Two Handsome Boys + Me = Family

This edit was very time consuming (for me), but I love this photo for so many reasons that the time was worth it.

1. I love the eye contact my 2 boys are making with the camera (it is rarity now a days  to capture B looking at the camera).
2. I love the tender expressions on their faces.
3. I love that their legs are positioned the same except opposite legs are forward.
4. I love that both of them are holding onto the rails.
5. I love the leading line the rail provides.
6. I love that this was just a quick snapshot I took while out photographing Zander for the Faith Project.
7. I love any photo where the subjects are my two boys.

You can mouse over the photo to see the the SOOC.

I started with a clean edit in ACR (adjusted WB, exposure, blacks, contrast, and brightness).  Then I cropped the photo before beginning the long process of removing the man in the background and the crane to the right of my husband's head.  I used the healing tool for the removal.  Then I applied The CoffeeShop's  Perfect Portrait 2.  I just downloaded Perfect Portrait 3, but have not had the time to load it into PSE.  I adjusted all of the layers (decreasing the contrast to 3 on the brightness layer and using the brush at 100% opacity to remove the brightness from the background).  I did not use the vivid layer, urban grit, white/white whites, or soft glow layer.  Finished by sharpening for the web.

Which do you like better COLOR or BLACK and WHITE??

I am linking up with Ashley for Shoot and Edit, Courtney at Click It Up A Notch, 

and Monica for Before and After.