Color vs B&W?

NanoPixel

Hi all,
This is my third submission to this site and i wanted to get your humble opinion on whether to go color or black and white. I like both at times but have a difficult time deciding which one to pick. How do you decide and what is your thought process in your decision? Thanks in advance!

#1

#2

#3

#4

Art Scott

tractors...B/W

Bridge...... hmmmm not really feeling either...maybe B/W with more contrast ......... or color in a more HDR effect....

austinjames

I like them in B/W

Art Morgan

The tractors are so colorful (at least the front and middle ones) that I think the shot demands to stay in color. Seems to me you are showing off the tractors themselves as opposed to telling some other story with the shot.

OTOH, the bridge shot screams b&W because there's not any exciting color there to begin with, and to me it's the repeating shapes/patterns that are the subject of the shot. I like to see this type of material in b&w to have the viewer see the shapes/patterns instead of being 'distracted' by color.

kshays

I would like to see more going on in the clouds in the first one for b&w. Second shot, same thing, nothing in the sky for a b&w. I still prefer the first in b&w though.

Kevin

superduckz

The tractors color to my eye. Bridge... hmmm I'd go for a better time of day in terms of lighting and see from there.

NanoPixel

Art Morgan wrote: »

The tractors are so colorful (at least the front and middle ones) that I think the shot demands to stay in color. Seems to me you are showing off the tractors themselves as opposed to telling some other story with the shot.

OTOH, the bridge shot screams b&W because there's not any exciting color there to begin with, and to me it's the repeating shapes/patterns that are the subject of the shot. I like to see this type of material in b&w to have the viewer see the shapes/patterns instead of being 'distracted' by color.

Thanks for your response Art. I snapped that shot of the tractors as we were walking by at a wine festival we attended last weekend. It probably wasn't the best composition, but I just thought it was neat that the owner had three generations of tractors out there on display. It reminded me of a John deer calender I saw in the mall.

I like the bridge because the first thing I saw when I got there was the reflection making circles. You have a great point about using B&W to emphasis the shapes. I'll keep that in mind from now on.

NanoPixel

kshays wrote: »

I would like to see more going on in the clouds in the first one for b&w. Second shot, same thing, nothing in the sky for a b&w. I still prefer the first in b&w though.

Kevin

Thanks Kevin,
At that time there wasn't much going on as far as clouds in the area. Maybe the wrong time of day to take this shot or the wrong day period. I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

spacefuzz

#1 because the red tractor is clearly the subject, gots lost when converted to B&W.
#4 because the geometry and reflection is clearer in B&W