hmm. the idea is good, the concept is good, the lighting is good, but the execution fails badly.
1. the sword
it is really too big for dolly. sort of doesn't match her (ren2 pei4 jian4, jian4 pei4 ren2.. ever heard of it ?). also it doesn't really match the outfit well.
2. holding the sword
very unnatural. the way the sword is held isn't natural enough. if you've taken a look at "super icon vol.1" - the pictorial book created by leslie kee who'd shot a whole long series of Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino welding a sword, you'll see what's the difference between holding a sword naturally and unnaturally (check it out to see what i mean.. this has nothing to do with the sword matching the person or not.)
okay, one may argue that yes the sword used by Tarantino is a simple bladed design, while this is a huge a.la. "Feng yun" type weapon. refer to feng yun comics on how to hold such a huge weapon correctly then.
3. posing with the sword
very unnatural. again, refer to the Leslie Kee pictorial. (it's still available at borders if i'm not wrong.) too much emphasis has been placed on the sword. as much as this whole series is about a person welding a weapon, the amount of emphasis placed on the weapon is too much.
as such, the focus of the picture is now blurry - sword, or model ? model, or sword ? sometimes it's very hard to tell which is the proper focus. for e.g., pic #1 (nice lighting, nice red eyes, nice PS) - holding unnatural, emphasis on sword or model - unknown, resulting in unnatural pose.
it would be best that "man" (or "woman") and "sword" become one... "man(woman) and sword". that would be a successful shoot because everything will then be natural. however i know reality and execution is always different from perceived reality and execution.
kudoz to you all for trying such a challenging theme.
#4 is pretty good in my opinion, BUT - the way the sword is held is not good. should be held lower if you want to pose with relaxed arms.. holding at that height, you need to tense your arms to make yourself look "fierce".
overall, nice lighting, nice theme. it's stuff that i don't think i can replicate though so don't come asking me for an equal or better photo - i can't, i repeat, i cannot do it.
just my honest opinions, please don't be offended.