Thanks Richard, I will see if the shadow filter helps. I generally use photoshops levels and curves for adjusting tone. Then I'll often use an Alien Skin plugin called Exposure 2 (http://www.alienskin.com/exposure/) to adjust all my exposure and saturation settings. It's a great plugin if you ever get a chance to check it out.
I'm also wondering if I should adjust my Vray settings so that I can switch on the SRGB toggle, as I've heard this will be more true to a monitors color range.
Foxar, My card is a NVidia 9500GS. I'll have to look into adjusting it through their software. My monitor is an LG Flatron 22" with a 10000:1 fine contrast ratio. Everything else appears normal when I browse or look at other people's work on my monitor. Is there a way to self calibrate?