7yo on black background

We were taking some shots of our newborn on a black background. Our 7yo wanted a picture of himself. Here's the result. What y'all think? Exif should be intact.

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I like it, BUT...

1. i think you could have used a bit smaller aperture (to get more dof and his ear and neck in focus) because you dont need a wide aperture to blur anything out (cos the bg is black )
2. i think you should have lowered your perspective so the camera is on eye level vs him. It's somewhat a rule that portraits from a bit above turn out weirder and i partially get that feel from this photo.

I do like the sharpness of the hair... his right eye... I wont comment on the lighting cos thats my weakest point (flash, strobe, studio-wise etc). Maybe if his left eye was a bit lighter and not so much in the shadow... dunno

I like it very much. I like the classic low-key lighting. Combined with the 'broad-lighting' technique, the low key makes for a very dramatic portrait.

With minimal post processing effort, you could easily convert this to the classic rembrandt portrait.

I believe the general practice today is to keep the actual complexions complete with any blimishes. As for myself I'm sort'a still into the old 'air-brush' appearance, but I can also appreciate the sharpness and detail you've kept in this image. The image is a keeper. You did good.

I do like the shot but for me, I think its too contrasty between the highlights and shadows. I would tone it down a bit. Also the skin tones are slightly off, being too pink and a tighter crop at the top would get rid of some of that unneeded dead space. Like I said though, really nice shot. Hope you don't mind my attempt.

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The top crop is a good idea. And your exposure is pretty good but I think a little more light in his left eye would help a bit and maybe a slightly higher (up) light source too. Your light is actually coming from below him.

Thanks for the critiques. Conkeroo, I don't mind the edit. I agree that adjusting highlights/shadows a bit made the difference.