High Contrast B&W.. Does this work?

[Kristy]

I'm experimenting tonight...

I was messing around in RSE and played with shadow, highlight, and fill.. came up with this.. I kind of like it, but is it too much?? Pretty contrasty....

[michael88]

I like it Kristy. I don't think it is overly contrasty at all.

[twalker294]

I love it just the way it is. Excellent work.

[Kristy]

AWW... Thanks guys! So nice to hear good feedback.. I just wasnt' sure if it worked. I really like it, but I'm inclined to like things that are weird to other people. :)

Thanks for taking the time to post..

How' ya doing Mike? Haven't seen much of your posts lately? We should have a Phoenix get-together... could trade secrets and learn from each other. I always love the pics of your kiddos. :)

[hijinks]

Looks good to me. Is this a crop or do you have a shot with out the elbow being cropped off?

[Kristy]

Looks good to me. Is this a crop or do you have a shot with out the elbow being cropped off?

Thanks.. This is a 5x7 crop.. unfortunately, the elbow is not completely in the frame on the original either... This baby was extremely fussy, so I was working quickly and lost a bit of quality..

I could crop it more closely, but I like seeing the mommy's arms around the baby's body, so decided the missing elbow wasn't really that important.

I'm learning as I go along, and I can tell you that newborns are a huge challenge when they are not in a good mood. :)

[dawnrogers]

I thinks great...well done really like it as it is.

[ABrownPhoto]

Fantastic job! i love everything about it!

Really awesome!

[antelopeslr5000]

Great work. Apart from the elbow, everything else is spot on!

[Rubberhead]

Stunning.

[hawk911]

I think it's fantastic! Nice comp and perfect lighting. Makes me jealous. Nice work.

[::Lisa::]

Beautiful. I don't think it's overdone.

[lisa1969]

I like it a lot, great work!

[TheSteveMadden]

I think it looks great, kristy.

You've managed to keep just enough tonal graduation in the skin to keep it soft and make it work.

Good job.

[momof2boys]

I Love it ! great job

[kpiela]

Beautiful Kristy. I am sure the mom loves it.

[Rhinotherunt]

Looks good to me!

[Kristy]

Thanks so much everyone.. I appreciate you taking the time to comment on this... It's a little "edgy" for my norm, but I do like it too! :) Typically I'm drawn to things that are a bit "softer" , you know...

Anyway, it's a keeper and I'm going to try this on a couple other shots. :)

Happy Day!

[cdifoto]

Works for me. I don't like B&W that isn't high-ish contrast to be honest.

[Rachelinaz]

I think this is stunning.

[Rumrunner]

Incredibly beautiful! Nice work.

[Ferrari 1]

I think it's, absolutely, perfect the way it is. Don't change a thing.

[Gear Dog]

I like it.
good shot

[christyjo2]

Beautiful picture! i love it and the contrast!

[lesleysmeshly]

Beautiful. Very, very nice.

[g-money]

Beautiful shot! I like it just like it is.

Greg

[ErikM]

I really like this shot. Not too constrasty at all. Great work!

[Gear Dog]

I think it came out great.

[Kristy]

Just another round of thanks! I appreciate the new comments...and appreciate you all for taking the time to post here. :)

Looks like this one must be a keeper for sure. I'm almost finished proofing this session. Such a beautiful family. I did maternity for this mother also and she was simply stunning! :)

Happy Day!

[JimHejl]

It works. Beautiful.

This is a really small detail (but so easy to fix). My eye drifts to her right forearm. The shading there is a bit distracting (and maybe a bit unflattering). 30 second photoshop fix!

[kato1]

I love it too.

[int0xicatedxluv]

personally I tend to like high contrasty things, but as a whole this DEFINITELY works