interesting, and i was thinking maybe the more painterly approach would age better! however, classic black and white has a long tradition and any b&w done in this manner will ride on the waves of the past. sea and sky don't change, but fashions do. this brings in nostalgia. for a simpler time, etc. and nostalgia is predicated on being a resident of time past! (the weight of the present has been lifted from us. we're already gone.)
for example, this very famous photo by cartier-bresson typifies what i mean: time frozen, the leaper, the dancer on the poster, etc. (and hcb actually cropped this pic, which he rarely did.)
also, i'd say the transition of tones in this fairly abrupt, and even more in the photos of bill brandt, perhaps my favorite photographer. harsh contrasts are a part of the photographic history. adams and weston set a precident, but it's not the only one. still, personal preferences will always apply.
http://www.billbrandt.com/Focus/focus_on.html
thanks again.
wayne
www.pbase.com/wwp
ps. i've posted the whole series of the laramie project at
www.pbase.com/wwp/laramie