How bad/good is this shot please

I'm still fairly new to this forum..still trying to "learn" the Canon so to say. This is my cousin trying on her wedding gown. Posting the before and after shot...I know the background can be better....and I know around the hair isnt the best either...I'm more of a landscape and macro kind of gal...not really a good people taker...IMO.
Now I know my family will do the oh's and ahh's..and "thats a good picture"...but I was wanting an honest opinion...if ya know what I mean. I can take it and please be harsh if you have to. I'll never learn if all I hear is "wow..great shot!" ..well unless it is a good shot...lol
As you can see its just a in home-hand held- low light-situation...so trying to make a good shot out of it because she seemed to like this one.

here you are..

the before is samller....it wouldnt let me make it the full 800....
sorry

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On camera flash is difficult to be creative.

Nice record shot. Try and soften the neck line by rotating the models head to the side and forwards

Bounce flash may soften the harshness.

It's not a bad job for working on your PP skills but I think the original is superior. The skin on her face looks a little plastic-y on the first and the background is unusual - the main tone here looks fine in context to the objects in the background of the original but it makes for a strange backdrop when those objects are removed.

Well dang...I was hoping I didnt make her face too plastic...but was wondering about that...it actually prints out a pretty nice picture. So I look in the Glamor section....but cant post to ask questions on how they get such nice even skin tones and what kind of effects in PSP..(is what I use)..I would have liked to have posted this there.What I used was basically the softening tool around her face. I guess to much softening..or maybe totally wrong thing to use. I did the background in a compleatly weird way I suppose cause I cloned from one of the colors in the background...then smudged it to mix colors then wound up with that....the whole thing took WAY to long to do and I know there "must be an easier way".
Thanks for the honest opinions...and I'll keep at it.

Those are nice shots. You did a good job cleaning up the background, working around hair obviously isn't always easy. She does look a little stiff, but I like the pose.

I'm far from a PP guru but it seems that in most cases, unless you're taking a really artistic angle, less is more.

Thanks to those that have commented...

beckybun...I actually took a smear tool to add some "whisps of hair" back ...lol...

justchris...Ithought about that to...maybe I should have done just touches here and there...I was trying to smooth it as best as I could...she commented that she didnt like how "blotchy" her face is in the original. When printed out its very noticable.

I still dont know if that was even the right tool to use for smoothing out face and skin tones...but Im more trying to figure out the this Canon then trying to learn the PSP program....guess I'll have to buckle down and learn it better as well.

charnet...I agree...on camera flash is not good for much...lol.

again...thanks for all that viewed and those that commented...

That's a nice capture. If I am being really picky, I would have to say that I don't like the jagged edges in her hair and I would like to see her eyes a little sharper. As for skin softening, I do the following:

1. dupe layer

2. magnetic lasso the face and neck

3. gaussian blur at 15%

4. decrease opacity to about 30%

5. erase back in eyes and lips/mouth at 100%, eyebrows, eyelids and nose at 60%

6. feather at 15 pixels

HTH!

wow...taramcg...I can see I have ALOT to learn about working with face smoothing.
thanks alot for the info...I have never done that before...and I would have never thought of it either. and NP at all with being picky...I dont like the jagged edges on the hair either...lol.
again thanks!