Master's Work

What a great idea to take a picture of a master carver. In a lot of ways, I like this photo. I like how the focus is on the bird he carved, while the carver himself is soft and slightly out of focus...putting the emphasis on his work. I like how everything in the frame has to do with the subject at hand, that is it has layers and elements of interest in all corners of the frame. I find it a shame that the bird sculpture doesn't read well though, as there is too much clutter behind it. Could a shift in position...say, putting the bird on the other side of the carver, kneeling down, or getting up high, have yielded a more solid background so the bird would pop out more?