Hey, ognistik, where have you been, haven't seen you around for a while.
I like these shots, I think the black and white really adds to the shots here. I like the second one better than the first one, but they are both really nice. I just think the close crop works better for the second one, and I like the background being black too. The background isn't bad in the first one though, the crop just doesn't work as well as the second one's does for me. Good stuff.
thanks for the comment! yeah, well, I've been off for a while. I mean, I have some photos in line waiting for edition... but time is always a factor that limits me.
I don't often use horizontal orientation or crop for portraits, so just for the sake of trying I did it.