moody, strong portrait...

[englandshottest2]

did this a few months back with an ex...
was going for the strong, moody feel, as often apparent in shots of the 60s/70s. thought this captured the feeling of the moment well, as though one can feel the presence, etc. C&C's welcome :)

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/IMG_JF_0014-EDIT2-rr.jpg

[Steep]

He stands out very well against the background but it looks contrived, I think it's like he's got a sign lit up saying "I'm looking moody"

[radiantvision]

Oh dear, composition, composition... :) To me it's not moody, to be honest; ultra-sharp background distracts me. Smaller depth of field would help... :)

[yourapocalypse]

I agree with the Radiant one, could do with less depth of field.

Am I the only person who looked at it and started humming the Sisters of Mercy?

[Duckydoodle]

Think there's too much in the shot taking away from the subject. The blown sky at the top is also distracting. The contrived moody look doesn't bother me we see posed model shots everyday that work well. Had a go at an edit trying to place the focus on the guy in the shot hope you don't mind. Feel free to say if it's rubbish :)

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd155/mausue/IMG_JF_0014-EDIT2-rredit.jpg

[englandshottest2]

all good points, thanks! like the edit too...works well in portrait mode :D....my theory on the blown sky was that since it was supposed to be highly contrasted, i didn't want to do hdr, as that would just be a dead giveaway as to post processing, which in this instance i was going for the 'real' look. and the pure white further added to the contrast, and sort of gave perspective and ability to understand where the scenery ended, etc.