I really have a love affair with black and white photography, and I’m always looking for opportunities to drain all the color out of a shot and replace it with shades of gray.
But sometimes, I just can’t resist the blue of the sky against the green of the grass.
This was one of those times, so I just decided to have my cake and eat it, too.
Here’s a 9-bracket HDR of St. Paul’s Methodist Church in Houston, Texas, processed both in color and in black and white. The HDR processing was done in Photomatix Pro V4, and the further editing was done in Paintshop Photo Pro X5. For the black and white image, I used the Topaz B&W plug-in.
It was a little windy that day, so there’s some ghosting in the clouds as they were skittering across the sky, but I actually kind of like it so I didn’t attempt to process it away.
So, which do you like best?
the Zen of Zann 
Tough one. They both have their merits but I’m leaning a bit towards the B&W
Ah, thanks for the feedback! I’m a big partial to that one myself, but it’s a tough call. 🙂
The color photo is what popped up in the reader and I fell in love. The colors are beautiful and it’s a really fantastic photo!
Thank you!! It was such a beautiful day when I shot that image, it’s hard to just disregard that blue Texas sky and the springtime grass. Thanks for taking time to comment!! 🙂
Anything Texas has a special place in my heart. Especially when it’s captured so beautifully! 😉
Fellow Texan here, both are great photos, I am a lover of b&w and that’s my favorite.
Thanks for the feedback, @bad375! I just think the b&w images get to the real “bones” of an image, without the distraction of color. They both have their place, but like you, I usually prefer the monochrome version. 🙂
I kept going back and forth and finally decided on the black and white because of the details exposed.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
Thanks, @fgassette! I think it’s that exposure of the details that draws me to the black and white photography. There’s less distraction from the colors. 🙂
Love them both. It’s like trying to choose between dark chocolate and dark chocolate with your favorite add in!
Leslie Dornfeld, FAICP, CSBA
Black-Black_PLAN-et
10631 N. 11th Place
Phoenix, AZ 85020
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LOL, great metaphor, @leslie! I love chocolate just about any way I can get it! 🙂
I vote B&W! 🙂
Thanks, @seeingspotsphoto! You’re definitely in the majority! 🙂