All Dressed Up

[gimmie5]

This is my first ever post. I've been following the threads for quite some time and am finally ready for some critiques. I am looking for critique on the color and lighting. I used natural light from a nearby window and am not sure if the shadows on his face are distracting on the right side of the photo. Also, does his skin color look natural, or am I off with my exposure?

Thanks in advance for your input.

Exif:
Camera Nikon D60
Exposure 1/13
Aperture f4.8
Focal Length 102mm
ISO 200
No Flash

[highlydope]

I think the color is fine, but I want a little lighting on the other side of his face to soften the look a little. Exposure could be knocked down slightly. I know you're not asking for composition critique, but I think this picture could be improved drastically with something a bit more interesting in the background to give it a little depth and a 20-30% wider crop. It's a nice traditional portrait in general though with good clarity.

[gimmie5]

Thanks for the advice. I can see what you mean by the wider crop, but am wondering what you would suggest for a change in background. I was thinking a clean background would prevent distractions.

[highlydope]

Originally Posted by gimmie5

Thanks for the advice. I can see what you mean by the wider crop, but am wondering what you would suggest for a change in background. I was thinking a clean background would prevent distractions.

Depends what you're after. If it's an ID photo for example, plain backgrounds are the norm otherwise almost anything would be good if you have the right depth of field to properly blur the background enough.