WE’VE had a ‘spring’ in our step this week thanks to an explosion of joyous snaps sent in by Oxford Mail Camera Club members.

Submissions for our seasonal theme have been bursting with life, from animals basking in the sun to flowers blooming with vibrant colour, as well as plenty of shots of people making the most of the Oxfordshire countryside.

Wildlife has taken centre stage in many images, with parents and their offspring a particular focus.

Some of our favourites include Ian Marriott’s shot of ducklings swimming after their mother in Farmoor and a sheep and her lamb sitting side by side captured by Ann Faulkner.

Other animals enjoying the sunshine were a pair of Port Meadow ponies getting a good look at Lesley Murray as she takes their picture, and a duckling caught trying to take off from the water by Jeff Higgs.

Taken at Cutteslowe Park pond, we love the detail in the snap, from the shining beak to the wet feathers, as well as the sense of motion from the perfect frozen moment as the duckling moves out of the water.

Duncan Beker, meanwhile, had the same fortuitous timing when he managed to take a beautiful image of a doe (a deer, a female deer) enjoying the shade among a patch of bluebell near Woodstock.

Speaking about the shot, he said: "You can see that the doe is moulting, her coat is patchy and thinning now spring is here and the weather is warming up.

"I liked the way she has her head tilted and nose raised as if inhaling the wonderful hyacinth scent of the bluebells, a flower that signifies spring to me."

Floral signs of spring have also flooded in this week, with Allan Dannfald’s up close image of a daisy and the yellow rapeseed in Shez Honour’s photograph standing out.

The pair are a perfect contrast in scale.

We love how the beauty of the common daisy takes centre stage thanks to the detail captured from being so close.

While the individual rapeseed merge to create a sea of colour lining both sides of a path.

There were also plenty of pictures of people making the most of Oxfordshire’s stunning countryside.

We particularly liked Ami Downer’s snap of her family dusting off the bikes and riding near Standlake lakes.

All facing away from the camera, it is easy to feel we are at the back of the collection of cyclists on our way to enjoy a day out.

Always keen to turn a theme on its head, we were also impressed with several images that put their own twist and on our ‘spring’ challenge.

Two of our favourites were Bryan Robertson’s inanimate springing lamb and a big spring leading to a big bounce on the trampoline caught by David Lyne.

There's a palpable sense of joy as a little girl reaches new heights with her jump.

Combining both animals and a less common interpretation of 'spring' was Jayme Granito's amusing snap of a monkey springing across the windshield of his car on a recent visit to Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire.

Next week we’re off on a camera club outing, kindly arranged by member Bryan Robertson, along the Oxford canal towpath.

On Monday, members can meet at the Worcester Street car park at 6.30pm, where they will be joined by a photographer and reporter.

In honour of the occasion next week’s theme is ‘waterways’.

WIN £25

Join our Camera Club – which now has more than 600 members – by visiting facebook.com and searching for Oxford Mail Camera Club.

As always there were far too many stunning snaps to include them all and more can be viewed in the group.

Also see tomorrow’s Oxford Mail for this week’s winner of £25, sponsored by Jessops.

Happy snapping!