Let the fight begin

We had a friend who on Christmas day found out she had cancer and she is a fighter and ready to start this battle. Since Christmas she has had surgery and will start Radiation and Chemotherapy in the next week. She asked if I would take a picture of her and her husband before her hair starts to fall out. Of course I said yes and this is Pro bono work but I would like your opinion I am giving them some prints. Do you think I should leave the focus without retouching like this picture

I don't know much, but to my eye the first one is much better.

Soften a little perhaps, but not blurred out like the second

Seems a little too softened to me.

The first is much more natural ... without knowing your friend, she will probably be more happy
with that look than the softer more retouched image ... 2c

I much prefer the first image - it's well-composed, well-lit, and well-shot. In my opinion, for what it's worth, in the second image the softening is excessive and the colors are quite a bit off. If I had to nitpick the first image, it looks on my monitor as if the skin tones may be very slightly too much on the reddish side; since I don't know what their skin tones actually look like, the image may in fact be 100% accurate.

Thanks for the replies, let me start by saying the first picture I took is the one with the blue background and it is my favorite from the whole shoot. With that said I have a print of both of them in hand and it appears much more soft on screen then the actual print does. In the same regard the first appears much more crisp to the point of seeing all the pores on the face. Also the colors appear different in print verses the screen as well. The colors appear very harsh on the second piece. I am guessing it is jpeg compression problem or a flickr problem not sure. I do appreciate all the comments. Did not look like this in photoshop but only after I uploaded to flickr. I will give them both to them and let you know what they prefer.

i think somewhere in between the first and the second would be better

Slaterza wrote in post #9399535
Thanks for the replies, let me start by saying the first picture I took is the one with the blue background and it is my favorite from the whole shoot. With that said I have a print of both of them in hand and it appears much more soft on screen then the actual print does. In the same regard the first appears much more crisp to the point of seeing all the pores on the face. Also the colors appear different in print verses the screen as well. The colors appear very harsh on the second piece. I am guessing it is jpeg compression problem or a flickr problem not sure. I do appreciate all the comments. Did not look like this in photoshop but only after I uploaded to flickr. I will give them both to them and let you know what they prefer.

I dont know what pp program you use. If you use photoshop do a google search for a free action called Chip Springer's Skinfix. Its a nice action that lets you control the amount of softening and still allows you to mask the eyes. You might find it very useful.

foeduck wrote in post #9399625
i think somewhere in between the first and the second would be better

Yeah first one I like but is too sharp, but this could well be flickr - flickr does a significant amount of sharpening when downsizing

Thanks for the suggestions and action name I appreciate it will take a look at it.

Pass along my hope and sympathies. I've lost two cousins and a sister to cancer. All were fairly young. One cousin was 25, the other barely 18. My sister (brain cancer) was in her early 50's

OK I delivered the photos to the client they were thrilled with all of them. They choose number 2 over number one. In fact all of the ones they choose as favorites had the softened look. Goes to show you we just can not judge what a client will like. I still prefer the unsoftened, better lighting (in my opinion) first one but that was not even in the top of the pile.

440roadrunner I will pass on your well wishes they will appreciate it. They are in great spirits but still a bit numb from the whirlwind surgery and treatment she has to go through. We had dinner with them last night and they were doing well. If you did not know their story you would never know she is battling cancer she is a real trooper and I hope that she will beat it but it is all in God's hands right now. Thanks again for your kind words.

I like the first one MUCH better.