different black and white techniques..

been experimenting with various b&w techniques over the last week, and i've had some interesting results..
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisrich/88157594/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/16/88157594_90a5d55286.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Kick in the Head" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisrich/88569602/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/21/88569602_e7716235db.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Michelle on a bench" /></a>
i found it very hard to blow hilights deliberately when processing these, so i'd really appreciate any feedback regarding processing technique or compositional aspects..
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisrich/88157594/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/16/88157594_90a5d55286.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Kick in the Head" /></a>
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisrich/88569602/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/21/88569602_e7716235db.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Michelle on a bench" /></a>
i found it very hard to blow hilights deliberately when processing these, so i'd really appreciate any feedback regarding processing technique or compositional aspects..