Working on proper exposure and lighting...C&C please

[HInewgirl]

The crop isn't great but I've been working on proper exposure and lighting. Shot with a Canon 60D, 85mm f1.8 on Manual mode at ISO 250, f5.6, and shutter speed is 1/60. The sun was going down so I put him in the shade and used my white reflector to bounce some light onto his face (flash has been ordered and is currently in transit). I metered off of his skin and used Center Weighted Average mode (was that wrong?) Kindly asking for C&C on my first efforts. Thank you!

 

[Sw1tchFX]

EDIT:

I say shoot wide open all the time and don't ever cut chin's off. It looks wierd.

 

[Jaemie]

Yes, the crop is tight. But, the lighting and exposure look good to me. You could try a gold reflector for a warmer feel, but as it is, the exposure and light in this image look fine in my novice opinion.

 

[HInewgirl]

EDIT:

I say shoot wide open all the time and don't ever cut chin's off. It looks wierd.

Thanks for the input, I know the crop is off. Asking for feedback on the exposure and lighting.

 

[HInewgirl]

Yes, the crop is tight. But, the lighting and exposure look good to me. You could try a gold reflector for a warmer feel, but as it is, the exposure and light in this image look fine in my novice opinion.

Thanks! I had one of those duh moments and realized while I was processing the RAW file through LR, that I should have at least tried the gold reflector to see what kind of a difference it would have made. I'm going to keep putting in my practice hours

 

[tirediron]

Also try and avoid light red/pink tones in clothing when shooting someone with light to white skin, as they often cause an odd appearance and cast to the skin. I like medium to strong primary colours best.

 

[HInewgirl]

Also try and avoid light red/pink tones in clothing when shooting someone with light to white skin, as they often cause an odd appearance and cast to the skin. I like medium to strong primary colours best.

Thank you, I'll keep that in mind.

 

[kundalini]

It seems your Main light is positioned too low, almost even with the ear. Notice where the nose shadow is and the catch lights in his eyes, ~3:00 o'clock. Try to position the Main where the catch lights are in the 10:00 to 2:00 o'clock range and the nose shadow is between the bottom of the nose and the upper lip.

I would also suggest to frame your subject so that the eyes are in the top third, not centered as you have here. And always keep the chin fully intact.

 

[HInewgirl]

It seems your Main light is positioned too low, almost even with the ear. Notice where the nose shadow is and the catch lights in his eyes, ~3:00 o'clock. Try to position the Main where the catch lights are in the 10:00 to 2:00 o'clock range and the nose shadow is between the bottom of the nose and the upper lip.

I would also suggest to frame your subject so that the eyes are in the top third, not centered as you have here. And always keep the chin fully intact.

Much mahalo for the feedback. Ok, I'm trying to imagine what I'd have to do next time to improve the lighting on my subject. My main lighting was from the sun which was quite low in the sky so I'd have to try shooting a little earlier to get the catchlights in the 10-2 range and so that the nose shadow is in the proper place, correct?

I'm definitely going to be working on cropping next!