New Joiners - Animals #884

It's so easy to fall into the trap of always trying to fill the frame when it comes to wildlife, but showing them in context of their surroundings can be as much if not more impactful! The light and colour is warm and aesthetically pleasing with great framing.

The subtle warmth on the coat and fur of this beautiful horse punches out of the image given the harsh, frosty conditions and cool colour palette throughout the rest of the image. The depth of field is spot on to give us some context without adding distracting elements.

I love the layers you've captured in this image and that subtle warmth in the image really adds to the overall atmosphere. It's usually advised not to centralise your subject when they 'look' in a direction but this works perfectly.

You've captured a brilliant symmetry here with that crystal clear reflection and the bright light on the bird allowing you to underexposure the rest of the image. Try to reduce the vignette around the outer edges to make it less obvious.

This image gives us a lot to explore, which is funny given that a large chunk of it is empty water. I love the composition and how the top subject takes centre stage, making it easy for us to miss the others in the image.

This is such a stand out image, which although simple at first glance is expertly done with those beautiful colours standing out so well. I'd consider increasing the exposure ever so slightly whilst being cautious not to introduce too much detail in other parts of the image.

I love how you've chosen to focus on the nose and tongue here rather than the eyes, showing the guidelines for photographing animals are just that and not a rule. The colour is warm and vibrant without being overprocessed and the symmetry in the face is spot on.

I love the expression and pose you've captured here, with the lion looking back which draws us into the image and keeps us engaged. The drops of water off the chin adds an additional interest and whilst this works in colour, it could be a good candidate for black and white too.

The eye contact is piercing and catches your attention instantly in this image. The depth of field is shallow enough to remove any distracting elements from the background whilst keeping enough in the face & eyes. This could work in black and white too.

This is such a stunning bird with such great detail on the feathers, especially on the head. Whilst these birds are naturally quite vibrant, I'd consider reducing the saturation on the colours here ever so slightly to give it a more natural appearance.

The low perspective and shallow depth of field works well here to isolate this lovely robin, with those rustic reds on the breast punching out of the image. I'd recommend moving him slightly more to the right so he looks into the frame rather than being centralised.

The light is gorgeous on this image and it adds to the overall feel of the images with the horses closing their eyes as they face into the sun. The exposure, focus and depth of field are all spot on and the foliage in the foreground adds some framing.

You have such wonderful bokeh here, giving perfect separation so the butterfly can punch from the image, especially with the contrast of colour as well. I would personally go with either a solid border or none at all, but this is a personal preference so stick to what you like!

What awesome detail you've captured here, with the shallow depth of field creating some awesome natural framing from the surrounding moss and foliage. Whilst the body is out of focus, we have plenty of detail here to know what we're looking at.

I love how you've used the legs of the mother to frame this image and the depth of field enhances this further, with plenty of detail on the subjects but enough separation from the background. I'd consider reducing the colour saturation slightly.