New Joiners - Animals #822

This Dragonfly image tells an interesting story as it's compelling artistically but also demonstrates the intersection of pollution with nature. The red and yellow tones stand out nicely amongst the dark background. I like the vertical composition, but a bit more space on each of the sides might give a bite more breathing room for the subject.

I love how the aloe flower dominates the majority of space in the frame. The Bee is neatly placed in the lower left corner and demonstrating its foraging behavior. The subject placement provides proper balance. I'm also drawn to the rich textures, highlights, and deep shadows within the aloe plant.

The striking colors of the Gecko immediately stand out to me as well as the blending with the out of focus background on the left side of the frame. The focus lands perfectly on the lizard's face to make it stand out while rendering the rest of the body and wall slightly soft.

The low key and dark scene that surrounds the Crocodile helps reinforce how powerful this reptile can be. in the natural world. The reflection is near perfect and creates some abstract shapes as a result of the calm water. The star of the show however is the Crocodile's eye along with its reflection.

A black and white portrait of this Ram would've been fine, but including the tall monument in the background with a vertical composition improves it dramatically. There's a sense of layering as well as you move from the subject to the moor and finally up to the statue. Also nice to see texture in the sky.

I love wild horses and it's amazing to see them interact and battle for dominance. The horse looking away doesn't distract from the dueling pair and adds interest from my perspective. On close inspection it's great to see the moon in the distant sky as well as the rolling hills and landscape.

Photographing white birds provides a great opportunity to create a moody and low key effect due to exposure rules. Setting an exposure for bright whites usually results in a faster shutter speed rendering the surrounding mid tones darker as you see here. The subtle pink and yellow tones on the Pelican's face also bring a pop of color.

I first assumed this was a Bee rather than a Hoverfly at first glance. The out of focus yellow background compliments the colors of the Fly as well as the flower it's perched on. I appreciate seeing the transparent wings up close to include the lines and textures within each of them.

There's a lot of busy activity in this frame, but if you take the time to examine it closely you'll see some interesting behavior. The Dragonfly is emerging into a new stage of life and leaving its former body behind. I love to see these moments documented so others can see how interesting nature truly is.

Primates are amazing subjects as they can convey expressions that are similar to our own. There's a sense of confinement and sadness that I feel here as the subject places its hands against a glass shield and stares outward. The long fingers on the hands are interesting as are the palm lines, which are human like.

I absolutely love the color combination in this Jellyfish image. Normally blue and orange don't go well together, but this is an exception for some reason. The extended tentacles create a sense of chaos and texture at the same time, while also adding interest into what would've been negative space.

The soft and out of focus background helps make this Butterfly image simple and pleasing at the same time. I don't mind that the subject is positioned and facing out of the left side of the frame as there's still a sense of balance. The leafy branch helps bring the shot together.

At first glance I assumed this was a black and white image, but there's some subtle color when you look closely. The weathered wood frames the Fox and provides some strong lines that flow and intersect within the composition. This image will make an amazing print as it's quite artistic. Amazing work!

This is a fantastic action shot and sure to be a favorite of the crowd,. I love the low and intimate perspective as the shot was taken at an eye level with the Osprey and right near the waterline. The yellow eye of the raptor stands out even during this moment of impact.

Pairing an animal with a larger and more familiar item in a photograph is a great technique to give the viewer as sense of scale. This image also demonstrates a relationship between ourselves and the natural world. While the sneaker is colorful it still provides a solid backing for the red tones of the Ladybug to stand out.