I have been lurking here for a quite while but I've been a bit too intimidated by some of the phenomenal pictures that are posted here to post anything myself.

I am attempting to venture into professional photography and would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism or comments any of you might have.
thank you.

These are all very nice. I really like fourth and the last.

Welcome to this forum.

I hope you have fun here.

Your first post is a very impressive one.

Very good set of images.

Cute expressions and nice "appeal" to them too.

You should do very well if you are aiming to do this for pay. I like them very much and think they look far better than most studio photos. If one of these was someone I loved or liked, I would be "sold."

Well done.

I agree... absolutely fantastic. I love all of them.

really like 2,
3 I think the shadows are a little strong,
4 is easily my favorite great shot,
5 the pose seems akward to me and the bright forearms against the black pants draw too much attention,
7&8 nice poses, very strong shots.
Thanks for posting
Cy

thank you very much for the kind words and critique.

could you go over your lighting setup for photos 2 , 4and 5? thanks!

I agree with the previous compliments. Even with very good shots I try to see where they could be improved. With that in mind:
#1 I see lots of headroom above the model. Maybe too much.
#2 Cropping a bit off the right side would remove the chair and place the model more favourably in the frame. The base of the candles are very close to the bottom of the frame - a detail to watch for next time.
#5. Again there is lots of headroom and I find the knees are very dark, making the bottom half of the photo dark. Perhaps a monitor problem - yours or mine.
#6 Again crop the top. Something up there in the upper right corner is distracting, and nothing in the top (above his head) is contributing.
What a great first post. Don't take these comments as anything but minor details to consider. Press on with your plans for pro photography.

#4 is fave for me.

all great expressions and nice selection of backgrounds and colors... it's refreshing to see a set of images not using black or gray as the background. Images pop and skin color looks natural so your exposures are good. Cropping could use some improvement but no doubt you are headed in the right direction. Best of luck in your business pursuit!

these are wonderful shots

#2 was shot in a office adjacent to my studio. it was lit by a single sb-800 speed light bounced off a wall (which is the same ochre color of the background) slightly to the left of the model. it was shot @ f1.4.
#4 was shot with an alien bees ab800 with a soft box just above the camera and another ab800 with a shoot through umbrella angled toward the adult models face. I had a sb-800 hidden behind the adult model to give that spotlight look.
#5 was simply an ab400 with a softbox to the left of the camera and a reflector to the right.

I hope that is a adequate description of the set up.

I really appreciate you all taking the time to look at my pictures. with the photography market being as competitive as it is, I think it is a valuable asset to have someone point out ways to improve your shooting that you may not initially see yourself.
I will definitely think more about cropping next time.