Image A or B ….?
Chase Jarvis does this on his blog a good amount. And, it’s always interesting to read the comments. Sometimes, they even get a little heated. But, practically I find myself doing this a lot. Most of my scenic or landscape work is personal (not commissioned, but definitely for sale!). So, rarely (if ever) am I working off of a brief stipulating how the final image will look. In fact, before I post a new image on Flickr or my blog, I usually process it to completion in both color & black and white. On occasion, I’ll even throw a third final image into the mix with a vintage or toned monochrome look.
Once I get the finals all completed, I either open them as layers into photoshop using Bridge, or I compare them using the compare view of Apple’s Aperture. It’s interesting to see how sometimes they come out incredibly similar in their dynamic range (the difference between highlights and shadows within the image) and sometimes they present two almost entirely different scenes.
I’m always reminded of the power of processing when I do this. I am completely aware that there are many people who will strongly disagree with my next statement. However, I find post processing to be a large part of the photographic/artistic process. It’s for this reason that two photographers (who don’t hold that post-processing is damaging to the fine art of photography) can photograph the same scene, at the same time using the same equipment from the same location and easily produce two entirely different images. I think a full blog post on this topic is definitely in order. But, let us get back to the topic at hand…
Of the two images, which is better? Image A or Image B? And, don’t forget to state why….
7 Comments
Brandon McWilliams
May 29, 2011A
Isa
May 29, 2011I think that A is better, because.. Well, B has a lot of colours, so it kind of overwhelms you.. but A only has black and white, so you can aprecciate every detail, the clouds look better and.. the image is more interesting
David
May 29, 2011A.
Why? Well not because its B/W.
But because its B/W it commands more attention due to the drama created by the lack of distracting yet ordinary color. We could throw out words like punch and contrast but how trite would that be?
The image is all about geometry and balance. Color is not a part of that and is therefore unnecessary. Theres something tangible left, a sense that one could touch it.
Oh yeah, another word - snap!
I suspect you already knew the answer, so why do you feel it is better?
And those that “disagree with your next statement”…are idiots.
Andrew
May 29, 2011LOVE your answer David! And, I definitely gravitate towards the black and white photo more! And, while there are definitely a good amount of them, I agree with your last statement as well!
Would love to get together soon for you to critique and brainstorm with me for my new site & portfolio etc… would that be an option at some point?
Iliana
May 29, 2011I definitely believe A is better. i agree with the other posts as well.
landscapes or other things usually does look better
when its b/w because the person looking at it can usually
get more into it, it feels more mystical, exaggerated etc but it is
still very simple which makes it an outstanding image. It makes the work more
admirable because you get to focus on the whole thing unlike B.
B is beautiful but the colors are too much.
Chuck
May 29, 2011a, of course. I like the tones better, & like all good B & W, it engages the viewer a touch more.
PK
May 30, 2011I like B better as a photo on its own. I think I might like A better if it was in an exhibit, framed and part of a series of BW photos of similar or contrasting scenes.
But, on its own, I like B better for the variety and the depth of the shadows.
PK