Wildlife Wonders

There is so much atmosphere in this shot! Images taken during golden hour always have great promise, but the choice to use a shallow depth-of-field to isolate the group of animals adds real depth. The image gives us a sense of capturing a private moment, rarely spotted by the humans still sleeping.

Wildlife photography can feel more about finding great subjects than anything else, but it's important to remember that composition and lighting are just as critical as in other genres. This lighting and bokeh here focus attention on the subject and match the thoughtful gaze of the animal.

There is a lovely abstract element to this photo. It takes a moment to work out what you are looking at and the shapes and colours swirl together to paint an unusual view. The lighting is very nicely structured to capture the fine detail in the spores and of the insect's wings.

Eye contact is everything and the direct gaze of the animal is piercing. The choice to have the scene in black and white is an inspired one and allows us to focus on the detail of the fur and skin, while the reflections in the eyes make them glow.

This is a perfectly timed shot. Groups of three subjects always work well photographically and the arc of birds creates a nice depth and draws us in. The colour contrast is excellent too, giving us a clear direction in the frame. Well spotted and nicely captured, well done.

We received a number of shots taken at dawn and dusk as they are popular times for capturing soft and dramatic light. The timing of this image is the strongest element, along with the composition, which places the bird close to a third and just overlapping the sun. It's all about tone rather than detail here. Nicely spotted.

This is a classic wildlife scene. The dust catches the sunlight and produces a feeling of intense movement and captures the energy of the rushing animals. We've all seen this behaviour before in nature documentaries, so this shot acts as a vignette, isolating part of what feels like a much larger event.

This is a great moment of action! The movement in the scene is well captured and the colours stand out nicely, forming a perfect frame for the animals. The exposure is well-controlled and the camera has been placed to balance the presence of the background details nicely. A well spotted and captured scene.

The richness of the golden tones is what drew us to this shot. The near-silhouette of the elephant is captured in perfect profile and is instantly recognisable, while the background subjects build up the impression of the wider scene. A great use of light to create a graphical image.

This is a great moment of action! The movement in the scene is well captured and the colours stand out nicely, forming a perfect frame for the animal. The exposure is well-controlled and the camera has been placed to balance the presence of the background details nicely. A great capture.

Mist is a strong tool for drama in nature imagery. The element that makes this scene work is the receding intensity of the colour and tone, the background animals notably more diffused than the foreground. This generates tremendous depth and creates a painterly effect. Nicely done.

This is a great moment of action! The movement in the scene is well captured and the colours stand out nicely, forming a perfect frame for the animals. The exposure is well-controlled and the camera has been placed to balance the presence of the background details nicely. A great capture.

Talk about timing! We love the drama in this shot and the alignment of the subject and light source creates a wonderful silhouette. There is just enough detail to set the context of the scene but the exposure retains the dark feel of the low-light environment. Well done.

This is a great moment of action! The movement in the scene is well captured and the colours stand out nicely, forming a perfect frame for the animal. The exposure is well-controlled and the camera has been placed to balance the presence of the background details nicely. A great capture.

This is a great moment of action! The movement in the scene is well captured and the colours stand out nicely, forming a perfect frame for the animal. The exposure is well-controlled and the camera has been placed to balance the presence of the background details nicely. A great capture of a well-known subject.