tv station headshot for C&C

So one of our anchors wanted a new headshot so I knocked one out yesterday. Here is the original and the edit. I'm not wild about the background but it's consistent with the other station headshots. How could I improve next time?

 

Looks great to me, how did you light it?

 

Since I imagine the final image is the second one, I don't see anything to change. It's quite perfect for this kind of photo.

I don't call this a headshot myself but I know some people do so, if that is what you were asked to do, that's what you were asked to do.

 

Needs some sharpening, the eyes are a little soft. Other than that, it's good.

 

It was lit with a Canon 430 EX II high model left at 45 degrees at 1/8 power and a Vivitar 285 HV 45 degrees model right chest level for a fill at 1/16th. Both were with 32" shoot through umbrellas. It was shot f6.3, 1/60th at ISO 400. I used v4s to trigger the flashes.

I probably could do a little more sharpening. Thank you for the suggestion. I just got the V4s and additional flash a couple months ago so I'm still learning. I appreciate all the advice!!

 

Nice shots, but as the others have said I think its a little soft, sharpen it up, but not too much otherwise you could ruin it.

 

I think her hands are too close to the bottom edge of the frame,creating tension at the lower edge of the frame. Also, her shoulders are perfectly squared up to the camera-subject axis, making her look big and broad-shouldered. it really isn't a head shot either--it's a half-body shot.

A more feminine and engaging pose would have had her shoulders at a roughly 45 degree angle to the camera, show that we can see she has a bustline. The bottom of the frame would then be made up of her body going all the way across the bottom edge of the frame, creating what is called a "base" for the portrait. This would slim her down in appearance, show her bustline and attractive figure, and would eliminate the distracting hands at the bottom of the frame.

By angling her body to the camera, she would appear more dynamic, and eliminating the squared-up shoulders would make her look much more fit and less masculine.

 

Thank you for the tips Derrel. This has been further cropped from the chest up for actual use. With that being said, I still agree she should have been angled more.