Opinions Please (Page 2): :sm24:...

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

CO wrote:

When we were all shooting black & white film, ... (show quote)

PoppieJ Loc: North Georgia

JoAnneK01 wrote:

In my opinion, the color photo of #1 is better tha... (show quote)

i agree with this assessment numbers 4 and 5 are both really well done in black and white

BebuLamar

I like the first picture in color more than the B&W version. The second picture is better in B&W.
I do enjoy and appreciate B&W pictures from others but I never shoot B&W simply because I can't visualize the image before I took it.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

R.G. wrote:

....When the photographer deliberately takes away colour it tells the viewer that beauty wasn't the most important thing.

After some reflection I think that statement needs to be modified. There can be beauty in shape, form and structure, and B&W can be used to bring that out. The beauty we get from colour is usually obvious, but there are less obvious kinds of beauty, and B&W can be a way to bring those other kinds of beauty to the fore.

So when the photographer deliberately takes away colour it tells the viewer that the beauty you get from colour wasn't the most important thing (or the only kind of beauty) in what they're portraying in their shot.

twice_shooter

Mike,

To address your comment: "I've never seen the logic of throwing away thousands of colors in favor of a couple hundred shades of gray."

The most effective way to look at B&W photography it is that you "throw away" all those colors when those colors get in the way of the image. It does sound a bit "artsy" but it really clarifies for me the decision to shoot or convert to black and white. We see in color... so when it comes to images there should be a very good reason why you are showing me a b&w photograph. Without color, the photograph has to be that much stronger in the other dimension of an image... composition, texture, tonality, point of interest, drama and on and on.

Hope that helps.

SonyBug

capmike wrote:

This months Outdoor Photographer is focused on Black & White photography. Personally, I've never seen the logic of throwing away thousands of colors in favor of a couple hundred shades of gray. So I ask my fellow enthusiasts, what do you think? The last photo is one that looked good to me in B & W, and I never saved a color version. It was near dark, and not a lot of color anyway.

No right or wrong answer, just honest opinions.

Thanks,

Mike

If God wanted me to see in black and white, He would have made me a dog.

DMAC55 Loc: GLENOLDEN

love the water buffalo shot best.

Nalu Loc: Southern Arizona

I like the side lighting on the buffalo which helps imo on the B&W version.

capmike Loc: New Bern, NC

Thanks one and all for your thoughts. I am not an artist, just an old guy who has enjoyed photography for 50+ years. I have never entered any contest, my photos for my enjoyment. I have some of my better ones printed on metal and mounted in my home. Visitors seem to enjoy them. My focus these past 6 or so years has been wildlife, particularly birds. My goal has always to get the best photograph of what is in front of me, the actual subject, without any post processing tricks. For the subject and scene to look exactly like I saw it. I have traveled extensively to get something interesting in front of me, and that has added years to my life. This COVID crap is subtracting them just as fast.

However, your many comments have given me pause. There are many photos I have that would indeed be better in B & W, like the rhino. The green adds nothing, and is in fact distracting. I shall go boldly forward with a new mindset.

Again,

Thanks

DebAnn Loc: Toronto

capmike wrote:

This months Outdoor Photographer is focused on Black & White photography. Personally, I've never seen the logic of throwing away thousands of colors in favor of a couple hundred shades of gray. So I ask my fellow enthusiasts, what do you think? The last photo is one that looked good to me in B & W, and I never saved a color version. It was near dark, and not a lot of color anyway.

No right or wrong answer, just honest opinions.

Thanks,

Mike

The two wild animals are wonderful in B&W. The vast majority of my shots are turned into B&W because I prefer it to colour. Sometimes a shot does work better in colour, of course.

photophile Loc: Lakewood, Ohio, USA

capmike wrote:

This months Outdoor Photographer is focused on Black & White photography. Personally, I've never seen the logic of throwing away thousands of colors in favor of a couple hundred shades of gray. So I ask my fellow enthusiasts, what do you think? The last photo is one that looked good to me in B & W, and I never saved a color version. It was near dark, and not a lot of color anyway.

No right or wrong answer, just honest opinions.

Thanks,

Mike

I like the rhino and and especially the buffalo in black and white.

Susan yamakawa

I agree with tommystrat

Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

Your B&W shots are better than the color versions imho, I prefer color 90% of the time, but in this case, B&W works.

SteveLew Loc: Sugar Land, TX

There is an article in the latest Outdoor Photography magazine regarding animals that are rather monotone
(rhinos and elephants) look better in B&W.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

My preference lies in black and white. However, with the use of digital in some of my photography, I do pay very careful attention to hues. As such, I correct all of my digital images prior to rendering a black and white image. In fact, I've become rather obsessive with regard to hue correction and lens color correction prior to any conversion to black and white. The difference is noticeable.

I've never looked at it as "throwing away thousands of colors" but more repurposing or investing them. They don't go to waste.
--Bob

capmike wrote:

This months Outdoor Photographer is focused on Black & White photography. Personally, I've never seen the logic of throwing away thousands of colors in favor of a couple hundred shades of gray. So I ask my fellow enthusiasts, what do you think? The last photo is one that looked good to me in B & W, and I never saved a color version. It was near dark, and not a lot of color anyway.

No right or wrong answer, just honest opinions.

Thanks,

Mike