New Joiners - Animals #759

This image is all about the glorious light on this swan and the warm tones it has cast. I really love the bold composition which breaks with convention. The lovely smooth out of focus background and it's two contrasting tones help to pull off this unusual choice of framing. The sidelighting has helped to create contrast between shadows and highlights, giving the swan depth and a three-dimensional quality. I would have lightened the eye a little, but a minor point that is to personal taste.

I admit it, I'm a sucker for images with bokeh - those out of focus highlights in the background that decorate the frame like sparkling Christmas lights. And who doesn't love a flamingo? Their rather weird and gawky faces immediately invite a photographer's attention. This is a tricky image to pull off - the exposure values between the shadows and highlights need to be delicately balanced as the photographer has managed here. The composition isn't perfect, but the image still works. Personally, I would have cropped in a little tighter to lose the empty space in the top left, and some of the bird's shoulder in bottom right. A lovely image that made me smile.

The strength of this photograph lies in its composition. I really like the position of the tiger in the frame here - so many would migrate naturally toward a central placement, but the animal needs space to walk into on the left of the frame. Note also how the angle of the back and head create a diagonal that matches the road it is walking along. This has obviously been taken in poor light, but the photographer has correctly used a high ISO to get the shutter speed required to get a sharp shot. The high ISO has meant that the contrast and colours are more muted, and the image is a little noisy, but these things could be improved in post production and with modern AI software.

There is no denying the appeal of a Kingfisher as a photographic subject, their colourful good looks are a magnet for many wildlife photographers. There are many elements that made this image stand out as an exceptional example of this species' portrait. The element that really ticked my box here is that complimentary toned, out of focus foreground that washed deliciously into the plumage of the bird, providing a seemless transition with the backgound. This draws all the attention to the subject, which has been placed ideally in the frame making the whole image so pleasing to look at. I'm not keen on the perch extending behind the bird and into the top of the frame - I would have muted its tone slightly to reduce its impact. Also, watch the shutter speed when using long lenses, large/cropped sensors and subjects that move - even perched birds. I would be using at least 1/500 second in this situation and using increased ISO to balance the exposure.

Dust-blowing Elephants are a popular wildlife subject and with good justification. Often, the harsh African light in the middle of the day isn't the most appealing and images need another element to distract the viewer's attention from the light. This is a great example of the photographer using the action to hook the viewer in. Shutter speed is the main consideration with shots like this - slower if the aim is to show some movement in the dust and add some drama, faster if the intention is to freeze the motion entirely, as we see here. The overall composition is conventional and works well, I like the grassy strip at the bottom of the frame which acts as an anchor for the rest of the image. I would have placed the animal slightly left of centre, but that's a personal choice. The colour palette is a little washed out and the image could do with some contrast and colour work, but the basics of a successful image are there.

Simplicity is one of photography's superpowers, and this image is a great example of that. The open space, the limited tonal range, the shark small in the frame are all elements that make this image work for me. I really like the grading of those cool background tones of the water as the bright sunlight grades into a deeper blue from top right to bottom left, the shark on a clear intersection of light change. There is a rather distracting dust spot clearly visible in the area of water immediately beneath the shark's mouth - a simple and quick fix in post-production. Paying attention to the little things can transform a good image into a great image.

I love ground squirrels, they make such interesting and compelling photographic subjects. Their personality usually leaps out from the frame, those large dark eyes and cute facial features always the central focus for the viewer, as we see here. I like the shallow depth of field which has helped to isolate this animal's head as it pokes it out of the safety of its burrow. The photographer is obviously close to the subject here (they can be very confiding animals) and this has helped to render the busy background out of focus, lessening its potential distraction. I really enjoy all the lovely detail in the fur and the facial features here. The icing on the cake is that paw resting on the outer edge of the burrow - this completes a nicely balanced composition.

This was a strong competition, but this image stood out to me ahead of the others. The composition of this is so solid - just look at the way those beautiful diagonals divide the frame, the tree branches spreading out from one corner to the next. The monkey is perfectly placed, and it’s dark colouration provides beautiful contrast with the background, drawing the eye immediately. The textures of the out of focus foliage provide a lovely background and places this animal in context. Finally, it is the hanging tail that balances the whole image with surgical precision. This is a masterclass in composition.

This is a very pleasant portrait of a young Short-eared Owl. The direct eye contact is an important element here as it creates an immediate connection with the viewer. Note the lovely smooth out of focus background that the shallow depth of field has delivered through a combination of long focal length and wide open aperture. The lighting is flat, but this has enabled so much detail to be captured and those colourful eyes to stand out against the otherwise muted colour palette. I also like the out of focus elements at the bottom of the image which help to frame the bird.

The cute factor of this image is undeniable, but it has plenty of other qualities that make it a successful image. The long focal length of the lens used ensures that there is a very shallow depth of field that has worked to isolate the subject from the rather busy foreground and background. The perfect focal point has ensured that these elements provide an ideal supporting role to the subject, providing us with a good sense of this animal’s environment. I love the complimentary colour palette and the way the hamster is just peeking out from the protection of the grasses it is using as camouflage. Some of the larger grass stems are a little distracting, but the photographer gets away with this through great composition.

Great light, good colour palette, nice symmetry, solid composition, correct camera settings, and skilled post-processing are all elements that this photograph displays. Ignoring the birds themselves for a minute, look at the way the photographer has broken this image up into horizontal thirds; the out of focus foreground strip clearly defined by the in focus line of stems and the right hand bird, then comes the strip of grass in the middle of the frame behind the birds, and finally the contrasting strip of blue sky in the top third. The position of the birds in relation to each other is also a delight - both sets of wings outstretched and not overlapping each other. That clear separation is so important. A really lovely image that the photographer should rightly be proud of.

This image is all about the pose and expression of the bear on the right of the frame. I have seen thousands of bear images over the years but struggle to recall one with a similar pose. It conjures up all sorts of questions in the viewer’s mind as the expression displays many human-like qualities that create an emotional connection. It looks rather sad and resigned as it’s compatriot is more animated and seemingly aggressive. What is going on between this pair? Technically, this image displays a good level of competence - shutter speed, overall exposure, focal point and depth of field are all well judged and the composition is comfortable.

Photographing birds in flight may have become easier with modern technology, but it is still perhaps one of the most difficult of disciplines within wildlife photography. Short-eared Owls make great in-flight subjects, there's something about that big facial disc and those large yellow eyes that act as an immedaite focal point for the viewer. The face has a human-like quality that adds to this connection. I love the light on this owl - you will often find them hunting in the late afternoon during the autumn and winter months when the light can be at its most flattering and dramatic. The smooth, out of focus background helps to isolate the subject, the contrasting cool tones amplifying this separation. The focal point is right on the eyes as it needs to be, and I like the tight crop here. A slight shame about the wing casting some shadow across the face, but it is the sidelighting that helps to provide depth and a three-dimensional feel.

This lizard certainly knows how to strike a pose! I think that it knows the photographer is there to take its portrait and it is playing to the crowd with that bold and enigmatic posture. I like the composition of this photograph, the structure and tones of the plant in the bottom third complementing the animal itself and anchoring the bottom of the frame. The background is nicely out of focus and provides sufficient tonal variance to isolate the lizard and direct the viewer's attention straight to it - look at all that lovely detail in the skin. The lizard is a little bright and the twig in the top left of the frame is distracting - both easy fixes by revisiting the edit.