Both of these are excellent!!
#1 You've lost quite a bit of shadow detail, but the facial expression is pure class
Good DoF, and the eyes are nice and sharp. This really is a great shot, only thing that lets it down is that lost shadow detail, which you may or may not be able to recover.
#2 I love this one too. That twig could be cloned out reasonably easily, just a bit of patience, and would be well worth the effort I think. I don't find it too distracting, however, nor the other foliage. I think sometimes we strive for "perfection" which is not always necessary to make a shot work, and also "perfection" doesn't have to mean a plain background. In this shot, his face is so unusual + almost mesmerising that I am totally focused upon it! The eyes are nice + sharp, you got the exposure spot on + the colours look good too.
You did a very good job on both of these Chris, well done
