Sometimes an interesting subject is set against a background that is truly ugly or, at best, distracting. Sometimes a more painterly feel is wanted for the image. And sometimes it’s just fun to play around with textures and colors. The animals below, with the exception of the macaw, were photographed in zoos or aviaries and had unseemly backgrounds that rendered the original images unusable. By carefully blending the subject into an already existing texture (or creating a texture from the background), it was possible not only to salvage an otherwise rejected image, but enhance the stature of the subject.