New Joiners - Animals #668

Sometimes you can like a photo, but struggle to pinpoint exactly why. For me, this is one of those shots. The light is nothing special and the subject isn't doing anything interesting. However, there is a great sense of solitude and place - and it is a photo I keep returning to. Do you like it too?

Great to see young people into photography and nature. I started young too and I don't think my flight shots were as good as this when I was 14 years old! I love the context the leafy backdrop provides and the timing and technique are very good. Well done and keep shooting...

I love the atmosphere of this image - it just reeks of the Scottish highlands. The dull conditions provide soft, diffused light, beautiful detail, and lovely natural tones. The framing, timing, and shooting angle combine to create a strong composition - and the eye contact with the stag (on the left) helps produce a really engaging result.

I love the way the mother's body protectively frames its newborn calf. Eye contact is strong and engaging and the photo is sharp and detailed. But I'm not sure why the photographer decided not to include the entire animal - the tight framing feels a little awkward in my opinion.

This shot is simple but effective. The conversion to black and white works well in my view, placing added emphasis on shape, form, and detail. This is a handsome animal and filling the frame has provided instant impact. The photographer has timed the shot well, with the animal looking right down the barrel of the lens.

When you photograph common subjects, like this gull, you either need great light or interesting behaviour to capture a photo that stands-out from the crowd. I think this shot qualifies, with the fish in peril adding interest and a sense of drama to the photo.

What a gorgeous subject and a bitingly sharp image - this photo doesn't look like its been captured at such a long focal length and high ISO. The out of focus highlights and woodland setting create a really nice sense of place. It is a shame about the branch 'growing' out of the subject's head, as this is a little distracting. There appears to be an area of softness around the owl's leg, so I don't know if he photographer has had to do some cloning maybe?

I love the idea of this shot, with the ball out of focus in the foreground providing depth, interest and a splash of colour. However, the dog's eyes are not quite pin sharp - and it is a shame the photographer has just clipped the dog's closest paw. A good, innovative effort, though.

This is a beautiful animal and the dark, shadowy backdrop provides a stark, simple backdrop. However, dark backgrounds also have a tendency to fool metering systems into overexposure, and the highlights in this photo are too bright. Thankfully, I suspect there is enough highlight detail in the file to allow the photographer to reprocess this image successfully.

I'm not a pet photographer and I'm not someone who shoots staged or studio type photos - I much prefer wildlife and shooting subjects in situ. But I can still appreciate that this is an excellent capture - it is well set-up and the lighting is good. The composition and timing combine to create a really fun result.

I like the low, intimate shooting angle and diffused backdrop, which helps provide a three-dimension look to this shot. The streaky raindrops help convey the wet weather and add interest. Focusing and framing are good - a well-captured image given the poor shooting conditions.

Although the composition is maybe a fraction too tight - with the seal's whiskers just clipped by the top of the frame - this portrait has lots of impact and life. The diffused backdrop really helps the subject pop from its surroundings. I'd be tempted to look at this shot in black and white too.

This is a very striking image, nicely timed with the monkey about to devour a leaf. Technically, this would have been a tricky shot to capture with the bright sky behind the subject fooling the camera's metering into underexposure. However, the positive compensation applied has created a light, bright, detailed, and colourful result with a slight high-key feel. A well captured and processed shot.

Lots to like about this photo - the framing is good and the switch to mono is effective. However, the dark, out of focus trunk on the left is distracting and should be cropped out. Also, there is a twig just behind the subject that runs along the eagle's profile and 'touches' its beak - the lack of separation weakens the shot unfortunately.