Rabbit

[Headcell]

At last I feel more confident with my A230 so I snapped a couple of pictures of my rabbit using a Helios 50mm prime. It's a manual lens, MD mount, used with AF confirm adapter (that does not confirm!)

Pictures cropped slightly and tweaked in Picasa 3. Originals were JPEG, not RAW. Your comments on how I can improve would be most appreciated.

Rabbit's eyes and ears are so beautiful, and I've tried to capture this. First, an eye (with my reflection if you look closely).

DSC00066.JPG (184.62 KiB) Viewed 2113 times

Next, ears. They are so velvety and warm. Always alert, even when the rabbit is dozing.

DSC00067.JPG (106.4 KiB) Viewed 2113 times

And finally a head shot. I've desaturated this one to make it feel more romantic. Not sure if I've managed, but I like it.

DSC00076.JPG (123.24 KiB) Viewed 2113 times

Ken

[jbtaylor]

The 3rd is superior to the others. It has a mystic quality to it, but for me, not romantic.
Good work.

[Headcell]

Can you explain 'superior'? I'm trying to figure out what it is that makes it better... not cropped, desaturation, focus?

I had fun playing with the lens, but focusing whilst on the floor is tricky!

[jbtaylor]

I knew when I posted the comment that it would not be helpful. I should have read your comments first. My apologies.
For me, it's about composition.The first looks like a cropped image. The eye seems to be softer than the surrounding fur. Maybe you were going narrow and just missed the target. Not hard to do when lying on the floor.
Image 2 does not work for me because I prefer the front of the image to be in focus. That is just a matter of taste. I might have gone for 1 ear only and hoped for a contrast between fur and veins.
The last image, while more tradtional, is nicely composed. Not too much space around the subject. The inportant parts are in focus and the blown out fur in the front matches the bokeh in the back of the image giving it a nice balance. Even the dark eye is balanced by the dark lines in the background. Overall there is enough sharpness to show detail, and softness to communicate a peaceful setting. It's a portrait. Nice work.

[Headcell]

Thank you!

My focus point for all the photos was the eye, so your comment about #1 is fair enough.

Composing the picture is tricky for me - my brain knows what it wants, but my eye isn't giving what my brain demands! A lot more practice is needed. As is an AF lens!