New Joiners - Animals #746

This image has such a great narrative without a single word being spoken and whilst there's a lot going on it only adds to the image rather than distracting away. I'd consider reducing the HDR style effect slightly but this is a personal preference.

The separation from the background is fabulous here with great, silky bokeh ensuring there are no distracting elements. The focus is so crisp and sharp on the bird that you can appreciate every little detail and the composition is good with the bird looking into the frame to draw you in.

This image works really well in black and white, enhancing the contrast in the wool and face. Technically this image breaks some compositional 'rules' but it only goes to show that they're more guidelines as this image works really well!

I love the expression you've captured on this squirrel and it goes to show that any species, no matter how maligned or common, can be a great photographic subject. The branches and surrounding foliage frames the subject so well, drawing you in.

This image works so well in black and white, removing any distracting colours and allowing us to focus purely on the intricate details in the face, bill and feathers. The reflection works well but I'd consider rotating this image slightly clockwise as the horizon looks slightly off.

This image works so well and I love that it's taken at night, giving us a completely new perspective on a subject that is otherwise photographed quite heavily. The composition is spot on and in spite of the slow shutter speed the action is frozen well.

You've captured such a wonderful moment here and I really like the fact that there's some motion blur in the water and spray and yet the bird is pin sharp, showing how well you panned with the subject throughout the exposure.

The mood and atmosphere being given off by this lion is truly enthralling and really draws you in, especially engaging you in that stare. The image works well in black and white, giving more contrast to those scars and ridges in the nose.

This image works really well in black and white and adds to the atmosphere from the mist, with the flock literally emerging from it. The composition is good with them moving into the frame. If the shepherd has been added in post processing it's best to increase the contrast as the background seems to pop through him on the horizon.

Those striking red eyes really pop from the image and draw you into the subject. I like the centralised composition with the symmetry in the face and the pose and shape in the body. I'd consider cropping ever so slightly from the bottom left to remove the horizontal fence post peeping in but this is a personal preference.

You've achieved great separation from the background by shooting at a lower angle and this also helps to enhance the detail and texture on the scales of this gorgeous monitor lizard. The composition is good and I wonder if this image could work in black and white too.

The flowers in the foreground work so well to isolate the subject, even more so given the contrast. The eyes and whiskers pop so well and it works well with the centralised composition. This image could work well with a square crop too.

The composition is spot on here with the subject looking into the centre of the frame and therefore drawing people in. You've done really well to not blow any highlights, whilst still maintaining great detail in the shadows and blacks.

I really like the colour palette in this image, with great warm tones and hues in the background. Despite breaking some compositional 'rules' with the subject perfectly centralised, it still works well as the dog is practically looking straight up and therefore still 'into' the frame.