evening street (color or bw?)

[odklizec]

Taken yesterday evening with GRD2 at ISO800. Processed with NoiseNinja and Photobrush. Can't decide which version I like better. Probably BW?

 

[forward]

Here is a little bit of contrast with a busy street scene off and right in the fashionable heart
of Orchard Road. The side walk allows a good form of relaxation for the younger office workers
around the areas after a hard day's work.

 

[leews2001]

Taken yesterday evening with GRD2 at ISO800. Processed with NoiseNinja and Photobrush. Can't decide which version I like better. Probably BW?

For the color version, i like it for
- the color of the street lamps gives an electricity man-made feel and the dark blue evening sky gives a kind of mood contrast. But they work together to give the sensation of impending coldness and loneliness.
- However visually, it has a problem. Note that the originalk color picture is dominating by two colors, blue and orange. the street light color (orange) is too dominating, the impair the visual attention/following of the viewer to hunt for interesting visual paths. Incidentally , by turning to BW, it is much better, but removes the mood portray by the evening color.
- a possible solution perhaps is to adding an extra key color, we can (i hope ) create more focus visual path. i throw in black as an example below. tell me if you mind me manupilating your original photo. do pardon me.

 

[odklizec]

Leews, you wont believe this but I tried very similar (if not exact) color manipulation like you! But I was not quite sure about it. Now if I see it along the color and BW version, it looks fine for me. But I still prefer the BW version. Maybe I should play with it a little more?

Forward, it's nice to see this contrast..quite evening street and street busy with people! Thanks for sharing!

 

[leews2001]

Leews, you wont believe this but I tried very similar (if not exact) color manipulation like you! But I was not quite sure about it. Now if I see it along the color and BW version, it looks fine for me. But I still prefer the BW version. Maybe I should play with it a little more?

Forward, it's nice to see this contrast..quite evening street and street busy with people! Thanks for sharing!

O yes, actually i very much prefer BW for this kind of mood. Perhaps its my percuilar problem, for i saw light in the sky, its rather distracting to perceive it in monochrome. thus if the night sky has been totally black, i'm all for this picture to be in BW , works great espcially with the dark woods on the side of the path and the grain texture