For some odd reason I am having trouble downloading this image.
I was going to play with sharpening. Looks like the focus may be behind the eyes. Or perhaps the image is just soft. Wish you had a bit more sharpness and DOF.
I think the processing is fine otherwise.
Scott
Scott, the second image was shot at F5.6 also but because it was shot on a more parallel plane it gives the extra DOF. I think the second image balances a bit better with the trees on both sides of the photo. I wish there was a little something for the backround center / top.
What I do as a first step with any image I comment on is copy it and open it in Levels to evaluate the tonal range. In the first image a few highlights are clipping as they should be in a full range image but there's an absence of any rich black tones. That may be intentional on your part and in any case it's a subjective decision, but for comparison purposes here is an edit with deeper blacks (shadow slider moved right) and a bit more contrast in the midtones (middle slider moved right). There is also some selective USM on just the front of the face, similar to how I'd apply it on a photo of a real person:
Here since the overall field of the photograph is light I used a 255, 255, 255 mat and 0,0,0 rule which "anchors" perception of the tonal range in the photo.
Chuck, thank you for your insightful comments. I will do a re-work of the photo. I find it interesting that on my monitor it is sharper than what is appearing on screen and I have processed based on what I see. I like your re-work and the large white mat really makes the image pop.
I really like your second, more distant, version. The first and last rework just seem too cut-off. Would like to see a bit more separation between the head and the back-ground though, they tend to blend together on the longer version. I like the high-key nature, but agree that a bit more contrast as in your second post is better!
Jo, thank you for your observations and suggestions. I will work on trying to get some separation between the head and the backround on the second more distant version. Barbara
Kent, that's an interesting way to enhance / process the backround. This particular image is cropped slightly as I shot it close up. I do have a couple of others that are a little further back but nothing full length. The statue is located in a Church garden with a small fence around it.
