B&W or colour - which works best ?

[Buggbairn]

Hi all :D

I don't have much experience in B&W photography, but what I do know is that only certain shots look better in B&W.

I've converted this shot using the channel mixer method.

Can I have folks opinions on whether this conversion works or whether they prefer the colour version.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/weejoe/IMG_2364bw.jpg



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v344/weejoe/IMG_2364c.jpg


Thanks for looking :)

[sblais]

So much texture and contrast in this image, B/W is quite an image! But the color one is also very attractive. Should I have to pick only one, I would probably go for the color one though...

[jessiper]

I think I prefer the color, but the B&W would be really good too if the whites weren't blown. I can see the information in the color one so I know it's there. Try and fix that and the first will be great. :)

[SanderH]

The color version much more apeals to me.

[cristoleyz]

I like the B&W.....moody, kind of creepy.

Chris

[ghosh]

Color

[sugarzebra]

I too pick the colour, but working on the conversion could improve the B&W. Nice shot BTW.

[cntry]

color here also, color and contrast just work. Great shot.

[queenbee288]

color for me too. I agree that the black and white could work but needs more work.

[Buggbairn]

Thanks for everyones feedback, really appreciated :D


So I guess I went overboard with the contrast in the B&W version, it was deliberate but I guess it does create a lack of detail in the white areas.

Thanks again :)

[Speedsixnine]

Both are very good but the color one appeals to me more.

[Heatseeker99]

Usually I prefer color, but here the B&W is more appealing to me. I like the contrast.

[Big WIll]

Colour at the moment, but maybe tuning the B&W it may be different!

[NewbieXT]

Of the two posted, I like BW. More dramatic

[mgreenlee]

I'm a BW fan but I'll go with the color. It's something about the green that I like.

[Frank_Hollahan]

Colored one for me Scottie, I like the texture in the driftwood better and that patch of orange on the horizon. Although the sky is still very dramtic which I like in the B/W, there's a little detail lost in the FG, IMHO. All in all, I love this shot.

[Lin-z]

I prefer the black and white. I agree that it could get better with a little work on the conversion.

I also really like the color as well. It is a nice shot.

[Broncobear]

Personally I would go with the BW on thsi one, I really like the mood but I'd dim the level a bit for less bright white and darker clouds and background.

[T.O.]

both are very nice!!
I prefer the color version here, but maybe you can work again the B&W one and get a better result. You could for instance add some contrast to the foreground and reduce the hot spots on the branches.
In any case, nice subject, nice composition
regards,
T.O.

[samsen]

Brunet or blond?
No right or wrong answer.
At least here you have one real choice.
Your chose the mood that you want to convey to use.

[mgreenlee]

both are very nice!!
I prefer the color version here, but maybe you can work again the B&W one and get a better result. You could for instance add some contrast to the foreground and reduce the hot spots on the branches.
In any case, nice subject, nice composition
regards,
T.O.

I might have taken it too far..
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c70/mgreenlee/Photoshop/BW.jpg

[rammy]

The coloured one definately looks the best alhtough the BW would be great with some gentle dodging and burning. Did you use a Grad for the sky? The fallen branches seem to have lost some detail with the white burn out.

[rstuntz]

I'll throw my two cents in.

I like the color better for now. I am with a lot of other people in that I think the B&W would be a better picture with some photoshop work. I have played with it a bit and have not been able to get the result I envision.

If I get it, I'll post it. Great picture.

[Wildewinds]

Wow, this is a great shot.

The only thing that makes it less than perfect is that the top of the roots seem to be overexposed.

Between the two, if you can fix the blown out roots (and maybe the bright parts of the sky since they're a bit too blown out as well), the black and white would be better. I'd suggest upping the saturation a bit in the colored version to improve that one.

[mlc]

I prefer the colour. The whispy grass gives a soft vertical theme which contrasts well with the strong horizontal lines of the roots, but it needs the colour to distinguish it - in the b/w it simply confuses the image imo.

[Tony The Pony]

I simply love the tones in the colorized version :) so i pick color

[Mike R]

The color one, The B&W needs some additional work, The wood appears too bright.

[Bob_A]

B&W, but I'd like to see a version with slightly less contrast. It's a real eerie image, I like it!

[davidmigl]

If you could get the b+w nailed it would be killer.... I would prefer b+w on this one because it adds a sense of "desolate" "alone" and "ominous" - which is what I see in the image.

[ArcticEOS]

That is awesome! BW for sure!

[xandria]

I prefer the BW version. I like the contrast.

[Jon Reid]

I'm part of the crowd that usually thinks black and white makes a good picture great but I really love the colour version here, the dashes of green interspersed with the bark/roots at the front is superb. Great composition, it's a beautiful image.

[xstrio]

its a good job you can have both, usually its quite an easy decision, not with this one. i think if i was going to put it on my wall it would be the bw as its so contrasting and catches the eye, but the colour gives more of a feeling for the scene. if that makes secene

[MARKinCORNWALL]

Its colour for me as well

[Phil Light]

I'm normally a big fan of color, but I think the B&W is outstanding. I prefer it much more than the color one.

[SpiltPickle]

I'm a sucker for B&W photos (as well as interesting trees and clouds), and really like this one in B&W.

[eos_o_eos]

Color for me. Lovely shot

[elise1030]

Definitely the colour one for me too. I saw the B & W one and then scrolled to the colour and it literally took my breath away.

Fantastic job!

[greg76]

black and white by a mile. the colour versions to busy

[Tadpole]

First off, Wow! What a great shot. I love the B&W, but after staring at it for a while I have to agree with some of the previous posters regarding the blown out whites. Tone down the contrast a little and it would be perfect, but as is it is still a keepr. Thanks for sharing.

[Buggbairn]

Wow !!!

Thanks everyone for the comments :D

With regards to the blown out highlights in the monochrome version I'll definately go back and retrieve the lost detail, the information is there, I just went a little overboard with my contrast PP.

I used a 2 stop NDG (soft) in this shot for everyone's information.

Thanks again :)

[Athena]

I'm a fan of high-contrast B&W, but I like the color version here. Not because of the blown highlights in the B&W, but mainly because I like seeing the contrast between alive (green) and not (wood). It's fabulous.