Bunny Mad Photographer

Bunny Mad Magazine are running their Bunny Photographer of the Year competition right now (details on their Facebook Page), so I thought I'd have a go.

You'd think, with all my experience, that this would be a simple task. Unfortunately, the only bunnies in my house right now are my bunnies and when it comes to being photographed my bunnies are rubbish. I love 'em, but...

"Photographs eh? Oh wait, is this the thing where you said to make sure I clean myself up and wipe my nose beforehand?"

Yes, Bobbit. Yes it was. [sigh]

Anouska And Bobbit Adopted

The big news at home this week is that, after more than two years living in my house as foster rabbits, I finally conceded that Anouska and Bobbit are family and formally adopted them.

I tried to get the bunnies excited about it by splitting a celebratory strawberry with them, but as he slowly and begrudgingly ate his bit Bobbit just looked at me all disappointed, then asked why he wasn't getting a carrot stick instead. I think that pretty much sums up our relationship right there. [sigh]

Anouska, Bobbit, Carrots...

A bonus post for you today with a quick update on my foster pair Anouska and Bobbit.

A trip to the emergency vet Wednesday night and motility meds failed to get Anouska eating again so on Thursday the two of them went for a stay at our regular vets. A conscious x-ray revealed no serious problems, fluids, pain relief and more motility meds followed until Friday morning when things started moving again. They came home Friday evening, both a bit grumpy from the experience but eating. By Saturday Anouska seemed to have taken a few more steps towards recovery but by then Bobbit was acting oddly and not eating much. At the end of another stressful day, Bobbit wouldn't eat his pellets but just managed to avoid a trip back to the vets when he started to pick at some carrot and parsley.

Well, it was a proper relief this morning when both came racing to the breakfast bowl and tucked in. And although he wants nothing to do with me today, I am very happy that Bobbit seems back to his old self and Anouska is further improved.

"You know, you staring at me isn't going to help my appetite any..."

"MY hidey box. No vets, medicines or poky fingers aloud inside."

Anti-Avian Antics

I decided to make this weekend about teaching Anouska and Bobbit that they are allowed to roam the whole house. For some reason, they consider from the lounge, through the hall to halfway up the stairs a no-go zone. My only guess so far is that Whisky made such a good job of scenting it for his own that it is going to need extra scrubbing before they are not afraid they are roaming in another bun's 'hood.

If I can get them to go all the way downstairs of their own accord they can start telling me when they want to go outside, rather than the current setup: guessing they do, carrying them downstairs, finding (often) that they don't.

Well it's still a work in progress. For example, although he liked to joke around with them, Whisky got on perfectly well with the birds that visited the garden. Bobbit however has a long way to go to build any trust between himself and the local wildlife...

"I'm not going out there 'til that bird naffs off..."

"I'm not going down there 'til that fella stops staring at me, flops his ears over and starts bounding around in big circles like a normal bunny."

I'm starting to think this might take a while...

So What Happens Now?

Life after Whisky has been about as difficult as you can imagine. So much of my everything was built around him, from the daily routines between getting up and out the house in the morning to the arrangement of any free time I had to make sure I was back home for medicines or whatever. Every day brings with it "first time without..." moments - first time coming home to a house without him in it, first lazy Sunday without him laid out in the sunny patch by the window snoozing, first Dr Who without him sat there next to me (or upstairs grumping about something). There are less of them each day, but the levels of sadness have been boosted as the last of his test results came in and finally when I went to collect his ashes.

I don't want to go on about the sad parts too much, this isn't the place. Here we should be looking back at his life and feeling happy that he brought us so much joy, what an amazing little boy he was.

But still, for me there's the "What next?" to consider. My heart and my bank balance need some time to recover, I don't plan on adopting any more rabbits any time soon. I figure though that if foster bunnies Bobbit and Anouska are going to continue living in my house for the foreseeable future it is only fair that they move into Whisky's old room, it being twice the size of theirs.

So on New Years Day, that's what we did. With a mixture of their furniture and what was already in there, they moved in and now have around 120 square foot of bedroom as their own space. Being the only bunnies in the house now, they also gained proper free-roaming privileges when I am around to supervise, or at least to listen out for mischief. So far they are confining themselves to the upstairs of the house, when that changes I am sure chaos will reign. (Anouska does venture half way down the stairs on occasion but for reasons I am unsure of she won't yet go to the bottom.)

They definitely seem happy with their new room. Anouska has more things to shred and dig in, Bobbit has lots more places to hide. But of course the final approval wasn't given until they'd established that it came with the same menu and level of service.

"Space good, toys good, food good...now if we could just lose the paparazzi...?"

Eat, Shred, Nap, Repeat

Wee Bobbit

Today I spent the afternoon at the Rescue, trying to fill out the set of photos I plan to present to Amy for her to choose the best ones for our next calendar. When I left the house, all the bunnies were in good moods and smiled as they waved their paws goodbye, happy in the knowledge that I was leaving them to their afternoon naps and even happier that I'd given them all a bonus treat on the way out. All was good in the house, so off I went.

Fast forward to this evening, when I arrived home to find foster bunny Bobbit in an uncomfortable looking position wedged with his butt pushed into the corner by the door, hyperventilating, wouldn't move, no interest in food and lying in a big patch of (presumably his) wee. We have had this before with him, despite lots of very expensive tests and scans we don't know what causes it but as usually happens thankfully, as I write this it seems to be passing. I am sure my feelings of stress and anxiety will too at some point...

So with all that stress and with being at the Rescue today, I'm afraid I didn't get any new photos of Whisky today for his regular Sunday spot. Instead, here is one from last month of the stress-inducing foster bunny in a healthier (if somewhat chubbier) moment...

"Don't look at me like I ate all the carrots. Even if I did, in fact, ate all the carrots. Erm...allegedly."

All In A Day

I had a week away from work and the Rescue this week, my annual 'holiday', but having an awkward little fluff who can't be left or taken anywhere I never go far.

It was a wet miserable week so my loosely planned day trips were cancelled, along with plans of spending time in the garden repainting and fixing up the outdoor bunny accommodation while little ones played and snacked on the grass.

Today finally looks like being sunny so we might actually get outside, but the fosters and Whisky can't go out at the same time, so now I have the problem of trying to fit everybun's needs into one day...

"Let me out NOW. I NEED my BINKY space..."

"Oo, oo, can I go out and nom all the grass? And do some digging??!! And I want to race around as well!"

"Bring me some treats. Then get out of my sight so I can have a nap."

On second thoughts, maybe it will be easier to keep them all happy than I thought...

The Picky, The Picker and the Pickee

"...and this part of the garden right here is mine..."

"Errr...Anouska? I think there might be somebun who disagrees with you there..."

"What the...??!!!"

"Right, human! Since you let these interlopers into MY garden, your punishment will be to pick up all their poos, not with a dustpan and brush but with this litter picker. One at a time. Until they are ALL gone. And if you do it again, next time there will be no picker to use either."

The Not

So, what have the bunnies been up to today? Have they been good? Getting some healthy exercise? Being productive?

"Well I...certainly haven't been napping all day..."

"And I...certainly haven't been doing anything to this big box you keep the hay and treats in..."

So that's it is it foster buns? Mischief, laziness and lying to your foster dad? Well I think it's time you learned a little from my boy Whisky!

"I just ate my poos on the landing and mashed them into the carpet. Live with it."

Er...well at least you're honest. I'll go get the carpet shampooer.

Diet Face

I mentioned previously that Whisky suddenly put on weight over the Xmas/New Year period (though to be fair, didn't we all?), but I was surprised to discover that he wasn't the only bun. After his stasis episode in early December, which saw him drop weight, Bobbit has also subsequently podged up. Maybe the Panacur course has cleared something in his system that is encouraging him to eat more, maybe it was winter weather reducing the outdoor playtime or maybe knowing he was underweight has led me to over-compensate with treats, but whatever it was, I think it's definitely 'healthier diet' time for all.

I just told him. I don't think this is his happy face.

Exit Four

Over the Xmas break I decided to give foster buns Anouska and Bobbit a big box to play with. Or rather in - it was quite a big box.

When it comes to enclosed spaces, bunnies always like to have multiple exits. This is to provide lots of escape routes in the event of an incursion by predators or annoying owners with combs and claw clippers. So I cut three holes in the box, one in each end and one in the front. I also put a bendy-stick tunnel in to make it even more warreny. It looks like this:

I left the 'back' intact, i.e. no holes, to make it at least slightly enclosed. At least that was the theory. However, here is a picture of the back as it looks today:

As we all know, bunnies love projects, especially bunstruction (or rather bun-destruction) projects. I shouldn't be surprised.

"What? I can't have french windows in my new playroom?"

"And of course, bunstruction is a tiring and expensive vocation. Your bill is already overdue and the daily interest...well, let's just say you'd better hope the supermarket has the jumbo sacks of carrots in this week."

So that was that. Other than that, today was just another lazy Sunday with the bunnies. Hang on, I'm sure I'm forgetting something...

"Hey, what the...? Get those foster buns off my Sunday blog post!!!"

Another Wee Tale

Today on the blog was going to be a happy tale all about how sweet Whisky has been recently, regularly joining me on the sofa to watch TV or take naps. But it is not. Why?

Did you ever suddenly and unexpectedly find yourself sat in a warm puddle of wee (that wasn't your own)? I did. On the sofa this morning.

So let's take a vote shall we? Who thinks naughty bunnies who empty their bladder while sitting right next to someone on the sofa should even get their own Sunday blog post?

"Nope."

"I vote no too."

"How many votes do I get?"

Well I tell you what Whisky, I'll think about that while I wait for the machine to finish washing all of my clothes.

Bunny Stress

We had an evening of bunny stress at home last night leaving no time to sort out pictures from the Rescue. As most of the stress was caused by Bobbit seemingly being unwell, I will leave him to entertain you until (hopefully) normality returns tomorrow...

"Are you blaming me? The nerve! Well I suddenly feel less guilty about that damp patch on the rug I may or may not have had something to do with..."

Bobbit The Explorer

Foster bunny Bobbit is becoming way more trusting these days, when he moved in I wouldn't have dreamed that I'd ever be able to just walk up to him and pick him up when I need to (like health check day), but that appears to be where we are now at. Well, I say 'trusting' - I think he trusts that (a) there's really no point trying to run away and (b) there's probably treats on the way after being poked about, clipped and cleaned. His view now that, far from being dangerous, I am merely annoying also gives him the confidence to sneak out of their room for a wander about, given the chance.

You can tell he thinks he's being a bit naughty though - not something I've said or done, I think it might be something he decided from the occasional glares he gets through the mesh of Whisky's bunny-gate.

"If I move really slowly, I wonder if I can chin and claim this chair without that grumpy lop noticing..."

Tuesday Tail #10

During outdoor playtime, Bobbit does chow down on grassy delights, but mostly he likes to stretch his legs:

Whereas, while we do get the odd stiff-old-bun binky out of Anouska, mostly she uses her time for filling up on foliage:

[sniff-sniff]...[chomp]

Just Another Mega Monday

Mega Monday

Move over moufs, it's time for Mega-Binky Monday!

"..wheeeeeeeeeee....."

Bobbitaroo

Crop Rectangles

So, you are taking nice steady pictures with your awesome bunny camera. But they still don't look as good as they could and you are starting to think it's something to do with how they are composed. Maybe you just don't have the 'artists eye' needed to spot a good picture? Or maybe you do (Hint: You do!) but you just haven't figured out how to realise it? Or maybe all you need is this week's Fursday Foto Tip! And this fifth tip is without doubt the most important tip I will give you...

Bunny Photo Tip #5

When you start out with bunny photography, don't worry about perfectly composing pictures. This is the digital age - just make sure you have everything in the picture and crop it later.

Yes that's right, this weeks tip is simple. After you've taken your lots of pictures and chucked out the ones with nothing interesting in, crop the rest to show off the interesting things.

So first of all, what is cropping? Well, quite simply, it's when you draw a rectangle somewhere in the middle of your picture, cut round it and throw the outside bit away - the aim being to leave you with a well balanced, better-looking (if a little smaller) picture! It's the most basic tool in all photo-editing software(Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, Gimp...), most photo-organising software (iPhoto, Aperture, the free ones that come with your camera...) and is even built in to most other software that allows you to insert pictures (like MS Word and Outlook).

Why do we want to crop? Well, actually, ideally we don't! And the longer you do this bunny photography thing the easier it gets to spot exactly what picture you want and where to put the camera to get it without messing around with it too much after. But that only comes through experience and occasionally a bit of luck. Of my pictures you see on this blog and Facebook, although some are cropped in some way I'd say these days about three quarters are the full picture that I took. To figure out where in the picture I wanted the bunny, how far away, with how much of the background etc, this I worked out through experience taking lots of pictures and cropping in lots of different ways until I found the ideas I liked.

Try it. There are no rules (well...), it's all down to 'art' and personal taste. Take a picture, make a copy (IMPORTANT! Don't accidentally destroy your original!!!), open it in your favourite photo editor and try cropping it in lots of different ways.

If you are not sure where to start, here are some ideas:

• Crop so the bunny takes up all the frame with just a small gap around the edges, with the gap the same size at the top, bottom and sides
• Crop to just the face
• Crop to half the face, like if you added a mirror it would look like a whole face again
• Crop to just the eyes/nose upwards so it's like bunny is looking over something
• If the bunny has lots of space around them in the original, try cropping from each side so they are in each of the corners

Cropping a picture so that the subject is on one side or in a corner can help the picture tell a story. Take this uninteresting wide shot of Anouska and Bobbit in the garden yesterday:

It's OK, but it doesn't really speak to me. However, if I crop the picture leaving Bobbit off to one side like this:

Suddenly the picture has meaning - it looks like we have caught a moment where Bobbit has spotted something just out of shot - is he going to chase after it? Now we have drama. If we crop from the other side:

Now perhaps Bobbit is looking across the garden admiring the grass. Notice also that having him down in one corner makes him look smaller in the overall scene - you can start to see how doing this sort of thing (with the right picture) can be used to emphasise how small, cute and vulnerable bunnies are for example.

So there are all sorts of interesting things you can do, it's best to just play until you start to see what sort of things work for you with what pictures.

Lastly, as you are cropping, you may notice (depending on what software you use) that the crop box is split into smaller rectangles, three across and three down.

This is a very deliberate aid. Because the first thing you are supposed to learn about when composing shots for visual media is the rule of thirds. This is quite a simple concept, you are basically aiming to get key points in the picture on the lines or in the middle of a box. For example, in close ups, try getting the eyes on the upper horizontal line and the nose or mouth on the lower horizontal line. (This is almost certainly what I did in that picture of Jemima I used in my remembrance post last month.) Or if you have an ear sticking diagonally up and off to one side, try cropping so it sits in the middle of the top corner rectangle.

Well there you go, another simple and hopefully useful tip as well as some ideas to get you started. As always, please feel free to add your comments and questions below, otherwise I'll see you back here tomorrow for another Tiny Tale!