The post process effect works with this interesting pose. The potentially distracting venetian blinds fit in alright with the casual pose and look. However the rogue elements along the left edge of the frame are distractions.
There was a time when I tried using photoshop effects to improve a photo that had problems. Then I decided that it was usually a bad idea. In this case I think more could have been gained by fixing the problem with the blinds - the big black spaces that occur beneath their lower edges - and moving that shiny wire thingy . The edge of the table on which the elbow rests is a bit of a problem - more precisely the fact that the lower edge is in the photo. The pose does not strike me as natural or photogenic and it is a hard pose to crop well.
i don't know anything about portraiture, so i'm using your image to try to figure out what i think i would or wouldn't do in this situation, as well as what i notice and get out of your image.
this is certainly an interesting image (not the least of which is the 'effect' you have achieved--hope you cough up the details in your notes!). if the art of portraiture is to capture the essence of an individual, you have done this in a most unique manner. the pose seems to be one of both study and inquisitiveness, as if you are working through what you are going to do next. all in all, a job well done. good luck!
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