This is only the 2nd portrait i have taken and the first one with a flash. I had a gold reflector angled underneath her face. Our apt ceilling is about 12ft so i don't know if it affected the flash or not. Jumping right to it, any constructive criticism? One i heard was that i cut her limbs off. If i cropped closer would that not be an issue. Thanks in advance for your feedback.

 

When you crop the limbs, the general rule is to not crop at the joints. It doesn't seem like you did that here, so I say you're good. The lighting is fine. Being that it's shot in the apartment, you can't really help the background, but I'd pick a place that is less distracting. Maybe near a window or in the corner. Good job for your second attempt.

Here's some good reading
Lighting 101: Bouncing off of Walls and Ceilings
Lighting 101: Headshot in a Corner

 

I was waiting for you to show up Stu. Always look forward to your comments. Thanks for the tips (and the compliment)!

 

dont like the background? change it
http://www.cgtextures.com/

free to get 15mb a day.

compared to the paid background sites, this is great even if a bit limited.. you might have to combine a few textures to get something really unique.

Pic is nice and warm, really sets off the hair color.