Looking for Opinions/C&C

These are two different crops from the same picture (both edited seperately with minor differences). I like the first one a little more but wanted to get some opinion's. Taken with a 40D and 24-105L with my 430EX bounced using a Sto-Fen Omni-bounce. SS 1/60, f4.0, ISO 400, and spot metered. Converted in DPP and touched up in PSE 5. Thanks in advance.

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2nd one definitly. The colour looks better and the first one seems to cluttered.

2nd one for me and I would crop it even more to eliminate the negative space above her head and not to make it so centered.

2nd for sure ...the 1st is just too busy...

It is a cute shot - but it seems a bit too "flashy" to my eye. Too close to the classic brightly lit subject and dark background. I might have liked to have seen what the shot would have looked like with the flash maybe dialed down a bit and more the ambient light in the room gathered in for a "warmer" look and feel.

Was your flash head actually pointed to the ceiling on this one - or just the Omnibounce attached and pointed directly at the subject?

I concur and opt for the 2nd one. It still conveys the season without being too cluttered.

I can't remember if it was bounced straight up or at a 45 degree angle. I do see what you are saying though. I think maybe I will play around with bumping up the shadows a little bit in PSE and see if I can even out the lighting some. Thanks for the C&C as I really really need it.

I personally enjoy the 2nd one better ... I would have to agree that the first one is too busy.

Definitely the closer crop!