shhhh... tell no one

[Raycer]

Its just another snapshot.
C&C is appreciated.
Thanks for looking.

[willgoss]

Very Nice...a special composition.....

I would select the larger face and use a light blur or light smudge to soften the face and I would dodge the eye area to bring out the white.....not much more I can see...background nicely blurred out...

Good Job....

[Mike R]

Raycer,

That's a really nice shot. The lighting is so soft and natural. Just a guess from looking at the background, but was the main light source from a recessed ceiling light shining onto the wall and table just behind you to your right? Or did you do this with a flash somehow?

Mike

[Raycer]

Good point on the eye. I guess a little PP would bring out the eye that much more.

[Raycer]

Thanks Mike,
The main light source is a hot shoe mounted flash bounced off the ceiling.

[taken]

well! its the background person with the beheaded head thats spoiling the show in the foreground lovely pic and comfortable expression on the girl!.......tweaking in the ps to enhance the face is always helpful! even in the snapshots......... keeping an eye on the back ground is absolute necessary

[Mike R]

Thanks Mike,
The main light source is a hot shoe mounted flash bounced off the ceiling.

Nice execution on the bounce flash.

The expression and composition are just wonderful. Thanks again for sharing.

Mike

[Raycer]

[COLOR=#cccccc]so beheading is not an appropriate punishment for spoiling the background or beheading her spoiled the background?
[COLOR=#cccccc]
[COLOR=#cccccc]

[The Analog Kid]

A beautiful capture but there's so much going on in the background, I wondered whether a closer crop might help focus the attention onto the main subjects...

Hope you approve. Paul.

[Raycer]

Hi Pual,
thank you for the suggestion. You are right!! there are lots going on in the background. Your suggested cropping does bring in more focus to the girls. However, I still want to show that the girls are in their own world despite of everything that's going on around them (including me!! )

How about a little lens-baby in PS?

[The Analog Kid]

Nice bit of PP work. I'm a 'basic' user so I'd be very intersted in an 'idiot's guide' to how that effect is achieved. It would also look pretty spectacular with some sports images as well.

Regards, Paul.

[Raycer]

see this video.
[COLOR=lime]http://www.dphotojournal.com/video-tutorial-lens-baby-effect-with-photoshop/

[The Analog Kid]

Cheers Mr Raycer.....you're a gent.

Always happy to learn new tricks and that looks like something that will come in very useful - if used selectively!

Best regards, Paul.

[shreds]

Raycer,

Just tried it by doing a very close crop on the heads and expressions alone, which just about works and still keeps the context, if not more so.

In social compositions this thing happens all the time with 'things' and people getting in the background and it is not appropriate to move them in many cases, especially when the whole point of the picture is the candid moment and genuine expressions.

Maybe adding a little vignette to lose some of the edges, I think it might work better than the blur which for me is still distracting in an inappropriate way? This shot can go very close in my view, without losing its character.

Like your shots as ever, well exposed.