Family portrait, which version?

Here's my problem, I find the blown water behind the husband very unattractive and draws the eye away from the subjects. But I'm not 100% happy with my attempt to eliminate it completely. It just takes up too much area and different tones to easily clone it out, in order to get it perfect, I'd have to spend 3 hours on it. Here is my 20 minute attempt...

Which one would you rather have as an 11X16?

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20 minutes? Blimey it looks great for 20 minutes......show me the 3 hour version

can you remove that big old tree from the side of the girl.

NICE, i prefer the 2nd! other one looks like there is a fountain on your husbands head

The second one.He looks better without the water spraying out of his head

second shot looks alot better!

looked as though he was sprouting the water straight out of the top of his head!

Great work!

The second looks great without the water fountain. I've have taken several pictures with the same look, or background. I have also not been happy with them. Is it best to avoid water fountains. What is considered to be a perfect background for outdoor family/high school senior shots? Any rules of thumb you can share?

Rule #1 with outdoor shots of people....make sure nothing is growing out of their heads. The edited version is better. You should have moved to the left some and had the two big pine trees across the water for the background. Unless there was something nasty off to the right.

nice work on the second one.... it is the one I would print out too

Good work, the second one is definately better.

i like 2
you did a good job with the cloning

Eagle wrote in post #2059316
Rule #1 with outdoor shots of people....make sure nothing is growing out of their heads. The edited version is better. You should have moved to the left some and had the two big pine trees across the water for the background. Unless there was something nasty off to the right.

Building to the left, road to the right. I didn't give much notice to the fountain as this was my first family portrait experance.

I'll resize a couple more for some CC.

The second one looks better Nice PP work You've got a beautiful family.

fi20100 wrote in post #2061559
The second one looks better Nice PP work You've got a beautiful family.

Not my family, but thanks!

The mother always looks like she has a force smile except in the one where her and her husband are looking at eachother..but I am sure they will be thrilled with these...

Cheers,