Day 1 - Em's Canvas

So here's what I'm thinking...
I'm going to shoot at 85mm all month and get used to this new lens.
31 Days... 50+ shots per day... that's about 1500 frames.  I really should know this lens inside and out by the time this game is over.

Day 1 - Em's Canvas.
My dear cousin Emily painted her first canvas last year, and I just love it.  I've chosen it as my first subject.
Here's my first shot, almost straight out of the camera:
85mm/1.8@1/25th, ISO 1600

A few shots later, I realized that what I wanted was to show the texture of the paint and canvas in a way that gave this two dimensional medium some life through depth.  So I added a side light, adjusted my settings for the light, change my angle kept shooting until I liked what I saw.  59 frames later, I wound up with this, again nearly straight out of the camera:

85mm/14@1/125, ISO 100

Thoughts? Anyone?

Stormy

I chose the 50mm focal length. Sometimes it's a bit tricky to use, as I'm constantly getting in too close with my first shots. Regardless, this is, by far my favorite lens.

This is the first shot. Though Stormy is usually pretty low key, she absolutely loved the camera (which surprises me, as my other two dogs act as if I'm holding a gun). I couldn't get her to stop posing. lol