First Black & White Image

I like it. You have captured a lot of detail, even to spotting a chap down there. Personally, I'd like it a little lighter but I'm not a photographer at all, so I'm only speaking as just for looking at your photo.

I expect you'll get some useful comments/critique a bit later this evening - from those that have experience etc

Well done

It will be interesting to see what you can come up with. Looking forward to it
J

Scania, that is a very nice conversion, not just for a first effort, but for an experienced operator too.
I like the balance of light and dark across the scene, with the lighter grass heads on the left hand side balancing the dark scrub on the right. I think that you have got the sky just about perfect, but if I was to suggest any improvements I would agree with jackscrap in boosting some of the contrast in the foreground. This would give even more interest in this area, if anything I find my eye not lingering there for long but heading straight along the beach (which to be honest isn't a bad thing).

Phil, I liked your original but the added contrast does make on pause before taking in the rest of the scene. Perhaps, a very soft vignette might be nice....although in parts of the scene it looks as though you may already have added one.

Agree this is a good image and processing.

My main suggestion would be to crop the bottom at about half way up the grass on the lhs.

For me the sky is the most interesting part and if cropped as suggested the sky would become the largest horizontal 'strip'.

Great image. I love the sky, the beach, the grass but altogether I think it's too much. I'd crop off half the grass so it isn't a distraction and the lone figure on the beach is more to the middle and in the picture. I think he's more interesting than the grass that's all.  And he emphasises the beauty and isolation.