Monochrome bloodroot & acorns
Umm… no – get your mind out of the gutter. I am referring to black & white vs. color photography! As much as I like to think a photograph speaks to me as wanting to be black & white from the start, quite often it just doesn’t happen that way. I will process an image in color and start to notice certain characteristics that might look great as a monochrome. Or on a whim, it is just a “what if” moment. Actually I am quite fond of black & white imagery, it has a great classic appeal, and removes so many distractions that color may impose.
However, there are images where I am just quite fickle – and I like it both ways – bouncing back and forth between liking one version just a little better. This recent shot of the bloodroot and acorns is one of them. Old wood is nearly always a great candidate – and similar to the contrast of fall and spring that exists in the subject matter – the contrast of fragile and delicate vs. rough and weathered becomes more pronounced in the black and white version. It is one of the instances where I cannot simply show just one version – so now both are out there. I am sure there are people that will prefer one over the other – that’s just the way it goes. That is fine with me – since I like them both – you aren’t going to hurt my feelings by choosing sides.
I like the b&w a little more Mark, for me it is whatever mood I am in, many times a good b&w conversion will make it and then sometimes color is the only way too go.
I usually let my wife and son decide 😉
My first reaction to the monochrome was, I like the color best. The more I looked at it the more I liked the monochrome as well. The monochrome makes the flower stand out more, which changes the image quite a bit.
I like the colour one much better. I think you lose the warm colours that make the image so special, I liked the Autumn vs Spring tension which is totally lost in the B&W version IMHO.
Well…I agree with you Mark where a photo may look good one way or the other or even as both. I think I have to go with the monochrome image on this one. I like how it brings out texture in the wood and the acorns. I love your work, keep it up!!
Thanks folks!
I definitely prefer the color!
OK. I’ll choose sides. 🙂 For flowers, and such, I think that I like color better, though I would agree with you about the old wood. For this particular picture, I much prefer the color.
I could not agree with you more. When i started off in photography I learned on an old SLR with black and white film. Ever since I have feel in love with Black and White. Color is great, but black and white changes the entire paradigm of concept interpretation. Great post!