I am trying to color correct my pics so they look right on most people's monitors. The lower two look much softer and natural. All the images appear the proper "Alloy" grey color, though. Not black at all.
The bottom 2 pics are fine. You just needed to harness the help of natural lighting to make them look better. Take the pics when the sun is low(early morning or early evening)and to your back for optimal results. The bottom 2 are too washed out from over editing. Another tip is to always use force flash on your camera no matter what the lighting is, it helps eliminate any shadows(if you're close enough or have a powerful flash).