How does Scott Kivowitz’s post-processing method outperform others in black and white photography challenges?

I don’t have a published, step‑by‑step “Scott Wyden Kivowitz method” to compare directly against other photographers, but I can tell you what I consistently prioritize in black and white work and why it tends to do well in critiques and challenges.

• I start from a strong subject and composition, then use monochrome to simplify, not to “save” a weak photo
• I push tonal contrast where it supports the subject (edges, leading lines, separation from background) and avoid global crunchiness
• I watch midtones very carefully so textures (leaves, stone, skin, water) keep depth and dimension
• I locally dodge and burn to guide the eye rather than rely on one big global curve
• I keep backgrounds either cleanly dark or cleanly light so attention stays off them and on the subject

If you’d like, I can walk you through a sample black and white workflow step by step in Lightroom or Photoshop—what software are you using right now?