New Joiners - Animals #761

What attracted me to this photograph is the textures and patterns formed by the water and the stark contrast of this turtle's head as it pokes above the surface. The photographer has ensured that the main point of focus is on the turtle and that head is super sharp and full of detail for the viewer to enjoy. The long lens has compressed the perspective and allowed the background to drift beautifully out of focus, thus maintaining our attention on the turtle. I'm not too keen on the central placement of the head in the lower third of the frame, I would have been tempted to move the camera slightly left to place it more towards the right corner.

This is easily a winner for me from the selection as there are so many excellent qualities to it. What the photographer has done so well is to recognise how to best use the light and adjust the exposure to balance the frame. Most would have gone with the camera's light meter, which would have produced an under-exposed image, rendering the rabbit quite dark against the much brighter background. Shooting into the light like this does take practice, but by over-exposing, the photographer has not only exposed the rabbit correctly, but produced a wonderful, light background which is to die for. Note those beautiful circular balls of light that add some nice touches. I also like the way the light is highlighting the ears and the veins. The focus is directly on the rabbit's eye, and that creates a connection with the viewer. Also, the positioning of the animal in the frame is nicely balanced, the low perspective allowing the foreground and background elements to render soft and out of focus, isolating the subject expertly.

This photograph is all about that lovely light that is reflected in the water and forms the perfect backdrop to these flamingos. These birds make interesting photographic subjects, I find their mix of elegance and awkward gawkiness offer a rather compelling contrast. This group is not ideally positioned, the birds overlapping and weakening the composition, but I like the overall crop, exposure and post-production.

What a moment to capture. Not only is the viewer treated to all the fantastic detail that can be seen in this whale's open mouth, but the gull perched on the tip of it's upper jaw adds an element of theatre. This bird is nicely balanced by the two out of focus birds to its left and right. The frame overall is nicely composed with a strong diagonal formed by the upper jaw of the whale running from bottom left to top right; the bottom jaw forming a strong anchor to the bottom of the image. Exposure, shutter speed and focal point are all well judged.

Photography has the power to elicit an emotional response from the viewer - that response can take many forms and some images are more powerful than others. Here the viewer can't fail to feel sympathy for the animal and perhaps a little disgust at the human race. The eyes of this monkey say so much, and the tight crop that the photographer has chosen removes any unwanted distractions and focuses our attention on the face of this animal. I like the way the eyes and nose have been framed perfectly within the pattern of the wire mesh - see how nicely balanced all the elements are and the symmetrical shape that the wire makes across the frame. A very powerful image.

Capturing insects in flight is a tricky business, but there are things you can do to help nail that shot. In this instance, I would presume that the photographer has manually focused on the plant and waited for the bee to arrive to capture this photograph - a smart approach. The bright light has enabled a fast shutter speed to be employed, ensuring that the wings of the bee have sufficient definition. The overall exposure is good and I like the fact that the background is far enough away from the subject to render it out of focus, reducing its distraction. I would have cropped in tighter with a vertical perspective to focus more attention on the subject - the space on the left and right of the frame is largely redundant.

Placing subjects within the context of their environment can make for interesting images as we see with this toad. I rather like the framing here, the vegetation curving from the bottom right and into the top of the frame provides a nice anchor for that side of the image and draws our attention to the main character. I also like the way the light has fallen on the subject, there is plenty of light and shade to help give the image depth. I have a feeling that the photographer has chosen to boost the shadows significantly in post production which has generated a lot of digital noise. I think more contrast in these shadows would have produced a moodier feel and a crisper looking shot.

I like the vertical composition of this photograph which emphasises the stature of this bird which has been placed centrally in the frame creating balance. The viewer can't ignore those staring eyes which stand out well against the darker plumage, and you just have to love that outrageous crest of feathers that adorn the top of its head. I like the fact that one of the feet is being held up off the perch - the photographer has been careful to ensure they have enough shutter speed to avoid any motion blur in this element. The background is nicely out of focus, critical to lessen the impact of the busy patterns formed by the tree canopy and sky. The perch and foreground is a little busy, but still a very successful photograph.

This is a great example of a common approach to photographing terns. Their white plumage lends itself to the high key technique when photographed against a dull sky, as we see here. The photographer has got so many elements of this image right, but the main component is the position of the bird with its wings spread wide, its tail fully fanned, its open beak, and the nicely balanced head position. I also like the squarish crop and the central position of the bird within it. Some may question the amount of white space around the bird, but I think that this is an essential element to the image's success. The photographer has balanced the exposure so well here to create this feel, showing a practiced hand and a good understanding of light.

This photograph is rather unique and extraordinary. I'd love to see this made into a jigsaw - the perfect way to spend a rainy, winter's day. Images like this may seem easy to take, but they rarely work as well as this. I think it has something to do with the complete lack of any empty spaces between the birds, their tight congregation providing a compelling pattern all the way across the frame with no obvious gaps. I also like the odd bird with areas of white plumage that breaks up the mass every now and then. This is one of those images that you can stare at for hours and still discover something new. Well seen and nicely taken.

The main attraction of this image for me is that beautiful warm-toned, smooth, out of focus background - the perfect backdrop against which to showcase the beauty of this garden regular. I also like the vertical crop, the right choice given the position of the bird and the perch. The focus is on the bird's eye and there is sufficient depth of field to ensure that the detail in the plumage is not lost. The image is slightly over-exposed, something that could be addressed in post-production. I'm also not a great fan of the perch which rather dominates the frame. When photographing birds coming to a feeder in the garden, try choosing a more attractive perch as this can really elevate your images.

This photograph displays a number of excellent technical qualities. Firstly, I like the overall composition which has a nice balance to it and highlights this heron's rather regal pose. The exposure, focus and depth of field are all well-judged, and the out of focus background is of uniform tone without any distracting elements - this keeps all the viewer's attention on the head of this bird and all the lovely detail the image captures. The post-processing shows a light touch, and I even like the crop which has helped to balance everything within the frame.