Granddaughter putting on grandma's "lipstick"

[NormanRC51]

I was able to capture this great shot this Thanksgiving. But my question is: Is the background too distracting. It was on the fly shot and wasn't able to pick the ideal back drop. Thanks for your input.

For some reason flickr is dulling the image...






EXIF data

Camera Canon 30D
f-stop 1.8
ISO 800
1/250 sec

[midnightpro]

Before i read your comment i felt that the background was too distracting. Maybe you could blur the background a bit in photoshop.

[The Weird Witch]

I also think the background is too distracting.
I like the interaction between your two subjects, but maybe a slightly lower angle would have worked better?
A very lovely moment none the less ^_^
The Weird Witch

[NormanRC51]

I blurred the background out a little more. Does it look natural somewhat?

Thanks

[curelightwounds]

Yikes, there is a weird halo around your subject now. Also, I think your DOF manip is a little too strong. I actually thought it was fine in the first one.

It looks like you already did some photo manipulation for the first image which may be exaggerating the halos in the second.. How about going back to your original and redoing the DOF manip?

Oddly, my only complaint about the background is that it seems pretty dead. It's Thanksgiving. There should be stuff on the table, anything to break up that scab-red table cloth. I get that flickr is dulling the colors but if your copy isn't warm, it should be.

[naeno]

I love the interaction between the two of them. The background is distracting. I do not recommend blurring the background, as you already have a good amount of bokeh in the original. I would suggest cloning out the distracting items, then desaturating your reds so that the tablecloth doesn't interfer with the interaction between the two of them. If you'd like an example, I can do a quick one for you later.