Just a thought - did you take the photo in RAW? Have you tried the recovery slider in Photoshop Camera Raw for the blown highlights?
Or played with the levels/curves at all?

My OH has the same look when he plays guitar. Very hard to capture well, and he doesn't have glasses.
Maybe you could try a bit of dodging and burning?
I still think the close up of him playing is the best one.

The second one definitely works. I really like it.

Not knowing how the first one looked before you did your de-shadowing etc it's hard to comment. It looks a it flat, lifeless almost, to me. I would like to see more contrast to give it a bit of oomph.

The third one looks like he is taking his teeth out or something. I think I would stick to him with the accordian.

Thanks - I still like the first one the best. As I said to me it gives a feeling of a forbidden paradise, not of blocking the view.

Richard, it is a shame you have removed the photos. I didn't get to see the second one at all. I actually quite liked the first one, in spite of the fences - it gave the impression of a a forbidden paradise to me.

I have to say I like the colour ones better too. Somehow the mono ones are a bit flat, not enough contrast in there, where as the fresh greens in the colour ones just sing out spring.

Yes Me, I geotag my photos. I have a Qstarz GPS receiver, which will Bluetooth with a PDA for navigation, or you can just use it as a logger. You transfer the data to the computer, then I use Locr to combine the GPS stuff into the Exif. www.Qstarz.com. www.locr.com.

The Sony one will also works with any camera or there is a really neat one - the ATP - http://photofinder.atpinc.com/what.html which writes direct to the SD card when you insert it.

If you have a Garmin satnav that can also be used as a tracker I believe. You could then use Locr to add the info to the Exif.

There are a couple of others on the market now, including one for Nikon cameras (Petekd!!) that sits on the hotshoe and writes direct to the camera.

True. I don't need 5 star treatment, but I do need a real bed. I can put up with latrines and all sorts of other aspects of roughing it, but I have to have a real bed, or I can't move the next day. Poor old soul that I am.
It is just that much harder to organise a holiday for yourself in Africa, and once you rely on an agent it starts getting expensive.

Antimalarials are really expensive. We used to be able to claim them back on our health insurance but I'm not sure if that is still the case. Same with the other jabs you need (though I am now up to date on all of those!).

So what's Lomé like? Getting right off topic here (sorry!). Ethiopia is on the wish list but I can't see me getting there. I haven't a clue about Togo or many countries in West Africa (Gambia excepted).

Yes. Flights to Africa are really expensive and most countries seem to be more expensive than a couple of years ago. Places like Gambia offer cheap beach holidays but that isn't really our thing. Much as I'd love to visit Gambia I couldn't stay on the beach -I'd have to explore the country, and then it gets expensive again.
There are a few bargains to be had in Kenya, but we'd already booked for the US!

We'll just enjoy the cheap dollar and the desert this time. But I am determined to return to Africa sometime! It stole my heart while I wasn't looking, and I have to go back an reclaim it.

Then I'm glad we opted to give Africa a miss this year. Not.
I would always choose almost anywhere in Africa over the US, even in the rainy season, if I could afford it.