Two looks at the same subject: I was camping last week in the Adirondacks and I notice this mushroom growing right next to the base of a large tree. I worked the image in color and in...

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

I was camping last week in the Adirondacks and I notice this mushroom growing right next to the base of a large tree. I worked the image in color and in black and white. I'm posting both of them because I really can't decide which I like better. The image was shot using a mirrorless camera mounted on a tripod.
Erich

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NJFrank Loc: New Jersey

I like the colored one. To my eye the mushroom seems to stand out a bit more. In addition there seem to be more texture on the mushroom.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

NJFrank wrote:

I like the colored one. To my eye the mushroom seems to stand out a bit more. In addition there seem to be more texture on the mushroom.

You might be right. I'm still undecided. Thank you for your input.
Erich

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

I am a color guy, but the B&W is my pick.

luvmypets Loc: Born & raised Texan living in Fayetteville NC

Nice photo of that mushroom!! The fact that the cap is to the side and the stem is curved makes it very appealing since it is not the typical t-shape.

I am the opposite of UTMike; I usually prefer black and white which in this photo I would usually choose to show the many textures of the mushroom, lichen, moss and bark. Because a lot of that texture is lost due to the shallow depth of field I am going to choose the color because the green of the moss and lichen really make the mushroom stand out. I also think the texture/pattern on the cap shows up more in the color.

Dodie

Curmudgeon Loc: SE Arizona

No contest Erich, the B&W version by a large margin.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

A neat find: the leaning tower of mushroom!

The large amount of out-of-focus area is not really working for me. As presented, I would choose the color because my eye doesn't have to work so hard to recognize the elements. I also agree with Dodie that the cap's details are clearer in color.

Did you happen to also take a photo with more dof?

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

B&W for me.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

UTMike wrote:

I am a color guy, but the B&W is my pick.

I still can't make up my mind. I like the way the mushroom looks in B&W; but I think the tree, which is not as important, looks better in color. Thanks for you comments and insights.
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

luvmypets wrote:

Nice photo of that mushroom!! The fact that the c... (show quote)

I had to spend a considerable time with this fellow before I got the angle of the cap and the stem just where I wanted them. It helped to have a tripod here because it was easy to change the height and angle by small increments to see what the exact effect was on the image. As for a favorite? I still don't have one. I like them both.
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Curmudgeon wrote:

No contest Erich, the B&W version by a large margin.

OK, we'll chalk up one definite for B&W. Thanks.
Erich

magnetoman Loc: Purbeck, Dorset, UK

Interesting that a lot of folk prefer the b&w - but not me. When it comes to this type of subject matter the colour is part of the detail and hence essential for me.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Linda From Maine wrote:

A neat find: the leaning tower of mushroom!

The large amount of out-of-focus area is not really working for me. As presented, I would choose the color because my eye doesn't have to work so hard to recognize the elements. I also agree with Dodie that the cap's details are clearer in color.

Did you happen to also take a photo with more dof?

I'll go back and see if there are any that have better dof. I wanted a lot of magnification, so I used a long lens. Maybe this would have been a good candidate for focus stacking.

Many times I'm not so critical about things being totally sharp. I think that the top of the stem and the cap are reasonably sharp and that is what I concentrated on. It does not really bother me that the bottom of the stem is not very sharp. The areas behind the mushroom are not nearly as important as the cap and the top of the stem. I don't mind if the background loses sharpness.

I will say, however, that there is an argument to be made for very sharp photos especially with our fantastic modern equipment. So I do understand why many folks feel that sharpness is an essential quality to most subjects. Thanks, again for your input. You've got me thinking again, and that is good.

Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

jaymatt wrote:

B&W for me.

Ok...another unambiguous vote for my favorite medium. Thanks for your comments.
erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Linda From Maine wrote:

A neat find: the leaning tower of mushroom!

The large amount of out-of-focus area is not really working for me. As presented, I would choose the color because my eye doesn't have to work so hard to recognize the elements. I also agree with Dodie that the cap's details are clearer in color.

Did you happen to also take a photo with more dof?

Here is one that is sharper; but I don't really like the composition. The cap, directly in line with the stem does not work so well. Interesting that this is sharp because I was shooting from a lower angle and that put the stem and the cap in the same plane. Some of the tree is soft toward the edges; but that area is not in the same plane as the mushroom. I cropped most of the edges out of the original image to keep most of the center sharpness and crop out the fuzzy corners.
Erich

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