professional headshot: c & c please

[Designer]

I like Charlie's edit, but that pose is just killing it for me.

 

[KmH]

I like the DoF. Just enough blur that you can still tell those are books behind him.

Feminine head tilt and pose (hand on chin).
Lighting to dramatic for a business head shot.
Insufficient light in the eye socket camera left
To much bookshelf/wall showing in the backgrouind camera left
It looks like mixed lighting. The camera right side of his face is a different color than the camera left side of his face.

 

[Derrel]

His head is tilted toward his lead or closer shoulder...the classic feminine body and head positioning/angling!!! Stroking of the chin is a gesture often considered indicative of a person trying to come to a decision. The two posing issues here make this man look effete. Simply all wrong.

 

[Heitz]

Thanks, everyone. I agree, I think I could improve on this on multiple counts. I will probably ask if he wants to just re-do it. In the mean time, here is an attempt to clean it up a bit. I tried to lessen the harshness of the shadow, and I also burned the background a bit.

 

[Heitz]

Very interesting that you should think that Keith. I also noticed this, but both were Nikon flash units (SB-700 camera left, SB-900 camera right) and shoot-through umbrella.

I like the DoF. Just enough blur that you can still tell those are books behind him.

Feminine head tilt and pose (hand on chin).
Lighting to dramatic for a business head shot.
Insufficient light in the eye socket camera left
To much bookshelf/wall showing in the backgrouind camera left
It looks like mixed lighting. The camera right side of his face is a different color than the camera left side of his face.