First attempt at this look, and not quite loving it...

[TMorris]

I'm open to any and all thoughts on this image. You'll see what I was going for, but I just don't quite think I've hit the mark with it. Too much contrast? Too much brightness on the face? Hmmm...

[MrJones]

I wouldn't worry about overexposed face but actually the overexposed right arm. he has a tattoo there that just goes to waste because of the overexposure. while usually it is ok to overexpose some areas, I think that a tattoo is a part of a person character which makes it just as important as the eyes and face.
other than that, the face and eyes are not in focus which I'm actually not sure if it is a focus issue or a motion blur cause the whole photo seems blurry and not sharp. (provide EXIF data, it will make it easier to help and understand).
one last thing, the crop of his left arm at the elbow is unflattering. either crop a bit to get the entire arm out of the photo or widen the crop so it will include the elbow.

[TMorris]

Thanks for the notes.

Putting glasses on...Geez, you're right! I wasn't paying as much attention to the focus as I was the effects I was attempting to apply. I can tweak that easily enough, thought I should have had sharp focus from the beginning. I think I'll start all over with this one. The original does include the missing elbow. Not quite sure why I did that.

Nikon D60, 18-55mm lens, f/5, 1/80 sec, 4.6, 34mm, ISO200

I've been having some focus issues, primarily with this particular lens, but this could have just been motion blur. The lens doesn't seem to like low light conditions at all, and the session was done on a very cloudy day from 3:30-5pm.

[Life in Motion]

Maybe try posting the original and seeing how many different styles of pp you can get inspiration from! it helps sometimes having another pair of eyes, and always interesting to see others artistic interpretation of the same pic...

[DivotMaker]

Agree with MrJones..
You have some great potential with the tattoo. I also think the facial expression could have been a little more "gritty"

A fist (on the tattoo arm) maybe slightly toward the camera, and a slight grimace on the face, would have done wonders....

nice attempt though.

[TMorris]

Ok, this is the original shot. It was a VERY gray day and nearing dusk, so the lighting was just awful. Please take it to task and show me some examples that I can work toward in my own editing. Thanks!

I'm also going to include here the memorial shot I gave him. His father died when he was a young boy, and the tattoo was very special to him. I hope I did it justice.

Thanks!

[DivotMaker]

fwiw.
Just a quick edit....so you get my idea... If you take some time, you could probably improve it.

I changed the crop, to cut off at the joint. The elbow being cropped, left it feeling awkward, imho. (also, I wasnt keen on the cap being cut off)

I also added a little vintage feel to it, rather than pushing the B&W, to where it was blown out.

just my 2c's

[sheila3]

Well here is what I did with it. Just learning photoshop so I thought i would play.

[edbayani]

here is acropped version similar to your crop but i included the top portion.
this s the color version but i just enhanced the tattoo and applied high pass filter to sharpen it.

[Life in Motion]

Originally Posted by TMorris

Ok, this is the original shot. It was a VERY gray day and nearing dusk, so the lighting was just awful. Please take it to task and show me some examples that I can work toward in my own editing. Thanks!

I'm also going to include here the memorial shot I gave him. His father died when he was a young boy, and the tattoo was very special to him. I hope I did it justice.

Thanks!

I think the pose in the original is not quite getting the feeling you are looking for. if you had his hands posititoned like you do in the second showcasing the tattoo and included his body about waist up or so, and had him do a couple of differents looks, trying to get a more intense look......i think you would have a stronger image, with the shirt and tattoo i just think the pose doesn't come across with the mood you're trying to acheive. do you have any different poses with him? or maybe do a reshoot to get a more intense image?