About the Image(s)

==== OCTOBER UPDATE ====
Hey all, I want to apologize for not responding to anyone's responses to my image in September, and not continuing to engage on yours. I completely rely on the automated emails from the PSA site and as those weren't working (I'm told they are now), it was an out of site, out of mind circumstance and it never occurred to me to check back. When it dawned on me a few days ago, I went back and saw that there was some great feedback that I never saw - thank you for that. So, please keep it coming! This is basically the only form of photographic critique and development I have at this point and it's very valuable to me.

OK, on with the show!!!

EQUIPMENT & EXIF
Canon R5 / RF 50mm F/1.2 L USM & 1/1400 sec @ f/1.2, ISO 500, 50 mm (shot free-hand)

IMAGE DESCRIPTION & INTENDED EFFECT
This is my son Monroe working on a LEGO build at our kitchen table - just a day in the life of a kiddo a few days after Christmas. He's always a good subject for me and the balance / symmetry of this image particularly caught my eye. I chose to make it monochrome because the Christmas Tree on the top right dominated the image with its bright colors and pulled the eye away from my intended subject. Upon converting it to monochrome, I was pleasantly surprised by the nice bokeh that replaced the super colorful tree.

POST PROCESSING STEPS
This image was a bit underexposed in its raw format, as the bright Christmas lights were so bright, so I had to do a bit of work lightening things up. I used a human selection mask on Monroe as well as a radial gradient, dropped the highlights a bit overall and bumped the shadows, and of course converted it to monochrome.