A comment from a follower had me doing a few experiments… Lauramacky made a remark in reply to a comment I made on her post.. (CLICK HERE TO SEE THAT POST) … now I’m not the biggest fan of B&W and said this on her post, but that the B&W that she is posting I find very good….
Her reply read as such —- “Wow thank you! I love colour as well (as you know) and I think you might surprise yourself with some of those bird images. I can totally see one of the flamingos with the reflections as B&W.” So I decided to convert a few flamingo photos to B&W… it worked in two ways… the flamingo are fine in B&W and it gave me an excuse to add a few more flamingo photos… here they are below with their original colour…
Not much difference .. although the colour has just that little bit more…here’s another…
Now this one works fine… BUT how would other bird photos work ?? ….
Now that did not work well… but then the original didn’t work well either with too much black on black background… But what of a almost B&W bird against a blue sky…..
Now this one has me in two minds… both work well…. so to Laura I say thank you for making me experiment… and Laura… now with the new knee, hope all is well soon that you can be up and about, and out with the camera once more…
To visit Laura’s site (CLICK HERE)>>>>
The Photographic Journey of bulldog. 
Except for the one with the bright red belly – the others look great either way.
I like the first BW photo as it highlighted the light and contrasts of the picture. It also emphasized the shape and the lines. One tends to look at the same photo from a different perspective once it is turned BW. Just my cheap two cents. 🙂
Thanks Imelda… I love the golden hue that one gets in the colour photo also the water seems a little more alive… must admit I do prefer the colour…
I do think black and white has its’ beauty too!
I do agree Ute… just not for birds and animals…
Color! Love the color!
Thank you … me too
You started me on something – Ive just been going through my photos on the scrounge for B & W…I prefer animals in colour and scenes in B&W and I seem to have to add shadows – the B&W appears not be dark enough
I agree on the animals …. the need to be colour….
Lovin that top pic! It is awesome for a B&W!
Thanks Michelle….I still lean towards the colour…
I like the top one and bottom one in black and white, certainly not the middle one. Prefer all of them in colour
Thanks Frankie some work well others not so… but my preference…. colour…
…because it is so hard to be green 🙂 Amazing beautiful!!
Thank you…
I love black and white pictures, but it’s a little hard when the birds are SO colourful. You’ve done a great job 😉
When it comes to the birds and animals I think colour is essential… Thanks Dianne
I am a big fan of black & white photography, and really like using it to make detail really pop…I loved how you used it.
Thanks Charlie … in some genres it is almost essential… birds and animals.. I prefer the colour…
I’m with you Bulldog. I have a bias for colour pictures, but sometimes a photo in B&W totally works and looks stunning. I think your flamingos and the last bird both look spectator in both colour and B&W.
Thanks Joanne…. yes some work and others not… but I go with you on the preference towards colour…
I really like that last photo in black and white but prefer the others in colour. Love these photos. 🙂
Diana xo
Thanks Diana… I also like the last on this site with the blue background… but on my photo viewer the colour is far better where the back ground is white…
I prefer the colour except on the last one. It looks great in B&W.
Thanks Anneli… I do agree when you view it here on the blog with the blue background…. but on my viewer with a white back ground… much better in colour…
Yes. I like both. The animals with vibrant colors look especially amazing in color, but your B&W photos often look as amazing as your color photos and sometimes even more amazing.
Thanks Russ… always a good word…. you must be a very nice person to know in the flesh…
Love the color of course! Stunning shots~
Thanks Cindy…. I too prefer the colour….
I like these in black and white. Perfect contrasts for it. 🙂
Thanks Cee… the more I look the more I prefer the colour even though the flamingos don’t have that much colour to them…
Love the black and white big bird (not the one from Sesame street, huh). It’s true that seeing flamingoes in black & white is startling and impressive.
Hope your health is back to normal, Bulldog!
Thank you… first the health is slowly getting there, just the weight gain since the stopping smoking has not helped matters much… But thanks for thinking of my health… I still have to say I think I prefer the colour… the more I look the more I’m convinced…
The last bird works really well!
Thanks … still not sure what to think…
Very interesting! Some work well in B&W and others do not. My favorite was the black and white bird; stunning in B&W but equally so in color.
Thanks Elaine… I must still say I do prefer the colour…
I’m a huge fan of color, only certain types of photos look good in B&W, in my humble opinion…
Thanks Jewels… I do prefer the colour photos, work far better for me…
Le tue foto sono fantastiche, un vero sogno!!!
Bravissimo, complimenti caro Rob.
Ciao, Pat
Thank you Pat
I understand the subtlety that can be achieved with b&w photos, but the animals look better in color. AND for identification purposes color is invaluable.
I so agree Ronnie, but needed to do this to get another opinion… I prefer colour…
OMG! YES! Rob, the B&W flamingos are really great! There is something about those reflections and curves that lend themselves to contrast which made me think of B&W. I’m so glad you tried it. Thanks for making me feel I inspired you. :))))
Well you did inspire me to do it and I enjoyed the experiment… I must admit although some came out well I still prefer the colour… but you last B&W of the country road is just spectacular and I can see why you went that way …
I prefer the color in all but the last. He seems ominous enough to pull off a shadowy figure!
Thanks Lorna… I have to admit the last does work in both, but in all cases I do prefer the colour… but it was a good experiment…
It’s always good to experiment…well maybe not always! 😉
I do believe that B&W has its place and there is more to pulling this off than I am aware. Color or B&W, your photography is wonderful Bulldog. 🙂
B&W photography has its place and I follow a few that capture mainly in that genre and do it very well…. but I’m not good at street or landscape photography and I think mine genre almost demands colour…
I agree with you Bulldog. Although I don’t know much about B&W photography, I seem drawn to urban photography done in this genre.
As much as I really like their natural colors this is a good artistic rendition.
Thank you Teri… I did enjoy the experiment…
Oh the differences small changes make, so cheers to those (as you) who knows what they are doing.
Thanks Frank, but when it comes to B&W I’m not sure I know what I;m doing…
Knowledge is a matter of reference … so compared to me, you know what you are doing.
In general, I’ve found it better to shoot in colour no matter what the subject. Then……if the contrast is ok (or needs a little tweaking to convert to B & W even), try it in B & W if you’ve a mind to.
I actually prefer the flamingos in B & W now you’ve shown them to me.
I haven’t found blue sky necessarily converts to B & W particularly well, it looks a little ‘muddy’. I’ll have to have another look at my book of Ansel Adam’s images to see whether most of his are overcast or cloudy skies ……or look as though they were blue (on the day of shooting).
Vicki … a lot of your photos would not be as good in colour as they are expertly beautiful in B&W… but then your genre leans towards a B&W photo (which you do so expertly)… but I have to say I prefer, with the birds and animals, colour….
Pictures with contrast, texture and/or shape seem to work well in B & W, while pictures with similar tones do not work as well as demonstrated by your examples. I find it difficult to spot what might make a good B & W photo beforehand, and am often surprised by what works and what doesn’t work when experimenting at editing stage.
Thanks for the comment Brian… I’m with you on that and am not sure I would recognise a photo that is going to work well in B&W… I do prefer the colour….
Oh wow! I just love them Rob! The Black and White is so much more expressive, especially when there’s more texture in them. The first Flamingo shot and the Hornbill shot are my favourites. Absolutely stunning! 😀
Thanks Sonel for your input… I’m still not convinced the B&W works well for our countries birds and animals… but to each their own… thanks for the lovely comment…
All in the eye of the beholder Rob. Some photo’s works very well and some just don’t. I think these were spectacular … from my point of view. 😀
Interesting experiment and I am glad you posted both version so we could compare…your analysis is quite accurate. (Suzanne)
Thanks Suzanne…
Some photo’s beg to be seen in B&W – but not all, as you’ve shown. Also applies to sepia tones as in the last one.
Thank you for your input… I still prefer the colour versions… specially for our birds and animals… B&W does work in a lot of instances, I just don’t think it does in my case, but the experiment was worth it…I loved all the differing comments… nice to hear what others think….