New Joiners - Animals #791

A classic Kingfisher pose that never fails to please. I like the overall composition of this shot, the square side-on pose of the bird forming a nice diagonal across the frame from bottom left to top right. The background is nicely out-of-focus allowing all the attention to fall on the Kingfisher and its meal. The choice of perch is also pleasing – I see so many of these images where the photographer has made a poor choice in this area. The interest is provided by the fish in the bird’s beak, the photograph capturing that moment just before it disappears down the hatch! The camera seems to have locked its focus on the shoulder of the wing as opposed to the bird’s eye, which consequently looks a little soft.

What struck me about this image is the bold and unconventional composition. Sometimes breaking the rules can produce very effective results, and I think this is one of those images. The photographer obviously had harsh light; this image being taken in bright sunlight - not ideal for birds with white plumage. What they have done is to mask this issue by distracting us with that beautiful bokeh in the background as the light reflects from the rippling sea behind. This has created such a dramatic backdrop that steals the show. Placing the bird in the bottom right corner has sidelined it to a degree, but it still retains sufficient prominence as the subject of the shot. Some of the whites are over-exposed, but the whole point of the image is the brightness, so I think this works.

What caught my attention immediately with this photograph is that bright, colourful background that just leaps of the page. A combination of focal length, aperture and distance between the photographer, the subject and the background has rendered the backdrop beautifully out of focus. The photographer has also positioned themselves in a way that the background is evenly toned and slightly over-exposed the shot to create this effect. The overall composition is nicely balanced, those antlers dominating the frame as they reach for opposing top corners. That direct eye contact creates immediate connection with the viewer and completes a successful image. The choice of exposure is well-judged, and the focus is perfect.

This photograph makes you smile immediately you set eyes on it. What I love about it is the clever composition. The dog is clearly looking through the open window of a vehicle, the frame acting as the perfect picture frame for our subject. It also provides a sense of context and a narrative for the viewer – the rain droplets add to the story. But it is the pose of the dog as it looks expectantly out of the window at the camera’s lens, eyes locked onto the viewer, that extended tongue adding so much personality to the shot and really connecting us to the animal. I love this and it just goes to show that you can take great images with the camera phone in your pocket.

What strikes me first about this image is the beautiful symmetry, a very powerful tool in the photographer’s toolbox when used in the right circumstances. This Hawk-owl has been captured in a pose that offers near-perfect symmetry, its wings and tail feathers fully extended, its feet and talons clearly visible. I love the little twist of the head that compliments rather than unsettles the photo’s balance. Note how the angle of the head is balanced by the slight angle between the wing tips. The focus is perfect – that head-on flight is perhaps the most difficult for the camera’s auto focus to handle, but the contrasting background would have helped in this instance. The choice of shutter speed is well judged, and I like the level of exposure here too – the photographer would have deliberately over-exposed the shot to enhance the detail in the bird and reduce the impact of the dull sky. I would have placed the head centrally in the frame on this occasion as I feel there is a little too much sky in the top part of the frame.

A striking image that displays so much detail for the viewer to enjoy. Although I suspect that this is a captive bird, falconry centres and the like provide great opportunities fro close-up portraits such as this and can be really good fun to visit. I love the bold composition of this shot, the head and shoulders emerging from the bottom left of the frame. The cinematic crop also works well, that negative space on the right providing a bit of drama. The placement of the kestrel's eye is on the intersection of thirds, and this balances the composition well. Being close to the subject has allowed the background to be thrown out-of-focus and this ensures all our attention is on the subject. The focus has locked on the eye and we are treated to lots of detail in the head, beak, and the feathers.

This photograph is so nearly there as there are some delightful elements to it. Just look at that delicious warm light on the bird as it comes in from the side of the frame as the sun rises over the horizon. Sanderlings aren't colourful birds, but the warm tones of the sunrise really bring it to life. I also really enjoy the pose as it digs for invertebrates in the sand, telling the viewer a little about this species and how if feeds. The long focal length and proximity to the bird has produced a lovely shallow depth of field isolating the bird and reducing the impact of both background and foreground elements. However, the placement of the bird in the frame is uncomfortable and unbalanced. There is too much negative space on the left - the bird is facing to the right of the frame, and it would be better to place it off-centre to the left. Also the image looks a little crooked - this may be the slope of the beach, but the little wedge cutting across the bottom left corner makes it look slightly wonky. A tighter crop would transform this photograph.

Captive animals provide a great opportunity to take close portraits of animals we can't ordinarily hope to get close to in the wild. Close shots work particularly well as they help to exclude the obvious signs of the captive environment and avoid distraction. This is a perfect example of that, and the tight crop has also helped to reveal plenty of detail to the viewer. Critically, the eyes are in focus (although I think the point of critical focus has locked onto the nose) and we have direct eye contact creating an immediate connection. Nice job.

This is a nice example of a tight portrait shot that has been taken in beautiful light. Notice how the light is positioned directly behind the photographer - the little catchlight in the dark eye is the reflection of the sun and is a nice touch. This sort of lighting is perfect for literal portrait shots as we see here. The background is nicely out-of-focus and offers some nice colourful tones as a contrasting backdrop to our pied subject. The pose of the bird is pleasing, I like the turn of the head revealing the shape and form of the bill. Placing the body slightly off-centre to the right has provided the correct balance. The small feathers sticking out from the beak is a nice detail.

This photograph is all about that gorgeous light of the African plains and those beautiful warm tones. What I really like about this image is the contrast between the light grassland and the darker tones of the buffalo as they form a narrow strip across the frame. The main character is easily identified as it stands clear of the rest of the herd and gives our eyes something to lock on to. The shallow depth of field has also helped create this separation. The placement of this animal in the frame is well-judged, but I would have cropped in a little tighter to reduce the impact of the sky which offers too much negative space in my view.

There are some really good elements to this image that show a skilled hand behind the camera. Firstly, the light here is very pleasing, and the source is positioned behind the photographer – perfect for this style of portrait photography. Note how the sun is reflected in the Linnet’s eye creating a nice little catchlight. Critically, this image will have been taken at a time when the angle of the sun was relatively low, avoiding the harsh light a higher angle would have delivered. Secondly, the background is nicely out-of-focus and evenly toned creating the perfect backdrop to our subject. Thirdly, the pose of the bird and its position in the frame are pleasingly composed, although I would have favoured placing the bird a little further to the left. The slightly gaping beak adds a little interest to the shot. I also like the choice of perch – this hints at the environment this bird is found in. I would have removed the distracting bramble elements to the bottom left and bottom right to create a cleaner frame, but this is personal choice.

The male Mandarin Duck must be one of the most flamboyant of birds with that amazing colouration and elaborate plumage. This is a beautiful portrait shot of the bird as we see it on most occasions, swimming serenely across a lake. I love the shallow depth of field here; the long lens has created nice separation between the subject and the background and foreground elements. The even tones of the surroundings have further served to focus attention on the subject. The point of focus is on the bird’s eye, and this creates an immediate connection with the viewer. The lighting is soft and even, and the exposure is perfect, bringing out all the colours and detail for the viewer to enjoy. I would have placed the bird more centrally in the frame which would have better balanced the composition and show some of the reflection in the water.

What drew me to this photograph is the connection between the animals. Physical contact can be so powerful when it is combined with good composition as demonstrated here. The shape of the two heads feels almost like two pieces of a jigsaw fitting together and provides a beautiful balance. The background is sufficiently out-of-focus to ensure all our attention remains on the subjects but still retains enough detail to give the viewer a sense of place. A shame the paws are cropped from the bottom of the frame, and I'm not a fan of borders around an image as I want to see the image as large on my screen as possible.