I was walking through a camp ground with my 4x5 on the tripod over my shoulder and people kept asking if I would take their picture - I guess that is a great way to make some portraits.
I think this is nicely done. Since you were shooting with 4x5, I surmise that he took the shot quite seriously! And you see that in his posture and expression.
Yes - it is amazing the difference in shots take with a cute little camera and a real camera. I especially notice the difference when shooting 8x10. It is almost like I found a window into the soul. There is a real betrayal of character when using a slow deliberate and large camera. There is also something about how the dof makes the image 3d. I posted this on a photo board and all I got was comments from digiweenies about how I "did it wrong" in photoshop. I guess using digital makes reading difficult as the camera and film and developer were all mentioned.