Hello Earl. I like the portrait and think the backdrop was a good choice. I have no standing around here anymore, but I was here when Usefilm members used to give frank advice in order to improve the skills of its other members. I'm trying to give back for all I've learned here before every comment came up "Good shot! Congrats! Please see my portfolio." So here goes; I hope you don't think I'm being a meanie.
I see a couple of easily fixed issues with this photo, the most distracting is the hard shadow on the wall behind you two. Three things need to be done; first move away from the wall, second aim the flash up to the ceiling and third shallow up your depth of field to maybe f8 or f9. The last item will be trickiest because you need to make absolutely certain you get the eyes in focus. And on the subject of the eyes, the direct flash (apart from making the harsh shadow) is making your eyes gleam in an unnatural way. If you're using the onboard flash, you can either move the camera back or you can block the popup flash with just a little piece of frosted plastic, such as from a gallon milk jug. It should help in acting as a diffusor. If you're looking to spend money, there are lots of photo gear shops that will sell you one.:) :) :)
There are some EXCELLENT portrait photogs on this site. I'm sure you'll find examples that illustrate the points I bring up.
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