Progression of a Portrait

1. What a great Face! But what a messy background! 2. Start darkening the background. 3. This looks better ... but not done yet. 4. Finished!

I spotted this little girl at a wedding reception. I love her face and I tried to get a good shot. It wasn't the kind of situation where I could go up to her and ask her to pose ... and even if I could, that would have ruined the moment anyway. This candid moment, as she's just turned her head and looked at me, is perfect. But the photo was anything but ... I was too far away and there was all kinds of clutter in the background. So, I played with Photoshop and now I'm really pleased with how the portrait turned out. Thank you, Photoshop! I thought you might like to see the "before," "during," and "after."