What am I doing wrong?

[batmura]

I would appreciate feedback on these B&W conversions I've done as well as your C&C on the compositions.

#1

Snugg Harbor Staten Island Black & White by batmura, on Flickr

#2

Prospect Park Brooklyn Black & White by batmura, on Flickr

 

[unpopular]

It is hard to say on the composition without seeing a color version and some details of how you got here. WHAT is wrong is that in #1 too much contrast, too little shadow detail in both, blown hilights in the first, and a lack of range in the second.

 

[DGMPhotography]

Well the first one doesn't look B&W. There's a bluish tint, but I like the shots.

 

[unpopular]

^^^ yes. it is common for this to happen when a clipped greyscale image is converted back to RGB without color management.

I have had problems uploading greyscale profiled images to flickr, it's better to just convert to sRGB before uploading..

 

[KmH]

The shadows are blocked (have no detail), the opposite of blown (no detail) highlights.

In #1, having the part of the building facing the camera would have been better than the back lighting.
Or, you could have made a B&W from a HDR so the shadows retained some detail.