New Joiners - Animals #704

I absolutely love the wintery atmosphere that surrounds and compliments these three White Bucovina Shepherd Dogs. Their expressive curiosity come across strongly to the viewer and all three subjects are tack sharp. You get the feeling you're right there, kneeling in the snow and making contract with them. A fantastic encounter and amazing shot!

This is a strong behavior shot of a squirrel, but what makes this image is the reflection. The pano crop is key as the entire branch and its corresponding reflection are included within the frame. The horizon is placed near the center giving equal emphasis to the mirror like reflections.

This is such a cute picture of Mocha. The surrounding leaves add color to the frame without becoming a major distraction. The out of focus leaf perfectly wraps around the left side of the dog's face and thereby adding interest to the shot. It looks like it didn't last long based on the photographer's description.

I like to see nature scapes that include animal habitat and how they mix in with their surroundings such as you see here. The dark swans help the viewer find the subjects in the frame as well as their distinct shapes. The lush, green landscape envelopes the subjects with the distant sky adding more color and texture.

I love the usage of the out of focus sheep to add more complexity to the shot. The muzzle ropes on both sheep tell a story and includes a bit of mystery. I like the diagonal line formed by moving from the main subject to the supporting sheep in the background.

Underwater shots are not as common so it's always pleasing to seem them in this competition. The overall cool tones work well with the atmosphere. The man and nature component is on display here as the focus of this shot is the interaction between the diver and the hammerhead shark.

Coming across a Leopard in the wild is such an exhilarating experience as these cats are gorgeous and extremely dangerous at the same time. This frame is all about the eyes and the engagement factor. I rather like how the sticks shield the cat, but do not take away from its intense stare.

Having a chance to view Elephants from such a low perspective is rare and this shot takes you right into their world. The photographer chose to use one individual to frame another in a very pleasing way. This perspective makes me feel like I'm in the blind, right where the action is taking place.

I really appreciate the artistic approach used for this composition. Incorporating the shadows versus the actual camels and riders is a nice touch. I also appreciate how the layers go from dark to mid-tone, to highlights on top. The line of shadows is linear with most individuals separated in a pleasing manner.

I've seen images with backlit breath coming from large mammals, but seeing it come from a small songbird is quite a novel thing. I love the textures and bits of color in the breath as well as the rim light surrounding the swamp sparrow. A very clean portrait with a nice addition of behavior.

I like the dreamy, diffused atmosphere that supports this loose butterfly portrait. The colors really stand out as well with the purples and greens complimenting each other nicely. The processing to include the vignette allows for a light beam to fall on the subject from the upper right corner of the frame in dramatic fashion.

This horse image is quite haunting, but in a beautiful way. The black and white conversion eliminates any distraction from the surrounding trees and grasses, while adding textures to the subjects and sky. Using the two horses in the foreground to bookend the distant and main subject is a unique compositional technique. Well done!

This image a good example of how a high key or pushed exposure can work wonders on a scene. My eyes are immediately drawn to the black bird silhouette vocalizing above the two cows lounging in the sand. The beach huts on either side frame the subjects nicely and add some mid tone to a high contrast shot.

This is such a great story telling image. You can see the dog surrounded by sheep in the background, which tells the story of the its behavior as well as the relationship between the animals. The exposure is spot on with details in the foreground and the surrounding blue sky.