This is off to a good start Richard! Remember you want to try to have 9 different tones starting with the lightest (color of the paper) to as dark as you can get. I would start by lightening the area around the main highlight and also darkening the darkest area on the right side and bottom. Than you can work on the transition of tones in between those two areas. The reflected highlight should not be as white as the main highlight and I would tone it down. The reflected highlight represents a glow coming off the surface a subject is sitting on. It should blend into the dark toning above it to achieve that glow effect. Not the easiest thing to capture, but you will get it with practice. Your cast shadow is cut off, but I think you need to angle it back more instead of down and have the shadow fade lighter as it moves away from the subject. Nice job!
This is off to a good start Richard! Remember you want to try to have 9 different tones starting with the lightest (color of the paper) to as dark as you can get. I would start by lightening the area around the main highlight and also darkening the darkest area on the right side and bottom. Than you can work on the transition of tones in between those two areas. The reflected highlight should not be as white as the main highlight and I would tone it down. The reflected highlight represents a glow coming off the surface a subject is sitting on. It should blend into the dark toning above it to achieve that glow effect. Not the easiest thing to capture, but you will get it with practice. Your cast shadow is cut off, but I think you need to angle it back more instead of down and have the shadow fade lighter as it moves away from the subject. Nice job!
Richard, this is such a great improvement from your first sphere! Take Doug’s advice and it will be even better.