Fiona Pennisi-Mitchell, Tangled in Joy (LIGHT/SHADOW - Entries close 30 September 2026)

'Tangled in Joy' was photographed from my bedroom balcony at sunrise as I watched a bird singing from within the shelter of tangled branches. I used a Canon EOS 600D with a Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS II lens at 250mm, f/10, 1/1000 sec, ISO 100, handheld. No editing was undertaken beyond a slight crop from the bottom of the frame. The backlighting from the rising sun created a natural rim of light around the bird, capturing the moment its beak opened in song against the silhouette of the branches.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.