Begginer - Portrait shot, would appreciate any C&C.

[Braineack]

And due to the fact I couldn't dim my lighting, all I could do is move it back to allow me to create the shadow. (well this is all I thought I could do)

If you shot at a slower shutter speed and/or closed the aperture and/or lowered the iso, you would be dimming the lighting.

I would try to shoot the same again, in focus this time, with better camera settings, and not cropping off his head.

 

[cconner]

Many head shots out there that are pro level crop the clients head as they are filling the frame. I don't think this takes away from the image, but sharpness is lacking.

 

[Braineack]

There was no reason to crop the hair in the first post, it detracts from the image--it puts more focus on his right arm and pecks--and adds nothings.

 

[Derrel]

I agree, the head being at the very top of the frame is not good in the first shot of the man...perhaps that's a self-portrait? I dunno...but his body angle is too steep, and his head's crowding the top of the frame. More practice and experimentation would be my suggestion. I know people rip on the low-priced e-Bay softboxes and continuous lights, but they CAN BE WORKED WITH, especially if one elevates the ISO level to 400,500,or 640, and uses a tripod or image stabilized lens and slowish shutter speeds. For still-life shots, using mirror pre-release and then a 10-second timer can make the cheapest lights into decent lighting for non-moving subjects.