Black and white portraiture

I love the crop of this emotional portrait. The look on this man's face is intriguing! The tone value in the black and white processing is good, although I find the very bright area of the background a little distracting. Also, the depth of field is just a little too shallow. I think if both eyes were in focus it would be a stronger portrait.

I love the composition of this portrait. The pensive look on the subject's face is enhanced by the unusual perspective. The hard straight lines of the mirror frames enhance the stare. The dark lines in the white frames work well together with the contrast between the eye liner and the white of the eye.

Interesting subject that is well composed and has well exposed backlighting ... but it's out of focus. One thing that is just not possible to change with post processing is poor focus. Being able to discard images (or at least not share them with others) that are not sharp where they need to be is sometimes difficult.

Powerful portrait! This photo grabbed my attention. Balance between the technical and the creative/feeling in this black and white portrait engages and inspires questions about the character and his situation. I would love to know the circumstances and story behind this image. Good lighting and careful post processing rendering high contrast against a solid black background fit perfectly with the mood of the photo. The intense look in the man's eyes, the clarity of detail and superb toning make it a winner.

Wonderfully excecuted studio portrait. Careful lighting, toning and composition add feeling to a beautiful subject. I love the harsh black and white contrast yet the softness of her skin tone, the gentle look in her eye and the smooth curves of the model and her hood. There's a deep sense of mystry evoked with this powerful portrait.

One of the strengths of good black and white portraiture is when it amplifies the feeling of the image. This photo certainly does this. The resolute stare of the subject att he camera could easily have been distracted if it were a colour image. Fitting lighting, exposure and processing all add tot he strength of feeling. It may have benefitted from cropping the top of the photo a little or to have angled the camera down slightly as you were making the composition.

A good, strong portrait with lots of emotion, well enhanced by the high contrast post processing. I feel the compostion lets it down somewhat. I would have liked to see the whole of the sewing machine, which could have been achieved by tilting the camera down as you were composing this portrait.

Beautifully captured sensitive, fun moment. Certainly the decisive moment! Excellent composition combined with a good exposure, compatible lighting and a nice tone range all work together very well. This photo emits great joy and marvelous emotion and a great example of a photographer who is not too concerned with overtly controlling their subjects at a portrait sitting.