The power of the dark side.

Lately I've noticed my pictures becoming darker.
Not the one already extracted that I'm just retouching, nor the ones from the Archives, but only the ones that I'm still working on in Lightroom, so the one from the last shootings, or from the ones still in the initial stages of the workflow.
I'm not sure why this is happening, maybe because I'm not properly tuned with the display on the new MacBook Pro, or maybe because I'm now working on the pictures mainly in the living room whilst listening to music, instead of in the kitchen like in the old days, or maybe it is my taste in pictures that has changed and I'm entering a dark mode both while shooting as well as while editing the files (like the blue and pink periods in Picasso's paintings).

I had this photo ready to be published for months now, and it was never the right time.
During the holidays I was working on 4 more pictures of Viktory (more of a sculpture than a model) and, when I extracted them, I compared them with the older pictures inside her folder and already published, and I found the previous ones to be way too bright!
Especially this one was not to my liking, and I had to change it, making it much darker.
After having checked the new version also in the kitchen light, I still find it ideal taken in isolation, the only highlights are on the breast region, and that has the correct exposure and the web pattern of the veins is perfectly visible below the skin, everything else is vanishing gradually towards the shadows, as you would expect in a dimly lit room.

Then I realized I still had the previous version in the trash bin of my Mac, and I was curious to see the difference.
Today I'm uploading both versions of the picture, new (darker) and old (brighter), both in color and BW, so you can see for yourself.
The difference is striking, and I was tempted to make a third version in between, but I actually think the new darker version is the better one.

Not sure how long this passage to the dark side is going to last but, if you want to appreciate the darker pictures in the best way, I suggest to look at them in a dark room, full screen, with no distraction from other sources of light.
Something like when I'm listening to my music with headphones, in the dark or with my eyes shut, to appreciate every detail.
... I wonder if my revived passion for music is the cause for this new approach to photography...

Which of the 2 versions do YOU prefer, darker or lighter?

If you want to learn more about the Bramley Apple Project or Archives, or DA subscriptions, ask me on bramleyapple@yahoo.com