Here's two copies of the same photo: the original in color, and the copy in black & white.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

The original:



The copy



I can't decide which one I like better! They both have beauty. Which one do you prefer, and if you feel like it, why?

[BOSSHOG]

1. Peggy I love them both

If there were two of you I’d love both of you.

I thoroughly enjoy taking the camera out for a spin.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Why, my dear BOSSHOG! Thank you. Very kind of you.

I'm partial to both of them too.

[wendyb-NC]

3. They are each uniquely perfect

Thank you, Peggy for sharing your amazing photos. They are so fine.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. My goodness, thank you so much, my dearwendyb-NC!

I appreciate your support.

[3catwoman3]

5. The one in color gets my vote. The creamy white...

…of the petals, the gentle green of the leaves, and the subtle silver whatever-it-is (maybe the cellophane wrapping?) in the background provide a luscious contrast to the few red stamen in the middle of the blossom. A perfect splash of color.

I really, really like it and would happily hang a framed copy of it in my house.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

8. Thank you so much, my dear 3catwoman3!

The color version is very lifelike, of course! I like the way the colors work as well.

If you would like a copy, I can PM you that. I would be proud to have my photo hanging in your home.

[3catwoman3]

10. I would love that, thank you!

Not quite sure where I’ll put it, but I know I’ll find a place.

Our younger son is a self-employed photographer/videographer, so I’ll get him to print it on some good quality paper. He’s much more tech savvy than I am.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

12. Ah, you're very welcome! I will do it later tonight, but I will do it.

I have things I need to be doing right now!



And how cool that your son can print a copy for you!

[2naSalit]

6. I like...

The B&W best. I like the color but the B&W is more crisp and defined, probably because it's easier to control the lighting w/o the color getting in the way. You can see the graceful lines of the petal edges in the B&W.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. And thank you for your excellent critique, my dear 2naSalit!

It is crisper! I actually made no changes (other than cropping) to this version. This is just how it turned out.

[2naSalit]

14. Both are nice...

But the B&W is better, I think. I like to see the edges of the petals for definition, they just showed up better in this case.



You're probably getting smoked out by now, are you okay? Earlier my sister, in SD, said she thought she could see smoke approaching. There are so many fires now that probably everyone down there will get some.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. Thank you for your tender concern, my dear 2naSalit . . . We are fine.

The nearest fires are about 17 miles away in a heavily wooded but also built-up area. That's Pacific Palisades. The other fires are to the north-east, nearer to Pasadena.

If we've gotten any smoke, it's been pretty dilute. It's such a horrible situation.

[fargone]

7. I am strongly biased in favor of color

The BW is merely dark in the center. The color has the splash of rust colored stamens. To be fair the color one has some messy distractions around the edges which were cropped out in the BW so the two images differ in things other than color.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. I appreciate your critique a lot, my dear fargone!

I love color too, but . . . the B&W draws me in. Perhaps because I took the photo? Dunno.

It's true they're not identical, which also makes a difference.

[The Madcap]

13. The color one.

Normally, I would vote for a B&W photo, but there's just something about the many shades of green in the color one that captures my focus.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

16. Thanks for your definitive answer, my dear Madcap!

It does have some great color combinations. I especially like the pistils in the center!

[HAB911]

17. Both are beautiful, but

I live by color, having done a lot of B&W over the years, I feel a missing dimension. Very nice!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

18. Thanks so much, my dear HAB911!

That certainly makes sense. I very much appreciate your input.

[canetoad]

19. I vote for the BW

It hides any small imperfections in the flower. I like the cropping too - the blossom fills the whole frame.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

20. Thank you so much, my dear canetoad!

I was very happy with the way the cropping turned out.

Filling the frame is one of my goals.