I like the model, pose and all your effort. My instincts wish that there was a mid grey tone - either the shirt or background. Even lightening the darks slightly to show forms around the head would work, maybe.
@ethelperry So that's what it is. I think you're right. I looked at this quite a bit, wondering why it seemed so "off". I may or may not redo this particular picture. The story is: I initally set up a nice neutral background against a white wall. Then, the lighting didn't quite work .. made odd shadows and highlights etc. So, we played with the light from different angles and distances etc., and in the process, completely forgot about the background. So I ended up with some very nice pictures of Joe's face but the backgrounds were totally cluttered with distracting miscellaneous stuff. I tried putting in my own backgrounds after the fact, with mixed results.
He seems to really pop off the background and after reading all the comments above I guess you've figured out why it does. I think you've done a nice job though. And you're lucky to have such a willing model!
