I love the feel that's established in this honey bee image as you can sense the stickiness of the pollen that's all over it. The shot also tells the story of a threatened animal which is essential to our species and the future of a healthy planet. I hope to see more images of these bees in the future.
The intimate, eye level perspective, shallow depth of field, and rich color make this puppy portrait very pleasing. That said, the placement of boots on both sides make the image stand out and more unique. The angled light also hits the dog's right eye just perfectly and adds a nice touch of expression.
Head on images of birds can be quite entertaining as they bring about some interesting looks and expressions as you can see here. I would say this fellow appears to mean business and the expression can only be captured from a very low perspective. The upright tail feathers complement the subject's looks and posture well.
Most wildlife photographers love to get low for eye level shots of waterbirds, but that's not always the best solution as one can see with this shot. Shooting down on this black swan introduces an incredible amount of texture, color, and shapes due to the bird's reflection. It's always a plus to take a more artistic approach to photography.
I love the color and textures in this jellyfish image. The vertical composition was the right call here due to the animal's shape and movement. Kudos for avoiding any noticeable reflections as this was taken through glass. While enhanced, the tones are quite pleasing, as is the grain and surrounding border.
It's much more common to see this type of interaction between larger animals, but it's not often documented on a macro level, which is what I like about this shot. The intersecting lines and shapes created by the surrounding vegetation in the background are a nice touch and compliment the dragonflies well.
Black Swans are amazing birds and their courtship and interaction displays must be something to behold. The symmetry and shapes created between these two are special. Like most, I'm drawn to the heart like shape in the middle of the frame as well as the triangles created from the neck and back lines.
This is an interesting capture of some interesting animal behavior. I've come across caterpillars a great deal, but I've never seen something like this. The shallow depth of field works well here as the background is rendered soft with some highlight and color that support rather than distract from the viewer.
This shot features a proud young stag standing out amongst the group. The stag's placement at the center of the frame is essential to the composition and the blade of grass in its mouth is a nice touch. The wider crop captures the surrounding deer without cutting off any of them in an unpleasant way.
I absolutely love the story that's being told in this image. You can't help but wonder what's going on in the child's mind as he stares in wonder at the seal swimming by. The composition is strong due to the framing, split tones, and the child's finger pointing which guides the viewer and establishes connection with the animal. Well done!
Meet the expert judge
100 Images entered
90 Photographers
Brief
See more contest details
Welcome to Photocrowd’s ‘Animals’ contest for New Joiners! These contests are a chance for new members to introduce their photography to the community, and get a taste of how Photocrowd contests work. They can be entered by anyone within their first 28 days of joining Photocrowd. After 100 images have been submitted the contest closes and the Crowd will start rating the images. The Expert Judge will also be judging the images and writing reviews at the same time. All the winners, both Crowd and Expert, will be announced after 3 days of judging. Make sure you also check out our two other New Joiners contests - ‘People’ and ‘Landscapes’.
9,150 Ratings
Moose are amazing animals and their size is something to behold in the northern reaches of our planet. They love aquatic vegetation and this image helps to tell that story. The pano crop and the boreal forest surrounding is beautiful and also informs the viewer about the subject's preferred habitat in the wild.
The uncommon placement of the swan family in this frame actually works well and makes it standout. The leading line of the roadway's edge enters from the lower left corner and splits the scene in a pleasing manner. The swan parents look in opposing directions at different heights and this provides a good overall balance.
