New Joiners - Animals #707

Animals looking right down the barrel of the lens creates an immediate connection with the viewer and can be quite arresting, as we see here. The focus is directly on the cat's eyes, and this is crutial to make the image work. The shallow depth of field ensures that the rest of the animal melts away nicely into the background. I like the central position of the eyes in the frame too. A bit of post production work could improve the image, but all the foundations are there.

Successful silhouette images all have one thing in common - despite the lack of detail, the viewer is left in no doubt as to what they are looking at. Herons and egrets have a classic shape which makes them excellent candidates for silhouettes, as we see here. The photographer has used the lack of light well here, choosing to underexpose the image and work with shape and form. I like the pose of the bird, its raised foot and its overall shape adds interest and a nice dynamic to the shot. Its position in the frame is also well judged, with space for it to look into on the left. I also like the textures of the waves on the water which add interest.

This is one of those images that puts the animal into its environment and gives the viewer an insight into where it lives. I like the contrast in the warm tones of the fur and the cooler tones of the landscape behind. The background is sufficiently out of focus to keep the attention on the animal, but still retains enough detail to convey the scene. I like the overall balance of the composition, the subject being slightly off-centre. The exposure is also well judged. Nice frame.

Portraits are all about communicating personality and expression, and this image achieves this aim. The focus is directly on the dog's eyes, and I like the open mouth and protruding tongue. This reminds me so much of my own dog and the expressions she makes. The overall composition is good, but watch elements like the ears - the right ear is clipping the left hand side of the frame slightly. I also find the flowers in the foreground a little distracting, but this is still a lovely portrait which is full of character.

It is nice to see an underwater shot in this selection. I like the way the light has created bright rays which decorate the frame around the dolphins. I also like the balance of the surface layer, the shallow water and the sea bed, which split the frame nicely into thirds. I would have liked the shot to be a little tighter to enjoy more detail in the dolphins themselves, and the central position in the frame is perhaps not the most effective choice, but a pleasing image nonetheless.

One of the issues with photographing large mammals in Africa is that the light during the day can be overly harsh. One way of tackling this is to concentrate on black and white compositions which focus on shape and form. Here, the photographer has chosen to do just this, the bright light helping to sculpt the shape and textures in the elephant using light and shade. I rather like the composition, the vertical format works well and provides the necessary drama to the shot. The whites are blown on the elephant's tusk, but I am not overly bothered about that as the dynamic range is wide and prioritising detail in the shadow areas was the right choice. Watch the shutter speed with shots like this - better to increase the ISO to allow more a faster shutter and sharper photographs.

These contests are full of pet portraits of varying quality, but this image is a really great example of how to capture something that stands out from the crowd. Critically, the point of focus is on the cat's eyes and this creates that all-important connection with the viewer. The pose of the cat and its position in the frame is also pleasing to the eye, but it is the use of the basket to frame the cat's face that really makes this image work. I also really like the contrasting textures and tones of the wicker and the dark interior of the basket, both of which draw your eye where it needs to go. A beautiful pet portrait.

I love the clever use of light here and the mirror really adds an extra special touch, giving the frame some symmetry. The spider's legs look almost translucent, and there is so much detail which has been picked out by the backlighting - a real treat for the viewer. This is the sort of image that may well grab the attention of judges in larger competitions and is a deserving winner of this new joiners contest.

This is a well-judged image of a Blue Tit in a classic pose. The lighting is even and has a nice softness to it. The background is evenly toned and beautifully out of focus, drawing all the viewer's attention to the bird. Attention has been paid to the perch, the mosses adding colour and texture. The image is a little flat and I would add a subtle increase in contrast and saturation to make it 'pop' off the screen a little more.

There is only one place the viewer's eye is going to in this image, and that is straight to the deer as the photographer intended. I really like the way that this has been achieved through composition, depth of field and ensuring the focal point is exactly where it needs to be - on the deer's eyes. The complimentary tones and textures of the heather and the animal really adds to the shot - it's almost like looking at a mounted stag's head on a wall, but a million times better as it is alive and in its natural environment.

The composition of this image is really strong. It can be tricky to get this right when choosing to exclude elements of the subject as we see here, but the photographer has got this balance right with the position of the eye in the top right intersection of thirds; the bill forming a nice diagonal and running into the bottom left corner. The focus seems to have locked onto the area of the top of the head, leaving the eye a little soft which is a shame., but there is still loads of detail for the viewer to enjoy.

The composition of this image and the symmetry of the rams is what makes this photograph stand out. The bright snow has provided the perfect contrasting background to the animals and focuses all the attention on the rams and their interaction. The focal point is spot on, with everything sharp that needs to be - look at all that detail on display. I also like the slightly off-centre placement of the animals which creates a nice balance. Good job!

This is a really interesting shot and stands out as it is something a little different. I like the overhead view here - for a while I wondered what I was looking at until my brain caught up. The uniform spread of the fish creates a really nicely balanced pattern which demonstrates a pleasing symmetry. I also like the contrasting colours of the fish and the river bed. Use of a ploarising filter would have removed the glare from the surface of the water and saturated the colours a little. This is at the expense of a couple of stops of light, and I note from the settings that the available light must have been limited. I am glad the photographer got away with the rather low shutter speed as there isn't too much motion blur in evidence. The image could be improved by some post processing work to add contrast and saturation.