Funny, I paid a lot of attention to the Depth of Field to ensure attention was focussed on the foreground hand holding the cigarette. With the rearmost hand also sharp it becomes too distracting and the separation is lost.

Gavin, the thing I would have liked to have in focus would be the tip of the cigarette, and the knuckles of the hand in the foreground, focusing on the knuckles and increasing the f/stop would have gotten the foreground hand + cigar in focus and left out the background!
I'm just not a big fan of blurry - sharp - blurry

Chriz, It is, as with all these things, tremendously subjective I suppose.

Of course Gavin, as always I just share my own opinion. Would be too much work and way to schizophrenic to write down everyones thoughts...

pursang,

Smoker's ratings, smoker's words.

The ash of the cigarette doesn't separate very well from the fingernail. Better to find someone who wasn't smoking, if possible.

Also, I'd say, "Your *lack* of DOF..."

I'm such a curmudgeon!

Congratulations, Gavin.