Our Picture Editor Leah McLaren takes her pick of the week’s best photographs and tells us why she reckons they make the grade

Dogs either play along or they don’t when trying to get this type of picture (above). I have seen many which haven’t worked and heard the tales of how the dogs just wouldn’t play along, but photographer Cliff Hide caught a winner with this one when he went to Barton Dog Show.

Bailey the chihuahua was fearless as he went in to lick the nose of Brian the old Great Dane. This was one of my favourite front page pictures of the week.

Oxford Mail:

Damian Halliwell took some fantastic pictures when Prince Andrew came to RAF Benson this week as they handed over their Merlin HC Mk3 and Mk3A helicopters to the Royal Navy. Without a doubt, every picture was brilliant and it was a tough choice to decide what to put in the paper. Unfortunately we couldn’t squeeze this one in. Damian caught this quirky moment of rows of servicemen staring out in uniform, but I like that as you run your eyes along the line you can’t help but spot the one RAF personnel who has diverted his gaze.

 

Oxford Mail:

Florence, three, and Bryn Harrison, six, were having a brolly good time at an unusual demonstration organised by Sustainable Charlbury, after is plans for a proposed solar farm were turned down. More than 100 residents turned up to raise their brollies to see how the landscape would be affected. Jon Lewis shot this lovely natural picture at the end of the demonstration.

Oxford Mail:

Richard Cave’s tight crop into this fun picture lets you focus on the main character, Stephen Moore, centre, as Travelling Light Productions make a start on their pantomime preparations.

Oxford Mail:

Steve Wheeler was sent to photograph Oxford City Stars v Streatham and he captured all the action of Oxford’s first goal perfectly. It’s rare to see pictures of the puck in the net!

Oxford Mail:

David Fleming was sent to photograph Jamie Craig and his children Jai, 13, left, and Niemi, ten, right, who have raised a clouded leopard at their home after it was abandoned by its mother at Cotswold Wildlife Park. I couldn’t wait to see the results of this shoot after hearing the story. Nimbus, the lively nine-week-old cub, is pictured here in his new enclosure and this was by far the funniest of the bunch as he leaps on to the Jai’s face.

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