Does this work at all? Failed Benizer...

I haven't read much about how to successfully do a Benizer Method style photo, but I've read enough to have thought I knew what I was doing...

This was 31 shots and I think I got the stitching to work, but my spread of shots should have been more I think because I was forced to crop quite a bit. Plus I cropped some more to remove some distracting foreground stuff. Also, unfortunately I didn't shoot wide open on my 85 1.8. Apparently I had the aperture stopped down to 5.6 from some shots I was taking before this. I was kind of in a rush.

Anyways, please let me know what you think of the shot. Thanks!

Your subject gets lost in the trees, I'm sorry to say. Worse in the b&w. I think it would be improved if you moved closer. As for applying a Brenizer approach, I think you need more depth in the setting.

Yeah, I struggled with my son/trees when editing and almost immediately noticed the lack of separation (dof)... I'm going to have another go at this (different environment), hopefully this week.

Thanks for the feedback

I also was under the thought that your aperture should be opened up to help accommodate the subject isolation. The people I have read doing it, and doing it well seem to all use very shallow dof and then shoot around the subject. Either way, I am now intrigued to find out more and do some practicing myself.

Your subject should be closer so you get the effect of shallow dof with a telephoto and the stitch for wider firld of view. At your current distancethe DOF is sufficient that ant magic from stitching is gone.

Apparently portrait photographer Roberto Valensuala said. Your subject needs to be at least two of these three things. Largest, brightest or in focus. (thanks Micro5797).

Brenizer subjects are generally occupy a remarkably small area of the image, and must be in focus, so the subject ought to be bright - a bit tricky with a snowy background!

I am sure a good Brenizer can be done breaking this "rule" but it will be harder. I think the colour version works better as the face stands out by tone, it is a bit lost in the B&W.

Thanks for the input you guys, appreciate it.

Still haven't got around to trying another one of these, but I think I'll have better luck next time after reading these replies and other related info.