B & W

We just picked up a Canon 50mm 1.4 and wanted to give it a try.

Face looks great, the pose of the hand is a fairly major no-no in portrait work though. Always better to try to get the edge of the hand or AT LEAST a 45deg view, and keep the fingers more relaxed and closer together.

The 1.4 is an awesome lens though, I'm sure you'll be very happy with it!

I think the b/w is very good, with just enough highlights in the hair to be very realistic.
At first I liked the hand, but now I think it is too dominant and distracts from the face which is where a person's character lies.