To B (& W) or not to B…

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Admin under black and white, Boston MA, D90, harbor, harbour, night, twilight

I can’t really argue that my dilemma is quite on a par with Hamlet’s moment of indecision, but I want to risk the slings and arrows of outrageous opinion on this pair of images: not sure it its particularly noble, or even that I find myself in a sea of troubles.  In fact I hope you agree the sea in the harbour looks particularly untroublesome!

Taken last June in Boston MA, (a discovered country from whose bourn this traveller returned), and taken  later than the normal witching hour when there is still that good light in the sky that can make a great twilight image,  I pressed the shutter, expecting to be converting to black and white.  But then I looked at the original and found more of a wow factor than I anticipated.  So much so, that I published the original on Redbubble where it has had 165 views (at time of writing). ( original redbubble post here)

But I kept returning to my original intention: the picture in my head when I composed the shot: the black and white.  To convert or not to convert, that is the question.  So as a little experiment in digital dynamics and crowd sourcing of insight, I thought I would ask you to share your view: should I be offering this image in colour or black and white?  Which – if either – has the ‘wow’ factor for you?  Would either find their way to your wall? 

So, with apologies to the Bard for the liberties I have taken with his most famous soliloquy, help me end the heartache.  Tell me what you think: tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.


Its easy to add a comment to the blog: please do!

For those who like the techie stuff, this was taken on a Nikon D90, showing off its great low light, low noise capabilities with 16-85 lens at 22mm (33mm fx equivalent), 20 seconds at f14, with a dab of over exposure to allow the capture of the foreground detail. ISO 200.

4 thoughts on “To B (& W) or not to B…”

  1. Karen Kemp says:

    Colour every time!

  2. Colin Kemp says:

    Oh so predictable Mrs Kemp. Its like the movie I say tomarto and you say tomato! But let's not call the whole thing off!

  3. AquaBelinda says:

    Definitely b&w – I get less distracted by the pretty lights reflecting off the water on the left of the image and drawn more in the direction you were intending. B&w would make it to my wall. Colour wouldn't…

  4. Colin Kemp says:

    Thank you for stopping by, AquaBelinda. I'm glad you like the image and can imagine it on your wall!
    It is quite surprising how definite people are about their preferences on this one.
    Colin

Comments are closed.