Post Processing Critique wanted

[Vetteography]

Messing with my new Nifty Fifty today and I liked this shot well enough but thought some of the highlights (Brake light, etc) were distracting.

http://www.bastaards.org/Miscellaneous/QueenCharlotte_Raw.jpg

So I played with it a bit and this is what I ended up with. Should I have just left well enough alone?

http://www.bastaards.org/Miscellaneous/QueenCharlotte_Web.jpg

[pjd83]

I like the 2nd one better.

Our eyes are naturally drawn to red so taking out the red results in us just looking at the face. A good photo. Definately the 2nd has less distracting parts.

[PhotosGuy]

#2 is better, but there HAS to be something sharp in that shot!

[Keiffer]

Yes the second one is much better, That red spot on #1 drove me crazy.

[Croasdail]

can you remove the spot all together? Maybe it is because I say the first image so now I am looking for it but the desaturated spot still is a little bit distracting. How about just cloning the thing right out of there... just a thought. Probably if I had not seen the first one - I wouldn't even notice - but I did.... and I do.

[Meerkat17]

I like the second much better but I'm with FrankC with the focus issue - the hair looks slightly in focus but the face doesn't.
Cheers
David

[JakeC]

Looks good, did you consider isolating the statue during contrast adjustment? The red was distrasting but so is the high contrast. In that respect I prefer the flatter more natural looking bokeh seen in the first shot.

[rammy]

Have a look at the EXIF data Jake has added to the bottom of the shots. Having used F2.0 so DOF is causing the head to blur further back. F11 would have helped here.

[Hellashot]

The image needs sharpening, big time.

[tim]

I prefer the 2nd.

[d'homme]

I would have cloned that red spot out... and .. just slightly saturated the gold on the face just a little more to bring that out.