An opinion request

So i guess it's high time i reveal a little more about myself and why i'm requesting your valued opinions.

So i've been doing photography for about 20 years or so, always used to roll my own film and develop. I've always had a strong affinity for B&W. I believe when executed properly it can add drama and beauty to even the most boring of pictures.

As for insect macro, i'm just heading into my 2nd month and attempting to be a most diligent student. I feel i have improved at a satisfactory rate thus far with the equipment i have at hand.

Now i attempt a crossover, i've been browsing these forums for quite sometime (well before i decided to become a member) and do not recollect seeing anyone post something like this before( i could very well be wrong though).

1.

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Good shots but I nearly always prefer colour in macro.
Brian V.

+1. B&w macro rarely works for me.

I have seen other attempts, but colour usually works better.

There may be situations when a B/W conversion does work, but the colours are part of the wonder of the pants and animals we snap.

Definitely need color in macros.

I'm no macro expert JD but colour deffo looks better in my opinion BUT im not saying your posts are bad either

same here.B&W treatment doesn,t do justive to the colorful insects we are trying to showcase.

LordV wrote in post #16032717
Good shots but I nearly always prefer colour in macro.
Brian V.

orionmystery wrote in post #16032736
+1. B&w macro rarely works for me.

BasAndrews wrote in post #16032750
I have seen other attempts, but colour usually works better.

There may be situations when a B/W conversion does work, but the colours are part of the wonder of the pants and animals we snap.

Mac Diarmada wrote in post #16032831
Definitely need color in macros.

Fredan wrote in post #16032844
I'm no macro expert JD but colour deffo looks better in my opinion BUT im not saying your posts are bad either

mandokid1 wrote in post #16032892
same here.B&W treatment doesn,t do justive to the colorful insects we are trying to showcase.

I thank you all for your honest opinions, only reason i chose these specifically was because the background was really lackluster, more specifically in the first 2. figure i'd give it a shot. Points well taken, thanks again everyone

Nice work but I prefer colour macro!

I agree that I feel insects work only in colour.

As your thread is for opinion, if you don't mind, may I share a couple of B/W Macro shots I did. I feel B/W Macro can most definitely work. However more so on an inanimate subject.

E.g the Internals of a Hard Disk drive.

Awesome shots Ian, i do have to agree with unanimous opinion of the macro community. Funny part is the people who like it are the non macro shooters, go figure. an experiment i definitely wont be attempting with bugs again haha.

Thanks Dan, i managed a pretty colorful selection this morning i still need to edit, hopfully have them up later

I wouldn't say that black and white hasn't got a place in insect macro. Black and white demands more tonal imagination and awareness of what light is doing. If one was to pursue great B&W insect macros I feel this will have a dramatic impact on one's colour work. Even just thinking about B&W in post processing can help to get a better appreciation of the light and dark of an image.

Snowyman wrote in post #16034277
I wouldn't say that black and white hasn't got a place in insect macro. Black and white demands more tonal imagination and awareness of what light is doing. If one was to pursue great B&W insect macros I feel this will have a dramatic impact on one's colour work. Even just thinking about B&W in post processing can help to get a better appreciation of the light and dark of an image.

It doesn't work for me Snowy, stripping a bee and its food source of colour kills the image... it lacks life!!

I feel the beauty of insects would be totally lost in black & white...