New Joiners - Animals #769

The photographer really excelled at the exposure elements in capturing this action packed Bald Eagle image. The shutter speed was fast enough to freeze the action and bright highlights on the eagle's head are exposed properly. There's a bit of grain in the image which gives it some grit and I like that.

The interaction captured in this frame is very strong and it creates a connection and story between three separate subjects. A black and white conversion is perfect due to the strong light direction. The triangle created by the lines connecting the horse, dog, and human support a solid compositional technique as well.

This Sea Lion image has a humorous component to it at first glance. There's a nice curve formed by the shape of the animal's posture and it gently moves you throughout the frame. The textures on the subject including the fur, whiskers and sand are shown off with some great detail.

This close up and tight frame of a King Vulture creates a sense of intimacy, but the bird also appears a bit foreboding as well. Going in close is worth it as the King Vulture is colorful and quite simply gorgeous. The bill is in focus while the eye is not, but it's not a major setback for the shot.

The weathered textures and contrasting tones bring this Cat image to life. The door frames act as leading lines by guiding your eyes from the top and side of the frame back to the subject. The Cat blends in well with the background and surroundings, but still stands out as the main point of emphasis.

Getting a close and super sharp image of a songbird like this American Goldfinch is not an easy task. The details on the bird's face are so crisp and you can even see some wear on the bill upon a closer inspection. The surrounding vignette also brings all the attention where it needs to be.

The vertical crop is a bit tight on the Gull image, but not too tight for my taste. I rather like how the wing dominates most of the frame and that it also demonstrates a sense of motion by not being tack sharp. The Gull's face and body are both sharp and that is what's most important.

The peachy color reflected in the water really brings this Heron image to life. It's important that the bird silhouette is captured in front of the bright water to ensure it stands out, and stand out it does. There's a mild vignette and it also helps ensuring all eyes are on the Heron.

It's great to see generational dynamics in animal images such as you have here. The wider perspective in the image gives a glimpse into the preferred habitat of the Killer Whales. The timing was just right as the calf is out of the water and clearly visible for the viewer.

This is a pleasing, vertical composition of two Bighorn sheep. The height in the frame allows for the incorporation of three separate layers to include the ground, tree line, and mountains. While this is a tight image, there's still a feeling of vastness with the incorporation of the large habitat.

This is an amazing moment of animal behavior that's captured by the photographer. It's not everyday someone can see a kill and then photograph it wonderfully on a game drive. The backlight is pleasing on the Leopard's face and the scene is not gory allowing the story to be told without any gratuitous violence. Excellent job!

The real foliage in this frame combined well with the palm tree wallpaper in the background. Then add in a glass table with mirror like reflections and it all makes for an interesting Cat image. You're not exactly sure what's going on at first glance, but there are a lot of nuggets in here.

The human made framing creates some nice shadows and separation to help the centered Cat stand out when compared to the rest of the frame. The additional Cat on the lower left portion of the frame acts as an anchor in the composition and doesn't act as a distraction for the viewer.

This White Rhino image is quite educational as it demonstrates the defensive behavior of the species. They form a circular perimeter, therefore, placing them in the center of the frame is a logical choice. This is not a group of animals anyone would want to mess with out in the wild.