be top priority, but it appears the photographer took care to ensure the drone posed no risk to the birds. The circling gulls create a frame for the boat that help's produce depth and direct the eye. An eye-catching shot.

This is a nicely captured portrait. The depth of field works well, being shallow enough to keep attention on the subject, but large enough to render the background flamingo recognisable. As a result, the background bird adds interest, context and balance to the composition. The focusing is good too, with the subject's eye bitingly sharp.

Sally lightfoot crabs are very colourful and photogenic creatures. This is a really nice shot and the photographer has captured an interesting slice of behaviour. It is perfectly exposed and focused, although I might have included a little more negative space in front of the subject for balance. There are a couple of distracting 'dust bunnies' that need tidying up - and a sensor clean might be in order. I might also consider cloning or cropping out the distracting white out of focus area in the top left corner of the frame.

This is a well seen and captured shot with the parent impalas framing their young perfectly. The photographer has composed this shot tightly to exclude as much of the busy background as possible. Focusing is spot-on and the timing is excellent, with the young impala looking directly toward the camera.

For an iPhone shot, I think this image is really impressive. It is a shame that the tit's eyes and profile are not clearer, but to capture such a nice slice of action is impressive with just a phone. The wing shape and detail is good and, while the frame overall is a bit busy, credit to the photographer for capturing this nature image.

This is a nicely captured urban portrait. The combination of long focal length and large aperture has allowed the photographer to isolate the kookaburra from its backdrop. The subject is maybe a little too central in frame, but otherwise this is an interesting shot.

It is hard to produce original photos of well-photographed animals, like this grey squirrel. But I like this wide-angle perspective which places the subject in context with its woodland surroundings. The light is a bit harsh, though, and I would consider placing the subject off-centre to create a more engaging composition.

The background trees frame this dog nicely and the warm, wintry light is attractive. Unfortunately, the point of focus is in the wrong place. While the dog's chest, ear and collar are pin sharp, its eyes, nose and tongue are out of focus. In most instances, the subject's eyes must be sharp.

This is an interesting action shot, with the eagle swooping down onto a racoon carcass. The shutter speed isn't quite fast enough to freeze the movement of the bird's wings, but I like the level of motion blur - it adds some energy and life to the shot in my opinion. The crop is quite tight, though, and feels a little cramped to my eye. And the negative space behind the eagle feels a bit redundant and unnecessary - a slightly different viewpoint would produce a stronger composition I suspect.