New Joiners - Animals #794

Technically this image is solid. The exposure is spot on, the focus in the right place, and the post-processing shows a light touch. I rather like the pose of this sloth as it clings to the leaf-covered branches, the sideways glance is capped by the rather cheeky poke of the tongue as it poses for its portrait. I would have cropped in tighter to the animal’s head, placing it off-centre to the right of the frame.

This is a classic leopard in a tree shot – the slightly wider view treats the viewer to plenty of environment and adds context and narrative to the scene. The exposure is well-judged here – the overcast conditions often lead to underexposed shots when shooting into the bright sky background. The photographer has clearly compensated for this and exposed the animal perfectly. I also like the choice of shutter speed which has ensured that the shot is sharp with no motion blur. The scene is slightly busy, and I would have preferred the animal with a clean sky background, bet getting the ideal composition can be tricky when confined to a vehicle. A slight shame the tail is slightly obscured by the foreground tree.

I included this image in my top ten as I rather like the human element to it and the connection with the animal. The black and white conversion has removed the distraction of colour, and this has helped to emphasise the contrast between the girl’s dress and the horse, creating a clear separation. It also works well with the rather harsh and contrasting light, those highlights and shadows add drama to the image. The physical connection between the two is lovely and provides the viewer with a compelling narrative.

There are some strong technical qualities to this image. The point of focus is right on this lizard’s eye, and this has critically rendered those background and foreground element slightly out of focus, so our attention falls mainly on the subject. The lighting is soft and even, and this has ensured that we are treated to lots of detail in the animal. I also like the light touch in the post-processing which has given this image a natural feel. I would have cropped in tighter to give the animal more attention and remove some of the surrounding elements.

This is a lovely example of a classic portrait shot. So many things have been done well here, but it is the separation of the subject from the background that keeps our attention on the squirrel. This has been achieved using a long lens and ensuring that the subject is a good distance from the background in order that the background is rendered out of focus. I like the fact that the background is also clean and uncomplicated. The subject is in sharp focus and the soft light has ensured that there is plenty of detail to enjoy without the distraction of harsh highlights or deep shadows. Positioning the animal to the right of centre creates a nice balance.

Kingfishers are another wildlife subject that never fail to please with their bright colours and good looks. Here we see a male and female pair – the female is on the right, distinguished from the male by her brightly coloured lower mandible. There is a nice symmetry to this image, the two birds mirroring each other’s pose as they perch on this twig. The lighting has really brought out those fantastic colours of the birds’ plumage, and I love the little catchlight in the female’s eye. The background is a little busy and distracting, a result of there not being enough distance between it and the subjects.

A lovely moment of action that has been captured with skill by the photographer. What stands out is the balance of the exposure – ensuring the whites aren’t over-exposed in this scenario with bright sunlight, shows a practiced hand. The choice of shutter speed is also well-judged – it’s amazing just how much speed you need to ensure that the action is captured without motion blur creeping in. Notice how the ISO has been used to balance the exposure and allow a faster speed to be employed. Noise from high ISO is rarely an issue these days, especially in good light. I’m not a fan of square crops and think a standard horizonal crop with the bird off-centre to the left would work better.

I like the pose that has been captured in this photograph, that rather contorted head reaching to scratch an itch on the flank allows us to see the eyes and nose of the deer and creates a connection with the viewer. It also means that we are treated to a good view of those magnificent antlers. The focal length of the lens has created separation between the animal and the background and foreground elements, although the background is rather busy and distracting. I would have looked to move slightly to the right to place the antlers away from the trunk of the tree behind and placed the deer slightly to the left of centre in the frame.

Puffins are always crowd-pleasers, there is just something so compelling about their brightly coloured bills and clown-like faces. They are probably one of the most popular subjects in bird photo competitions. Getting close to these birds when they visit land in the summer months to breed is relatively easy as they are so confiding, giving the photographer plenty of scope to capture a good portrait. What I like about this shot is the side light – see how it sculpts the bird and gives it a three-dimensional feel through light and shadow. I also like the diagonal the rock edge forms as it travels from bottom left to middle right of the frame. Exposure here would have been tricky with the contrast between the black plumage in shadow and the white plumage in sunlight, but the photographer has got the balance spot on. I also like the shallow depth of field created by the long focal length and the distance between the subject and the background.

The viewer is treated to so much detail in this photograph. The photographer has used the contrast between the yellow flower and the dark-coloured bee to great effect – the individual bits of pollen stand out so well and give us a great insight into the pollination process. This gives the image a great narrative that hooks us in. Depth of field is always limited with macro photography with single shots, so the point of focus is critical. Focusing on the eyes is the best choice in the majority of circumstances, and this has been achieved with skill here. I would have been tempted to lighten the bee slightly in post processing to bring out a little more detail. A standard horizontal crop would also work better than the squarish crop seen here.

There are a number of attributes that make this photograph successful. Firstly, that direct eye contact hooks us in immediately and creates a connection with this leopard, so important for an engaging shot. Secondly, look how the low angle of view has enabled separation between the subject and the background and foreground elements. Using the shallow depth of field of a long focal length lens, getting low enables the greatest distance between the foreground and background elements, critical if you want this type of separation. See how all out attention is focused on the animal as a result. The exposure and focal point are perfect, and I rather like the balance of the central composition on this occasion.

The contrast between the lighting on this chameleon and the dark background has created good separation between the two elements and focused all our attention on the animal. The exposure has been well-judged to create this effect. I also like the framing here – it’s often difficult to judge what to leave in and what to exclude from the shot when you deliberately choose not to include the whole animal, but I think the balance here works. A pity the point of focus has missed the eye and grabbed the area around the head crest and leg instead, this has rendered the front area of the head rather soft.

Most competition judges agree that, when it comes to wildlife, photographing animals wider in the frame to include their habitat is one of the more difficult things to do well. Here we see a great example of a successful shot showing the animal within its native environment. I love images like this as the narrative they provide the viewer gives so much depth to the image. Take note of the lighting here – the light coming from the lefthand side of the frame has created depth through the light and shade that sculpts the sand dunes in the background. The low angle of the sun has also meant that there is a nice warm tone to the light. The placement of the Oryx in the frame is the classic intersection of thirds, and this works so well in this context. The wide-angle lens has meant that the depth of field is generous and there is sharpness throughout the frame. Nice work.

There is such a nice balance to the composition of this image, that symmetry is so powerful, and the removal of colour has focused all our attention on shape and form. The point of focus is critical with images like this where the proximity of the lens to the subject creates a shallow depth of field. In this example, the focus is right on the money, those hypnotic eyes are the sharpest things in the frame, but the detail in other areas has not been lost.

Underwater photography introduces a whole new level of complication to the photographic process, and I admire anyone who is able to create compelling images in this tricky environment. The moody lighting is what makes this image. The slight under-exposure has given the photograph a rather sinister feel and isolated the subject perfectly from the background, that bright eye becoming the central point of focus as a result. A slight shame the pectoral fin is cutting across the right edge of the image, but the overall composition works well.