I've seen a number of impressive moody landscapes with an overall blue tone to them so during this time of lockdown I thought I'd re-edit one of my shots and see if I can create a similar effect to see if it gives the image more impact. I've put my original black and white edit here for comparison, which is better? Grateful for opinions and constructive comments.
I like both.
The B&W brings to mind an oncoming storm; almost menacing or foreboding. Definitely cold.
The blue reminds me of the calm of an approaching dawn, with the promise of warmth.
Sorry for the 'poetic' words, but that's how the images make me feel. :)
No apology necessary for the poetic words. If our images evoke emotions then we must be doing something right, right?
"Too blue or not too blue", I'd say, Ian!
I think the first one looks moody enough, but it's just overdone for my taste, like something out of a children's story book. Pull back the sat, and I'd much prefer it to the B&W, which looks lifeless to me by comparison. Mind you, I'm a colour fan in general.
Also, if there were other shades - say magenta or different blues, I'd try to bring them out in post so it doesn't look like a cyanotype, blueprint, or tinted monochrome, which is what I thought it was at first until I saw the yellowish strip. The image would benefit by a richer palette of bluish hues, if that were possible. It would shimmer, and have more depth.
Nice job, all the same, but since you asked... ;-)
Pretty much agree with Chris... maybe something lesser blue. Something between the blue and gray but retaining that sliver of "yellowish strip". I'm not a fan of colorization either but the blue (adjusted) is better than the black and white.
Hey Ian,
I mostly agree with the previous comments.
It is a beautiful composition, overall. I am very fond of it, and I like the images.
As for the "colour vs. b&w":
I like the stylized blue tint, but I also think its over saturated and would benefit from a little less saturation and a little complementary contrast on the mountains - just a hint of red/brown/a bit more emphasis on that yellow strip perhaps.
As for the black & white: I think you can make it a great b&w conversion.
Two ideas come to mind, and the thought behind them is: somehow, the reflection is a bit off and distracts me.
A spontaneous idea is, to heavily crop the image very closed to the mountain line - maybe at the bottom of that strip of lighter water.
Losing the reflection would be a pity, though. So my second thought is: maybe it pays off if you make the reflection a bit brighter - maybe just a third or half a stop.
Reason: the eye is drawn right to the brightest spot above the mountains just right of the centre of the image. While in the colour image there is just enough colour in the foreground to act as kind of a nice frame, in b&w it looks a bit ... mushy (in need for a better word) - I am still drawn to the brightest spot but try to decipher whats going on in the foreground.
Anyway, great shot!
Apologies for not responding sooner, my laptop is showing signs of a slow decline to oblivion and can barely run lightroom now.
The original aim was to create something more moody and impactful (if that's a word) to the original, natural scene and, if I'm honest, I like the unnatural blue in the first image as to me it does give it a little bit of a fantasy look.
However, I've taken Chris and Gary's comments on board and pulled back on the blue to see how that looks and to see if I've hit the right note for the image to have the impact I want from it while retaining a natural look. The difference is subtle but hopefully enough.
Yes, much better. Ian. Remember that as the OP you can edit this post, and add (or delete) images at left, where they can be toggled between for direct comparison. The text may need editing; also 0some of the comments may not make much sense if you don't allude to the edited post.
I don't know if you've blue-toned the whole thing, Ian. If there was some blue in the original, I'd be using saturation and Color EQ in my software, along with modest white balance adjustment, to get the right colours, to avoid too uniform a blue. But it's your image!
The B&W is more detailed and I find myself focused on shapes and objects but I always love how the color helps you feel the image. The blue doesn't just look better but feels better. Idk if I'm making sense to you? Ian Hayward
Hello Ian,
I like very much your composition. I think that the second one is better, the reflection and the moody atmosphere looks better. Great work!