May I add my thank you too Flake.

Reading through your in depth and knowledgeable critiques, I should imagine that some of my images and comments upon images may make your blood boil sometimes, but I think you realise that I photograph from an artistic angle / background, rarely using flash or any purpose made lighting kit, simply as I enjoy viewing and photographing the effects that existing light conditions create upon a scene and or objects within a photograph; recording them as accurately as I can. This said, I do occasionally enjoy the additional control over the photograph that additional lighting, diffusers and reflectors provide; and indeed delight in post processing where appropriate regarding digital noise etc., or in the creation of composite compositions.

In reply to the questions in your kind critique. Yes, the white balance is as intended; in that I initially set the ISO to 400 with Aperture Priority f/3.5 and everything else including White Balance to auto in the knowledge that light levels would fluctuate quite rapidly with only candle light (and true birthday tea spirit likely to send us into total darkness). A safe setting (as I have used it before in a similar light situation) for a rush job; in that I did not realise the candles were trick ones until they were blown upon!

Effectively the image is, as was directly off camera; other than using Noiseware Pro to gently remove the expected noise, the clone tool to brush out a facial scar on a cheek, and applying a low level in Gaussian blur to small mottled areas (of unwanted noise / refraction probably from the spectacles?) on the forehead and bridge of the nose.

As to the brief, in my understanding “a gathering of things” ought to include birthday candles, but hey ho if others do not agree. For myself, I was pleased in my choice and the resulting hand held shots (as with my Parkinson's, I seem to rely more and more on the tripod and shutter delay). Pleased too, that I did not gather up the elephants from around the house.

Many thanks