Which one is better?

[cristen]

Quiet Gladiator

Camera Canon EOS 500D
Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/2.0
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV


Stoic in Captivity

Camera Canon EOS 500D
Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV

These are pictures of a rooster (don't want to call it by another name) being used in cockfighting. Which one is better and more aptly titled? Both were taken using almost the same settings. Have I cropped the second one too tightly?

I wanted to emphasize the eyes on the second photo as it showed (for me) the stoicism of the animal, so I enlarged one and cropped it. I am not sure, though, if I was able to follow the rule of thirds in both pictures. I don't want to miss the details on the feathers so I might have made some compromise on that.

I did some tweaking on saturation using Picasa and there's evidently a difference between the two pictures. Any suggestions on how to improve these are most welcome.

Thanks for looking. Comments will be appreciated.

[cristen]

Sorry, I guess this isn't the right section for these photos. If I could move these, I would. So, I wouldn't mind if the mods transfer this to the Comparison section. Thanks bunches.

[ChristineK]

Hi Cristen, I think the first pic is stunning!!!

[cristen]

Hello, ChristineK. Thanks so much!!!

[IABoomer]

The gladiator. The colors are more vivid. The greens balance out the reds/oranges better. The tail isn't cropped off. There's more comfortable negative space.

[cristen]

thank you, IABoomer.

[commongrackle]

I love the vibrant colour in the first shot, but I find the background to be distracting.

[cristen]

Originally Posted by commongrackle

I love the vibrant colour in the first shot, but I find the background to be distracting.

thank you, commongrackle. maybe i should have used a shallower DOF.

[PhilD41]

I am going to have to agree with commongrackle here. I like that I can see the tail in the first and I like the negative space, but the background is very distracting. The second one misses the full picture but the detail of the bird is drawn out by the shallow DOF and closeness. If I had to pick one it would probably be the second. I wish it were a little larger view, but it easier to look at and captures my attention better.

[cristen]

thank you, PhilD41. what would you have done, say, in pp, or in the settings, to make the negative space less distracting? as for the second picture, i also don't know who to make it larger.without losing clarity.