Window to the past ~ Colour or Black and White?

Today I went back to a pioneer cabin I visited last year. It was closed but, once again, I played with reflections and photographed a window through another window. I love B&W for its timeless quality but I also love light through colored glass. Which one do you prefer?

22 thoughts on “Window to the past ~ Colour or Black and White?

  1. The color one is much nicer. The colors are all wonderfully filling the photograph while in the black and white version, it almost seems as if the lighting is off.

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  2. les choix sont partagés : Camille et Robin préfèrent la 1 ère,le noir et blanc sont en adéquation avec le sujet. J’aime bien les deux mais ma forte astigmatie me fait préférer la 2 nde en couleur,car elle m’offre plus de contraste!

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  3. Valerie, I’ve been back to look at this photo a number of times, as it’s fascinating. Did you by any chance place the 3 coloured glass bottles on the inside window? I don’t think the picture works without them.

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    • Thanks George! No, this is not a set up. Yet I don’t think anyone ever notices how fascinating the reflections look and those beautiful vintage bottles…. I’ve never been inside this old building, looks abandoned.

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  4. I like both but some subjects lend themselves better to black and white. It can be more dramatic. My all time favorite photographer is Ansel Adams and most of his work was in black and white. Keep up your good work in both mediums.

    Vi

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  5. I love the high contrast b/w as that’s where my bias is, but the muted colors does show more about the passage of time. Both photos are beautiful, but for me, color wins this round. Great work, Valerie.

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  6. Normally I would go straight for the Black and White, but on this occasion I like seeing the brown earth/leaves of the ground outside reflected. I think the brown of the rocking chair also gives a sense of age & time passing. Interesting that Kate sees the B & W as a reflection of time passing whereas I see the coloured image as time passing.

    (Perhaps not enough greys in the image to be effective as a Black & White).

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