Wife's first portrait shot

This lady wanted a head shot for her newsletter, my wife shot this with a Canon 5D MKII, 24-105 F4L, at F4,1/60 with a Canon 580 EX II Flash on a bracket, with a focal length of 105 mm - also shot in RAW. I thought it would be better if someone else would critique this shot in lieu of me. Please help give constructive critique

Unfortunately the lighting on this is too flat. The exposure is fine, but having the light dead on and flat makes it seem like a mug shot more than a portrait. Ideally you would have the subject turn her body so that her shoulders are not so square to the camera. Having her posed like this adds bulk and tension.

For a newsletter, it looks fine to me but I would crop it 5x7 and take some off the top. Her expression is not the best but that may not be an issue depending on the nature of the newsletter.

I think I'd warm the colors up a bit too.

I might want to tilt her head down slightly so as not to shoot in a way that looks up the nostrils.

forehead too hot and you need more contrast between her hair and the background

I thank you for the critiques, my wife thanks you for the critiques

Fire0725 wrote in post #15790971
I might want to tilt her head down slightly so as not to shoot in a way that looks up the nostrils.

That is hardly looking up the nostrils, seriously. Non-issue for this image.

It's not the greatest headshot, but it's not the worst. Look into portrait posing since this is a straight-on, direct flash photos which works well... for mug shots.

Try moving her farther away from the background, bouncing the flash off a side wall (white if possible) or a large piece of white foamcore or posterboard, and then posing with her shoulders at a 45 degree angle to the camera.

Let us know how headshot v2.0 works out.

Agree with most of the above, especially regarding pulling her away from the background and not using flat lighting. Posing is very important here. Turn shoulders, connect shoulder with chin, bring chin forward to minimize wrinkles and skin folds in neck. And...most importantly...have her connect with the camera. Have her smile with her eyes.

Great portraiture - make sure you use a reflector.