vpwphoto...thanks, again, for taking the time to look and comment. as this is a scan from a negative, and as i am trying to stay faithful to the rules of the group, i don't manipulate the images once they are digitized. i am slowly moving toward being able to print my own images, but i'm still probably about a year or so away from being able to have a small darkroom at home. once i do, and if i print this image, i'll try your suggestion to "burn" the left corner and see how it looks.