HSNP Upper Dogwood Trail Spring Color
Do You prefer Nature Photography in Color or Black and White? This is a question I have been pondering lately. The spring Forest trail transforms from vibrant hues to mysterious shadow and light. Which do you prefer? I would appreciate your opinion in the comments section.
Have a Glorious Day!
Lee
HSNP Upper Dogwood Trail Spring Black and White
Hike Our Planet - @HikeOurPlanet 
The Black and white is more interesting and denser, the color is expected and hides the detail.
This winter I discovered the bare trees that are like sulptures took on new qualities when I shot or converted shots to B&W.
part of the beauty of nature is the colour and how the strangest colours make sense together when it occurs naturally. I prefer colour.
Netta I love how no colors clash in Nature 😉
It depends entirely on the scene. Either close-ups of small detail or wide landscapes with easily identifiable elements and a sense of “distance” can work great in B&W. (And I agree that Winter landscapes are the best for this!)
But relatively flat photos of just “woods” tend to lose what depth they had and turn into Rorschach ink-blots in B&W. Look at the two photos Lee has presented and ask yourself which one looks like you could reach (or walk) into it. In this case, the contrast between the green foliage and the tree trunks and dirt path help add to the sense of depth much more so than the B&W. And in this case, you instantly recognize that you’re looking at a path in the woods in the color version – but it takes your eye (mind) a little longer to resolve what it is you’re seeing in the B&W.
I often prefer my own landscapes in B&W and never present the original color version – but some of them won’t work at all in B&W and just turn into a confusing mess of conflicting lines. (But then it’s interesting to find out who sees Angels and who sees Demons in your photo of the woods!)
Hi Mark,
I am of two minds on this. The vibrant beauty and layers of color always pull me in. I do however love the mystery of seeing what may or may not be lurking in the black and white imagery.
Have a lovely day,
Lee
Personally, I do love a colored photo as it gives life, more meaning and vitality to the story, but in this case, the B&W was able to bring my attention to its details, the strength of the lines and structure of the photo, rather than to its color which is just dominantly green. I still do like the photos! 🙂
Our Photo101 course is really helping me see that each photo can have a dual personality 🙂
Angel…I would have to opt for both the b/w and color (for a variable of reasons)…..the color, of course, as that is what I am used to seeing from your inventory….but the b/w as I’ve learned to see texture in b/w since we saw that A. Adams exhibit…never knew much about it; and find myself comparing your b/w to his work…and I am being honest when I say I cannot tell the difference. Gr8 work in both cases…ty for sharing! 🙂 xoxoxo
I think you might be biased Baby 😉 xx00xx
Lee, I am with Mark here – it depends on the shot. Sometimes I’ll take a shot that I thought would look better than it did and turning into black and white is the answer. Perhaps I saw somwthing in the view that b/w captured better.
Steff
Hi Steff
I am emotionally attached to each photo and I try to nurture each one. It took me awhile to try Black and White as it felt wrong to tamper with the original. I have since realized there are no creative boundaries.
Kind Regards,
Lee
The green in those trees is so vivid it just stands out so much!
It has been a glorious rainy Spring and the Leaves are a variety of rich shades of green.
For this scene, I prefer the color picture because I can feel myself walking down that trail. I can hear the rustling of the leaves and the chirping of the birds. I can feel the soft ground underfoot. The black & white one looks like snow, but not really. It is cold but not in a good way like a lovely snow-covered path, that I also would enjoy walking along. There are nature shots that work well in B&W but I don’t think this one does.
I spend a lot of time in the Forest and prefer color in spring, summer and autumn. In winter the bare Trees seem mysterious rather than barren in B&W. I agree snow fall on the trail is enticing. https://hikeourplanet.com/2015/06/12/blogging-u-photo101-solitude-on-a-solo-hike-in-black-and-white/