Stills

I think that this photograph shows a lot about the person being photographed.

Aye, but not necessarily what the subject had in mind - look also to the clean manicured finger nails, the chain and the watch.

I'm unsure where to put this photo. The subject is aware of the camera (or appears to be), and is sort of posing, but sort of not. The other elements of the photo aren't controlled enough for this to be a formal portrait, there isn't enough going on for this to be documentary - and so on.
 

Yes he may be manicured but he did forget to shave that morning and his tee shirt is a bit grubby!

For me the grey lump on his left shoulder needs to be darkened to separate it from his shoulder.
 

One might see someone like this in UK but the chances are far higher in the US. It's interesting to speculate on his genetic antecedents - I wouldn't narrow it down any further than Anglo-Saxon with a touch of Scandinavia! That clash between T-shirt and fingernails is very interesting because I imagine that he is a volunteer on a nature reserve - essential ingredients for which are an indigenous walking stick and a pick-up truck!

I think that the transition to semi-posed shot meant that the background had to be attended to and the grey bit does spoil the overall effect. Either you or he needed to shuffle round a bit to find an appropriate background. Cutting off the left elbow betrays, perhaps, the unease over the grey.

An interesting subject, nonetheless and something of his character does come through.
 

Great expression, but I wonder about that cut off elbow. With it in frame, this might have been unbalanced, but there is something unsettling about cutting it off.
 

Thanks as usual for the helpful comments.

This gentleman is a volunteer at the prairie preserve -- we were talking with him about the walking sticks that he carves in his spare time, and he showed me his favorite -- at which point I asked if I could photograph him with it. He went right into this pose and I was not about to quibble about the background, though in hindsight perhaps I could have moved over or something. You are right that the cut off elbow was a reaction to that piece of grey, which is part of his tent, -- I have some other shots that include it, as well as some wider more spontaneous views taken a bit later. Here is one:

http://cgstudios.smugmug.com/gallery/3719808#229176728-A-LB

He was living on the campground along with a pet exotic parrot and I got the impression he had been there throughout the long, hot summer. I am guessing he volunteers in exchange for a free campsite. I believe the truck belongs to the preserve.
 

Amazing how different he looks in the linked shot. In that one, I like the context.
 

As your subject seemed willing to pose then some of the distractions others have mentioned could have been resolved before flicking the shutter. As it stands and having looked at the linked shot and read the background then I'd be looking more for an environmental portrait. The linked shot has more going for it in the background but the hand and eye gaze hold it back a little. This one, being much closer to the subject, highlights better the incongruities Colin mentions. I'll always go for the eyes, and this one really needs catch-light. Too many whiskers to find out what the mouth is saying though...
 

Not sure colour is helping you here. I do get distracted and have a hard time feeling interested by the guy. Maybe I should come back again later.