Don't lose your head at the beach...

[Capstone]

... Any kid that has ever been to beach for some reason or another has always had the desire to be buried in sand ;) When I arrived on the beach that morning my friend had just burried his son in the sand....I could not resist the shot.

[gahspidy]

Good catch, and i like it as b&w also. The head is too dead center in the frame, though. I would crop this from the top to bring it up in the upper portion of the frame and then a little from each side to maintain the aspect ratio. Also, adjust your levels, the image has a flat gray tone throughout. Adjusting the levels will bring white to the highlights in the sand.

[Capstone]

Did I crop to much off? I do like the closer view and I tried to tone down the gray look.

[gahspidy]

The tones look great now, a very strong feature in this shot. I also like the cloe-up view, but the whole point of the crop was to move the subject from dead center, which you have not done here. Keeping the tones just as you have them, crop off the top leaving a couple inches above the head, and then in from eac side to keep the ratio the same. None at all from the bottom.
An improvement, nonetheless.

[swmdrayfan]

Agree with Gary that the second, cropped shot is much better tonaly. I also agree that this could use a little 'rule of thirds' action. ;)

[dbutler]

The second is really so much better! I'd like to see his head further up and either to the left or right (actually, I prefer the left).

[Capstone]

too much? Thanks for the tips by the way...I can see the change each time.

[gahspidy]

Too much. . . . From your original picture, just take about 2 inches off the top, and then about 3/4 of an inch from the right and from the left side. Leave the bottom untouched.