New Joiners - Animals #676

This is a nicely composed image, the body position of the seal is slightly unusual, but the raised head and tail balance each other beautifully. There is just enough beach in the lower half of the frame to anchor the photo without dominating. The light is not too harsh, and I rather like the way it comes in from the right side of the frame and creates plenty of shadow and contrast to give depth to the image. What makes it for me is the crashing surf in the background which is deliciously out of focus and is decorated by those lovely bokeh balls making it glisten and come alive.

I like the clever use of the complimentary tones in this image. The grasses that surround the lions frame them really nicely and keep the viewer's attention in the centre of the frame and on the animals. The interaction between the main three characters is the key to this image, the head positions of each are nicely complimentary. The animal walking out of the shot on the left is a bit of a shame, and perhaps a tighter crop would lessen its impact on the photograph?

This image is rather unusual and I like the experimentation with post processing, the effect of which is rather difficult to describe. It almost reminds me of an Andy Warhol painting with its bold colours and textures giving it that popart feel. But it works - there is no denying what the central character is, the integrity of the spider has been retained which is very important. The viewer has to know what they are looking at. I like the position of the subject in the frame and the balance of all the other elements which provide such interesting textures and shapes. If Andy Warhol had been into invertebrates instead of pop icons, then maybe he would have produced something like this.

These storks are infamous for their choice of rooftops as nesting sites, and this is a common sight in many places. The composition here is really strong. The stork is critically on the top of the roof's ridge, its legs evenly spread and feet visible. The angle of the head is pleasing and there is connection with the viewer through the eye contact. The lighting is warm and soft, really making those warm tones of the building stand out. What I really like though, is the way the chimney provides a perfect balance with the bird - lovely image.

There is a rather pleasing statuesque quality about this image, the way the owl is perched on its pedestal gives it an air of authority. The direct eye contact is strong which provides a connection with the viewer. I like the bright colourful background - the photographer has been careful not to allow the camera to underexpose the owl by metering for the background. The image is a little dark on the left and the structure coming into the frame in the bottom right is a somewhat distracting.

Three is always a winning number when it comes to photographic composition as this image demonstrates. I was drawn to the strong contrast in this image, the whites of the zebras' markings really popping out against the dark shady background they are fading into, emphasising the intricate patterns of their markings. I would have liked the left hand animal slightly closer to the middle Zebra to balance the right side better, plus I would have perhaps waited for the right animal to lower its head and feed, but a great image nonetheless.

What makes this image work is the low angle of view the photographer has chosen, and the direct eye contact the cat is making with the camera (and therefore the viewer). These elements provide an intimacy which immediately connects the viewer with the animal. The focus is exactly where it needs to be, critically on the eyes, and the shallow depth of field means that the rest of the frame melts away beautifully to leave all the attention on the cat's face. I think the lighting works really well and the black and white conversion is a great choice.

This image has a slightly different approach to the subject from many other images that I have seen of Gorillas The composition is strong; the trunk of the tree on the left anchors the image nicely and the eyes of the Gorilla intersect the thirds of the frame perfectly. I love the subtle glance that the animal is giving the camera - just enough for the viewer to feel a connection with the animal. The use of out of focus vegetation in the foreground frames the right hand side and the bokeh highlights to the right add a little sparkle. The way the light is hitting the animal's face gives it great depth and I am not bothered by some of the fur falling into deep shadow as I think this adds drama. A pity about the twig coming into the frame from the top left corner - I would be tempted to clone this out. I would also reduce the impact of the out of focus branch which sweeps across the top right of the frame.

The photographer has captured a nice side-on profile of this Woodpigeon. Everything is nicely in focus, well exposed and shows plenty of detail. I like the little turn of the head towards the photographer creating a connection. That little patch of white plumage on the neck is often gets blown out - not the case here. Try photographing from ground level next time - getting the camera so it sits right on those pebbles could provide an even more pleasing result.

This image was so nearly my winner. It is wonderfully detailed, skillfully composed, fascinatingly colourful and expertly executed. The use of flash here to light the subject and highlight it against a dark background is a great choice, allowing the viewer to enjoy all the intricate detail of the animal without distraction. I love the position in the frame and the way the tentacles are almost uniformly arranged. The eye even appears to follow you around as you study the image. Beautifully done and thank you to the photographer for allowing us to see this animal up close.

I love the detail that has been captured in this image - this is such a beautiful and iconic species which I have seen photographed many times. The bird is all about the detail in its crown, and this image shows it off beautifully, allowing the viewer to enjoy this amazing bird. The lighting on the head is really nice - just enough contrast to make the colour pop and show texture and detail. I also like the little catchlight in the eye which adds a little sparkle.. A shallow depth of field has allowed a busy background not to become distracting, instead adding an interesting mixture of colour and texture to compliment the bird. I am not generally a big fan of square crops, but it works in this case, although I would have been tempted to crop in a little tighter.

What drew me to this image is its strong composition. The bamboo provides such a great frame for the Ringtail with its dominating vertical lines and warm tones. The photographer has balanced the placement of the animal perfectly in the frame, giving more weight to the right hand side. A more central composition would have been weaker in my opinion. The shape of the Ringtail as its body curls around the bamboo is pleasing and the fur provides a nice contrast in colour. Eye contact is critical here and you can almost sense its plight as it tries to free itself. One of the best elements is the short bamboo stump in the foreground on which its front paws rest - this anchors the frame and the surrounding lines draw the viewer's eye to this point of the photograph.

Photographing dragonflies in flight can be a tricky business. I really like the head on approach of this shot as it allows the viewer to get the full impact of those amazing eyes. It also provides a pleasing symmetry with the wings spread evenly and the details of the tail being clearly visible through the centre of the frame. The dark background works really well here to highlight the animal's amazing colours and remove any distractions from the rest of the frame. The image is very noisy, perhaps the result of a heavy crop and adjusting the exposure and saturation levels in post processing.

A lot of thought has gone into the composition of this image. The out of focus adult provides the perfect frame to the top half of the frame and retains enough detail in the animal without it dominating the frame. The star of the show is the youngster which the photographer has balanced beautifully in the bottom portion of the frame. The direct eye contact it is making instantly connects the viewer with the animal. This is a very successful image of subjects which are much-photographed.