Ciarin, it's a very nice moment. The issue here is the lighting direction rather than the amount of light. If the children had been looking upward, more toward the light, it would work better. My eye is drawn to the bright area on the wall rather than to the children's faces.
Thanks all. This was from an editorial/fashion shoot a few weeks back, and for the purpose of that at least, quite inapropriate. Still, I keep getting drawn back to it.
There is some more info on the negative. Not much more, but a little.
I've got a few versions shot with a quicker lens, but then the image looses its charm.
Cheryl, I agree totally. I would print down the wall a bit for sure, and ideally they would be looking up. If there was no book, then this would be a nothing shot. As there is, and their positions are quite evocative, I'm willing to let the technical problems slide this time around.