The high contrast look — and reality
Coming back to the style of the pictures above, on another forum where I also posted them I was taken to task by several people for the high contrast look and advised that the pictures "could definitely benefit from some lightening of the shadows".
My response was that I'm not after a long mid-tone range but like a higher contrast look, not only to reflect the bright light and deep, black shadows of the tropics but also for aesthetic reasons — I like to create strong graphic forms by compressing the shadows — although if you look at the square portrait above you'll see that, in addition to the "bite" of some high contrast, there is also a long midtone range because that is what I thought was apprpiate for a picture of this young woman.
Basically, I feel that a B&W photograph is nowhere near "reality" in the values of tones and one can and should manipulate them for expressive purposes, and that this can lead to a stronger expression of reality.
Any thoughts these issues and on whether the pictures are excessively high in contrast and would benefit from lengthening the shadows?
—Mitch/Bangkok
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/