Re: your question on the contrast...yep, it does need some.
Coupla things to ask first - do you have a thin negative or is the information there? That is, did you lose contrast on the scan or when you clicked the shutter?
If the latter it was probably too much strobe for the lighting conditions and you don't have the information on the film to make up more contrast (can't add what it doesn't have.)
However, if it was the former, and the problem's with the scan, then fixing this is gonna be a breeze (comparatively.)
If so, I suggest adjusting curves & levels in your scanning app while scanning. That way you start with the best possible 'master'. Hopefully you have that capability with your scanner and scanner software - which brings me to ask - what did you use to scan the neg?
Any further changes you can do to a copy of the master scan in PS. Still, use adjustment layers whenever possible and save a separate "corrected" (or as I call them, "clean") master file as PSD with layers. From there I do framing, etc. USM is always the LAST thing done, as a lot of other things (like curves and levels) can actually make the photo look sharper. And I always save any file that's been USM'd as a separate file (because you can't create a USM layer, God knows why.)
If you need more, please feel free to email me (mel@melissamilligan.com).
If too much, I apologize for my ramblings. :-)
Overall - an excellent get, a fantastic composition!
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