Originally posted by Rondec A photo of my daughter shot with the DFA 70-200. Not sure if anyone has thoughts of black and white versus color...
She was picking cherries from our little cherry tree.
Beware, totally personal opinion: I usually like B&W when color is a distraction or doesn't add to the subject. In this case, the dreamy low contrast nature of the shot and the soft colors and pink skin of youth all add to the important elements of the shot more than the simple textures and contrast that B&W can provide.
So, as shown, I'll take the color... BUT... if you cranked up the contrast and blacks in the B&W version, without overdoing it and being harsh, the B&W shot could potentially become the winner (for me anyway, it may be that I am just not a fan of low contrast B&W) but then it might change the mood and feel inappropriate to the subject matter...hmmm... the color version would still win for me.
I downloaded the full res color to play with, and using Photoshop / Image/adjustments/b&w you can do selective color filtering on the color version (like shooting B&W film with that color filter). I liked the green filter best, but that was with sliding the green slider from its default of plus 90 to negative 70 and the other sliders at their defaults for invoking the green filter. Your B&W conversion doesn't look pure B&W on my screen... so I checked, and when I desaturated it became B&W, so that has some sepia treatment or something, yes?
Man, you sure ask hard questions. LOL! (You can tell I have been stuck working overtime lately, no time to shoot my own stuff so I'm living vicariously through y'all.)
Great shot, thanks for sharing,
Eric