I rarely spend a ton of time debating whether I like one of my photographs better in black in white, or in color. Images somehow seem to have a way of deciding that for me.
In these days of digital imagery, I shoot everything in color, knowing that I can always convert the picture to B&W later on the computer. Once I do that, I can toggle between the color image and the monochrome version on my computer display screen. If I'm still not quite sure which I like best, I happen to be married to someone whose visual taste I trust completely -- often more than I trust my own.
("Leah, can you come here and look at this?…")
Back in film days, color vs. black and white was a much tougher decision, at least for mountain trips where every ounce counts. Schlepping a backpack that held an extra camera body or film back loaded with color/B&W, or even extra film, on a hard hike of many miles and four or five thousand feet of elevation gain was a drag (literally.)
Today I'm posting images from recent hikes. The two above I like in color (though neither is particularly, um, colorful.) The bottom two I prefer in B&W.
I can be more than a little OC about most any consideration about my photographs... poorly-handled light or composition or technical mis-steps, all can and do make me crazy.
But color vs B&W? Nah, I'll save my angst for other worries.
