I took this shoot couple of years ago, but I have never got i reviewed. I used a beauty dish 45 degrees up to the left, and a white reflector under, like a clum shell setup to the left. I used a 120 x 30 cm softbox back to the right as hairlight and to get some light on her cheek. And I used a flash with a reflector to make the background white, that I later change to this blue one in PS. My english isn´t what it should be, but I hope you understand my setup.
As the discussion is about light I'll say things only about the light — the skin is overexposed both on the front side of the face and on the side of the face.
Thank you Tihomir for your comment, now that you mentin it, I see it too.
I think Peter Hurley started this trend of shooting landscape for "headshots". If one is doing editorial, or advertising images where copy is going to inserted onto the image, then I definitely see shooting horizontal. Otherwise, it's questionable for me.
Jonas,
You have caught a very nice smile and her eyes engage the viewer, which are very good things. The kicker is a little to strong, overpowering the key light a bit. Overall, the exposure is a touch over, by 1/2 stop I would say. The background colour goes well with her eye colour but the grid pattern is not appropriate. It is not very feminine and is distracting. Putting some shade on your background can help create more focus on the subject and add depth to the image. This does not need to be heavy shade. Wardrobe; a heavy texture black jumper, not a good choice for what is otherwise a high key female headshot. Carefully select colours that are harmonic or complimentary to her hair or eye colour. A silky blouse in a medium - pale blue might have been a good choice or a simple cream blouse, would have worked too. Light weight and smooth texture for a shot tlike this, I suggest. Finally the straps inside the colar of the jumper is a no no, unless the two garments are designed to be like that, and these were not.
Keep up the good work.
Thank you Ian for good feedback, I will really think about this on my next shoot.