One of my toughest pic rescues ever (before & after)

I have to add this disclaimer that I'm only an advanced beginner in PS, so there was probably an easier, more time-efficient way of doing this :wink:

As you can see in this untouched "before" shot, there was a lot of haze & unclarity in this pic, due to shooting through the fence. What I did was a very heavy "Local Contrast" treatment, then again on just the eyes, using a Quick Mask, with more saturation & contrast added to them as well. From there, I very lightly "painted" in my color where it was hazy or missing around it's ears. Also did a couple others things I've already forgotten about   Spent a total of about 1 1/4 hrs on it, but am now fairly pleased with the results. I just couldn't let this pic go into the bin, since his intense stare was well worth saving imho. Your thoughts on this process?

The before shot:


The after shot:

NIKON D2X    ---    280mm    f/4.0    1/160s    ISO 800

 

The growl he made right after this shot,

would've sent a chill down your spine. He was not at all happy with what I was doing, and would as soon have had me for dinner as look at me!