Comparison
Original on the left, finished product on the right. I took three shots of this knothole, the first two much closer than this one so I wouldn't have to crop. But this one came out better.
The first two, I concentrated on setting the focus first on the near surface, and secondly on the far surface. I didn't care for the far surface focus effect, and the center light was all gone. I got a bit more even exposure in this version, then cropped it to the original scene I had in mind.
Comparison
Original on the left, finished product on the right. I took three shots of this knothole, the first two much closer than this one so I wouldn't have to crop. But this one came out better.
The first two, I concentrated on setting the focus first on the near surface, and secondly on the far surface. I didn't care for the far surface focus effect, and the center light was all gone. I got a bit more even exposure in this version, then cropped it to the original scene I had in mind.