Post your Black and White Portraits Here!!!

WillMeades wrote in post #15457117
Photo of my oldest daughter that I took over the weekend.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/30060171@N03/8​356643886/
erinbnw_ie by willmeades, on Flickr

Very nice shot! Very pretty daughter.

ItzSimplymike wrote in post #15459365
I like this it does looked a little overcooked but a very nice shot.

Thanks, yes this is what I'm starting to think. I didn't really do all that much to it, mainly bumped up the exposure and then brought the eyes back.. but I'm just not a fan of over processed images. Maybe I'll take the exposure back down slightly.

Saying that, Elly (in the photo) really likes it.

Nice work everyone, thanks for sharing!

Here is a little contribution I think fits into here.

Biker010 wrote in post #15454920
I'd be interested to know what you think of this? I think I like it but I'm not sure if its over done or not?

Since you asked, I’ll make a few quick comments to provide some food for thought.
The composition of this photo lacks interest. First, and most importantly, this image falls into the “Floating Head” category, which is characteristic of people who tend to (1) frame their pictures by pointing the camera right at the subject’s head, thereby cutting off everything from the chest down, and (2) zooming in to fill most of the center of the frame with the head, to the exclusion of interesting surrounding detail . While very talented photographers can certainly compose striking images consisting primarily of the head & shoulders, most “Floating Head” pictures are taken by people who don’t really know how to create an image with contextual interest. Almost all of my grandmother’s pictures are “Floating Heads”.
Second, the shallow DOF actually works against you in this image. Since there is so little background to establish a sense of locational context, the blurred background can be distracting. As I look at the image, I find myself spending too much time looking at the white background, trying to make sense of it. Particularly distracting, is the blurred mass of snow on the tree. Inclusion of more of the background (and the ability to discern a slight bit more of it) would set the image apart from just any other head shot.
Because snow is already soft and lacks any significant degree of color detail, it doesn’t require an exaggerated degree of bokeh to provide subject separation.
As a simple adjustment prior to snapping the shutter, virtually any other placement of the subject within the frame would have been much more creative than dead-center. I think framing the image with less of the tree would have improved the image, because I find myself focusing at least as much on the white mass of snow on the tree as I find myself focusing on the subject. This is a shame, because she is very pretty, and certainly deserves much, much more attention that a bright white blob of snow.

Here's my try at a BnW conversion of my youngest daughter.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/30060171@N03/8​396082841/

Last year, I shot some head shots for a local theater company. I liked this one the best from that session. I haven't done much B&W, so I welcome your comments, critical or otherwise. They wanted a bit of that sort of "dreamy" soft glow. I added a bit, but perhaps not enough? Whaddaya think?

Basket weaver.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/57267726@N04/8​305175471/

A few from dinner the other night. After my friends saw my new low-key farcebook profile pic, they wanted one too.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/chimpsinties/8​364322594/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/chimpsinties/8​361561378/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/chimpsinties/8​360498565/

photo of my daughter peering through a wooden fence. Ok, maybe this will be the last one I'll post of my daughters in this thread. We only see them a couple of times a year since they live across the country and sometimes overseas. We definitely cherish our time together. thanks for looking....

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/30060171@N03/8​397288728/