Once again thank you so much for the invitation to adjudicate on this competition and I am going to start by saying that this is a big entry with a very high standard of work, including a few outstanding submissions.
Animals, be they our own life companions, or those observed outside our immediate domestic circle, make great photographic subjects. For myself that has involved a close relationship with a dog training club for a number of years, and amongst commercial commissions has recently involved shooting equestrian wear with live models, both human and horsey. My wife and I have always had animals in the home, and just yesterday picked up a new border collier puppy from a very reputable breeder.
The most important thing about working with animals is they don’t speak English, although we did have a dog whom we always said was trilingual; born in France where she worked as a herding dog on the farm owned by my daughter and son-in-law, she spent her retirement with us in England. She spoke English, French and, of course, dog.
Trained animals can be “posed”, while others just provide fleeting moments … and there are some very good fleeting moments in this set alongside the posed images. This is a tough job for me.
Once again I am taking the images in order of title and I’ll then pick out my highlight image(s) from each group.
Again I am checking the White Balance setting on all images for which it was available, and although I have mentioned it in the past, everyone whose photo WB I can see in the beginners’ group has left it set on Auto. Again some photos could have been improved a bit by playing with the various settings available and as I have mentioned before it’s worth getting to know the device you are using. Barney Douglas
Beginners:
Can’t See Me: Sylvia
Animals that rely on camouflage are always tough to photograph and this is no exception. One of the problems you have is that a lot of lizards are poisonous either in their bite or just in skin secretions, so this is a hard one to get right and needs a long lens. A slightly lower viewpoint and concentration on the head and shoulders would have made this a better photo. Good as it stands but lacks a point of interest.
Christmas Pooch: Emma
All of us with domestic pets have done it … decking our furry friends with a Christmas bow tie or something similar. This is well exposed in poor light (photographically speaking) and the dog’s concentration is being well maintained, I’m guessing, with a treat in your helper’s hand. Good shot, well in focus, and could only have been improved with a slight vertical crop to get rid of that tiny bit of cable lower right.
Early Morning Gathering: Steve Court
Another good image, but this one slips just a fraction on focus. Concentrating on one animal in the group rather the the whole group would have made this a lot better.
Gercha: Paul Dodd
So close to being another contender, but not quite. The nose drifts out of focus while the tail is spot on. Half shutter press on the face, then move the camera while holding the half-shutter and then click the rest of the way needed to get it spot on.
Giraff: Debbie Lewis
Great shot, nearly right but not quite. A wider aperture would have thrown the whole of the background out of focus to make it a really good image.
Having a Break: Steve Court
A great image at first sight, but it just slips up on the focus, which is just drifting into softness. Shame! A crisp focus would have added this image to the contenders, but this time, not quite.
Moody Cat: Emma Dodd
Like the previous image, a black cat presenting the problem of getting the detail. Sadly this one doesn’t work quite as well and could have been dramatically improved with a much closer detailed zoom in. However, still a good image.
Otter: Marie Burgess
I’d have liked to see the higher resolution original as this appears to just start to drop out of focus on the main subject whilst the rocks behind are crisper. Another shot that needed that half press to check the focus before releasing the shutter. A wider aperture would have softened the background too. Close, but not quite.
Out on a Limb: Steve Court
A common chameleon, I think, native to southern Portugal. A beautiful record shot of of a lovely animal. A very nice capture.
Peek-A-Boo: Judith Court
It’s never easy photographing an animal tethered to the back wall of a pen and under the circumstance you’ve got the angle about as good as the subject allows, capturing the face pretty well spot on.
Poppy 2: Debbie Lewis
Yesterday I took delivery of a new puppy, so I am all too aware of the emotions that come with such an event. Never an easy shot to get, and as I mentioned with the shot of the squirrel the muzzle is just out of focus, and that’s a shame, because a difficult shot just didn’t quite make it for that reason.
Poppy: Marie Burgess
Same puppy and a less complex shot but sadly this one shows either focus problems or possibly slight movement in limited light.
Ready for my Close up: Carly Price
Nicely framed, well exposed, and perhaps my only criticism is that the colour (White Balance) is perhaps a fraction off. That apart, I really like this one.
Snowy: Debbie Lewis
Now this is where focus really can test you, with the strands of vegetation between the main subject and the camera perhaps presenting the risk of capturing the camera’s auto-focus. But that doesn’t appear to be a problem on this image. A slight lack of principal point of interest, but for all that a good image.
Under The Sea: Marie Burgess
Never easy to get underwater subjects and just a bit too much in the shadow of the overhanging rock to work well. Great shame. That apart I do like it.
Bee on Flower; Bev T Commended
What a great start! Fleeting moments provided by insects mean photographers have to move quickly, and in terms of focus on the subject, depth of focus of the surrounding greenery, exposure and colour this is very good and could compete in a higher group. Individual pollen grains are visible on the bee’s legs. Great start. This bodes well for the competition as a whole.
Distinguished Gent: Paul Dodd Commended
Very nice capture, perfect focus, lighting pretty well spot on and well framed. A contender.
Don’t Bother Me: Sylvia Commended
I’m 99% certain that this is an Agama lizard, one of a range of species native to a wide area of Africa. This is very well captured, with focus on the nail. The only improvement would have been a slight crop – 20% off the left hand side and 10% off the right to create a vertical portrait format.
Lazy Days: Carly Price Commended
I really like this, primarily because the photographer has NOT concentrated on the cat, but rather on the overall image. Nicely composed, focus excellent. Another contender.
Pug Selfie: Paul Dodd Commended
You’ll often hear comments when you shoot animals about getting to the same level as the animal. I mentioned earlier on the shot of the border collie about how being so wrong on that score made the shot into a really good one, and this is true here too. High contrast between the sky behind and the muzzle in the foreground and again a faint hint of the closest point going out of focus just a fraction, but, that apart, this shot works well.
Sunset Walk: Judith Court Commended
I do like this. Despite the considerable range of light levels this works really well. The dog’s concentration on the camera works well and could really only have been improved on a longer focal length lens with the photographer further from the dog and with a slightly lower viewpoint to avoid the slight parallax problem on the legs.
Where’s My Dinner: Sylvia Price Commended
I’m not the least bit concerned about the cropping on this image and the fact the the subject is “looking out” of the image. This works really well, excellent exposure, very good record of an animal doing what all animals need to do to survive. A contender.
Green Grass Poser: Carly Price Highly Commended
I once saw a competition judge absolutely pan someone who’d put in the almost identical shot, very unfairly in my opinion. The angle is totally wrong … and I love it. I’ve spoken previously about “thinking outside the box” and this is a prime example. A contender.
Top Cat: Judith Court Highly Commended
Excellent composition, good focus, good framing, nothing to distract. A contender.
Little Poser: Emma Dodd 3rd Place Winner
They don’t come much better than this, and again this could compete in a higher class. Totally black cats present problems getting detail, but this is got it just about spot on. Love it. Another one right in the mix.
Dragonfly: Bev T 2nd Place Winner
This group just keeps getting better. Pretty well nothing to criticise here. Another image right on the nail. This could compete in Intermediate. Well done!
Just Waiting for Rob: Bev T 1st Place Winner
Dogs are often known for their fidelity, and this mono image captures it so well. The calm concentration is beautifully captured. Another that could compete at Intermediate level.
Intermediate:
Donkey: Andrew Ogdon
My daughter had donkeys at her farm and this one displays a degree of peaceful contentment. Focus again spot on, exposure very accurate. Really nice shot and well framed.
Grin In Jets Sleep: Clive Newall
Well, this is different, and I spent a while just looking at the details. Slightly baffled as to what the highlight is upper left and and it fractionally distracts from what is, otherwise, a very clever detail shot.
Guard Cat: Keith Dawson
We’ve all seen them, cats that find a convenient place (for them) to rest and watch the world go by that’s perhaps not so convenient to the owner of the bike in this case. The slightly flat lighting if anything helps this shot as it prevents the eye being drawn to what might have been more of a highlight on the tank. This is the only shot in the set without any EXIF data. Good composition.
Have You Seen my Friend: Gwynn
Shot at f8 at 1/500 second at 263mm on a zoom lens mounted on a Canon EOS this is a tough shot to get right, even at that set of settings and it’s pretty well spot on. Very nice. Excellent crop.
Hello Dear: Gwynn
Well composed but just a fraction off crisp. That softness might be emphasised by the small image I have here. Exposure just right.
Playing Time: Brita Schaa
Another very good image that could have been made even better with a slightly squarer crop. Very well captured.
Pointers Sleeping: Clive Mullins
The focus is crisp, the lighting is excellent and it’s well composed. This is one where a slightly lower viewpoint, and a longer focal length would have lifted it into contention, but I don’t know the limitations on space behind the photographer. One of the few smartphone images in the group and, in that respect, a very good image with limited equipment.
The Eagle is Landing: Brita Schaa
Excellent shot of the bird in flight that would have jumped up the ratings if cropped. As it stands, very good. Wait for me Mom Excellent record shot of wildlife being itself. A slightly wider angle with space in front of the mother to the right would have lifted this one more level.
Wait for me Mom: Gwynn
Excellent record shot of wildlife being itself. A slightly wider angle with space in front of the mother to the right would have lifted this one more level.
Looking for Lunch: Keith Dawson Commended
Very good shot that stands up very well as it is, and is a competitor as it stands, that might have benefited further from a little bit of experimentation. Try setting the camera to fast motor drive, pop the camera on a tripod, and close the aperture down to allow the exposure time to extend. Then grab a few shots on the motor. You’ll get a hint of soft foam from the sea, crisper focus from the bird as long as there’s not any noticeable movement and hopefully get a more impactful shot. However, as I say, as it stands, it’s very good.
No It’s My Rock: Lee Mullins Commended
Another manually set WB from the photographer who did the very first image in the group I believe. Crisp, beautifully exposed and could only have been improved if the distracting shadow bottom right had not been there. Again right up with the best in the group.
Solitary Crow: Andrew Ogdon Commended
Superb focus, excellent detail, great background. The eye is clearly visible. Manual WB. Right in the mix.
Say What: Brita Schaa Highly Commended
Crisp, great bokeh, superb capture. Right up with the best. Just needed a crop to get rid of the yellow cable in the background
My crop, left
or edit it out (very quick rough), right:
And Lunch Today Is: Lee Mullins Joint 3rd Place Winner
What a great start, and yes this does have WB manual control. Focus is right on the nail, cropping nigh on perfect. Terrific shot. Right up the mix.
Let Us Prey: Andrew Ogdon Joint 3rd Place Winner
Great shot of a mantis in an unfamiliar setting of the stone floor. Up with the best in the group. This uses manual white balance and it works pretty well perfectly.
Squab: Lee Mullins 2nd Place Winner
Nothing to criticise here. Pretty well faultless. Manual WB.
My Pigeon: Keith Dawson 1st Place Winner
This is a cracker, pretty well faultless, with superb detail in the feathers and facial features.
Shot at f9, 135mm at 1/200 second and framed perfectly. Very well done.
Experienced:
Birds Eye View: Alan Hillman Not keen on the border applied to the shot, and the lighting is really a little flat for this standard.
Black Looks: Helen Tightly cropped head-shot of a primate. Very nice indeed. Little to criticise except possible slight softening of focus on the muzzle.
Duck: Carol Sheridan Shot at f11 this is good, but needed either a tighter aperture to lengthen the depth of focus or more concentration on getting the focus right. The latter is the way you should have gone as you were already at 1/60 second at 200mm. The front of the beak has dropped well out. Remember that the depth of focus is only half as long in front of the central point as behind it. To get this in focus the central point needed to be concentrated on the bottom of the nostrils, not the eyes. It’s a shame, because in every other respect this would have been a worthy contender.
Fetch: John Verlander Colour and exposure have gone a little bit off on this image and I do wonder if the auto on the white balance hasn’t helped you. The animals are in sunlight and this should have been a relatively straight forward capture. Sorry, something’s simply gone awry here but I am not certain what it is.
I’m Watching You: Helen Compare this image to the duck and you’ll see what I mean about depth of focus. Similar focal length, but surprisingly a wider aperture and a faster shutter speed. You’d expect it to have a higher risk of problems. The photographer here has handled this very well. Definite contender.
In the Trunk: John Verlander One of the few images in the set without EXIF data and I am guessing possibly shot on a smartphone camera “on the fly” so to speak. This works well, depth of field is good and concentrates the eye, and I appreciate that moving the paper bag in the foreground might not have been within your control, but it is distracting and takes the image out of contention. It would have been editable … but a tough one to do.
Meerkat: Wendy Kerr Interesting – could be the same animal as the previous shot, but a different photographer and different camera / lens combo. Despite the manual white balance (on this image) this does not work quite so well. In zooming in you’ve just dropped the focus soft on the muzzle. Great shame as in every other respect this is very good indeed.
Moorland Ponies: Alan Hillman A nice record image and exposure is pretty good, but you are losing a little detail in the larger horse’s face. The image also doesn’t really lend itself to being improved by adjustment of light levels or by cropping as it stands and I would take off the lower quarter to bring the animals more to the foreground and a little off the right before injecting a little fill light in to the e edited image. I have also dispensed of the frame here too as I find it a little distracting.
Judges Edit:
Pete the Falcon: Alan Sheridan This doesn’t work quite as well as Peter the Crab, with fairly flat lighting and what I am guessing is a smartphone camera somewhat overcompensating for the low light resulting in a bit too much grain. Nice idea, beautiful animal, but sorry it doesn’t quite work.
Pete the Gecko: Alan Sheridan This works much better, with a simple background providing nothing to distract from the main subject. A good record shoot although I get the feeling from the look in his eye that Pete the Gecko isn’t too certain about the person waving a huge piece of technology at him.
Pressures of Parenthood: Helen Nice “storyline” shot which says a huge amount about our animal kingdom. Nothing to criticise in exposure, and framing is just about spot on. I’m not so certain about focus. It’s a fast shutter speed so it’s not a problem of any movement by the photographer but the background appears sharper than the main subjects. I would have liked to see the full size original to be certain.
Refreshments: John Verlander As it stands the shot is a good record shot, but wouldn’t make the final group under consideration. And that’s a shame because lighting and contrast are nigh on perfect. It’s the crop that hasn’t quite worked, so this is what I have done:
12a Judges Edit: By concentrating the shot on the animal’s face you now notice the tongue which was not evident in the uncropped image. Note that I have kept the right paw in shot.
Sri Lankan Elephants: Duncan Gray Again, a very good record shot and very well exposed. It stands up well as shot. Would it have been improved by cropping? Perhaps.
My edit comes in closer and puts the mother’s left front leg on the second “third”:
Ten Minutes Old Brrr: Duncan Gray Well mum’s got her hands full there, hasn’t she. Two lambs, light snow starting to fall. Nature can be unforgiving at times. We needed the flecks of snow in the air so cropping here isn’t really an option. Exposure is fine, focus is good and the lighting is what you have to work with. Overall a good image.
Who are You Looking At: Paul Armitage Crisply focussed and well-framed bovine portrait with the eyes concentrating on the photographer so it seems. No EXIF data so I am assuming a smartphone camera again. And in the respect I cannot fault the effort by the photographer taking the shot. Very nice indeed.
Hungry Chipmunk: Wendy Kerr Commended Beautifully exposed, great depth of field and a shot worthy of the advanced group. Very nice.
Pete The Crab: Alan Sheridan Commended Exposure and cropping pretty well spot on here, focus is clean and crisp throughout. Could it have been better? Well, crabs aren’t known as great posers but I do wonder if a shot at ground level from the front would really have made this character zing. Yes, you’ll just have to get your tummy wet lying down. Just a point to note. All three animals called “Pete” are in shots with no EXIF data.
Sparrowhawk with Sparrow: Dave G Commended They say nature is cruel, and yes I fell very sorry for the sparrow. But the fact is that the larger bird has to survive and is carnivorous. Photographically this is a beautiful image and is well up amongst the front runners as it stands. I would again, like the moorland ponies, have just injected a hint of light to lift it, but even without that it’s still in contention.
Sparrowhawk with Sparrow: Judge’s Edit:
Tiger Tiger: Paul Armitage Commended Compare this to the lion a few shots earlier and you can see distinct difference in the approach and the conditions prevailing. The light has given the shot of the lioness a distinct appearance, but the angle of view, and in particular the selective framing used by the photographer here has produced an excellent shot, with exposure and focus pretty near to perfection. It’s a close call between them, but this one wins out on impact. Both, however, are in contention.
Jump: Jump: Duncan Gray Highly Commended Funnily enough I have just completed a commercial shoot on equestrian casual wear for teenagers, with horses involved, (and they say, “never work with children or animals” … and I got both). I do like this, you have captured the moment pretty well spot on, focus on animal and rider is on the nail, and the bokeh is excellent. It could only have been improved by standing five yards to your right to take the rad flag towards the rear of the horse, but I am only being picky there. A contender.
Puffin With Sand Eels: Dave G Highly Commended Exposure, focus, cropping and detail put this one right up in the mix for the group. Very glad to see you kept the animal’s left foot in shot. Very nice image and in the leading group.
Queen Of The Hill: Paul Armitage Highly Commended Big cats make great subjects but are rarely photographed well. This is a really good attempt at a lioness at rest. The light falling on the animal whilst the background is so dark is very well exposed. Overall a very competent shot. A contender.
Wild Barn Owl: Ian Gray Highly Commended Stunningly good shot of this hunting predator in flight. The light on the animal’s feathers is perfectly exposed with excellent control of contrast between the brighter areas and the shadows. Right up with the leading group.
Bee Eater: Dave G Highly Highly Commended with Special Mention What can I say … pretty well flawless.
Lookout: Carol Sheridan Highly Commended with Special Mention There’s just something about meerkats, and this image is right up with best I’ve seen from good natural history professionals. Amazing focus, lighting superb, bokeh excellent. In the front runners.
Dragon: Carol Sheridan 3rd Place Winner Spot on focus, excellent detail, great bokeh. Little more to say except that this is right up amongst the leading contenders.
Two Otters: Wendy Kerr 2nd Place Winner Near flawless study of two animals whose attention has been attracted by something out of shot. Nothing to criticise, manual control of white balance is spot on, the background provides excellent soft focus contrast and this one is right in the leading group too.
Flight: Alan Hillman 1st Place Winer Captured to near perfection on a difficult subject in motion. The aperture is wide at f2.8 to throw in some depth of field bokeh, but I am not concerned that that has barely happened. Top contender
Advanced results As in previous competitions I have judged I brought together those under consideration for the places in the Advanced group, and here they are for this competition:
Bee Eater: Dave G Highly Highly Commended with Special Mention What can I say … pretty well flawless.
Dragon: Carol Sheridan 3rd Place Winner Spot on focus, excellent detail, great bokeh. Little more to say except that this is right up amongst the leading contenders.
Flight: Alan Hillman 1st Place Winer Captured to near perfection on a difficult subject in motion. The aperture is wide at f2.8 to throw in some depth of field bokeh, but I am not concerned that that has barely happened. Top contender
Hungry Chipmunk: Wendy Kerr Commended Beautifully exposed, great depth of field and a shot worthy of the advanced group. Very nice.
Jump: Jump: Duncan Gray Highly Commended Funnily enough I have just completed a commercial shoot on equestrian casual wear for teenagers, with horses involved, (and they say, “never work with children or animals” … and I got both). I do like this, you have captured the moment pretty well spot on, focus on animal and rider is on the nail, and the bokeh is excellent. It could only have been improved by standing five yards to your right to take the rad flag towards the rear of the horse, but I am only being picky there. A contender.
Lookout: Carol Sheridan Highly Commended with Special Mention There’s just something about meerkats, and this image is right up with best I’ve seen from good natural history professionals. Amazing focus, lighting superb, bokeh excellent. In the front runners.
Pete The Crab: Alan Sheridan Commended Exposure and cropping pretty well spot on here, focus is clean and crisp throughout. Could it have been better? Well, crabs aren’t known as great posers but I do wonder if a shot at ground level from the front would really have made this character zing. Yes, you’ll just have to get your tummy wet lying down. Just a point to note. All three animals called “Pete” are in shots with no EXIF data.
Puffin With Sand Eels: Dave G Highly Commended Exposure, focus, cropping and detail put this one right up in the mix for the group. Very glad to see you kept the animal’s left foot in shot. Very nice image and in the leading group.
Queen Of The Hill: Paul Armitage Highly Commended Big cats make great subjects but are rarely photographed well. This is a really good attempt at a lioness at rest. The light falling on the animal whilst the background is so dark is very well exposed. Overall a very competent shot. A contender.
Sparrowhawk with Sparrow: Dave G Commended They say nature is cruel, and yes I fell very sorry for the sparrow. But the fact is that the larger bird has to survive and is carnivorous. Photographically this is a beautiful image and is well up amongst the front runners as it stands. I would again, like the moorland ponies, have just injected a hint of light to lift it, but even without that it’s still in contention.
Tiger Tiger: Paul Armitage Commended Compare this to the lion a few shots earlier and you can see distinct difference in the approach and the conditions prevailing. The light has given the shot of the lioness a distinct appearance, but the angle of view, and in particular the selective framing used by the photographer here has produced an excellent shot, with exposure and focus pretty near to perfection. It’s a close call between them, but this one wins out on impact. Both, however, are in contention.
Two Otters: Wendy Kerr 2nd Place Winner Near flawless study of two animals whose attention has been attracted by something out of shot. Nothing to criticise, manual control of white balance is spot on, the background provides excellent soft focus contrast and this one is right in the leading group too.
Wild Barn Owl: Ian Gray Highly Commended Stunningly good shot of this hunting predator in flight. The light on the animal’s feathers is perfectly exposed with excellent control of contrast between the brighter areas and the shadows. Right up with the leading group.
This really is a case of which whisker … or scale or feather … crosses the line in front. You’ve given me a tough job. A different judge on a different day and any of my top thirteen could be in contention.
