baby: B&W or color?

[katia]

i've been recently doing a lot of B&W conversions. i guess because it's something i've never really played with, but now i'm ADDICTED to them!

i really like this photo both ways, but i can't decide which i like best.

in the B&W conversion, i had to lighten his iris's so they weren't so black. is this enhancement too much? i didn't touch the whites or anything else, just the iris's.

i like the overall tones of the B&W, as i usually feel baby photos are best in black and white to hide some of the skin imperfections and weird redness that can show up in patches. B&W also seems more "innocent" to me.

but in the color version, i LOVE how colorful his eyes are.





Camera Nikon D90
Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/5.0
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 200

pretty much all i'm asking is which do you prefer, and why?

[XxkmoorexX]

I like the color version much better but it looks just a little red

[katia]

thanks for your opinion!

are you working on a calibrated monitor? i ask because i am (well, to the best of my ability) and it looks fine, but i looked on my Uncle's computer today and it was quite red.

anybody else? does it look too red? like i said, i calibrated my monitor to the best of my ability but maybe i'm not very good at it :P

[AshNZ]

I love the color version, I think there is more life to it than bw. I am on the ipad and it does look a tad redish than normal. I'd reduce the saturation just a little bit.

[aflacina]

I really dig the B&W

[katia]

thanks! i will dial down the saturation a bit for sure.

Anthony, i visited your website. IN LOVE with the fact that you have the shins (and my favorite line of my favorite song) featured on your website!

[aerotigergirl]

I know next to nothing about photography as I'm just beginning, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

I prefer the color shot better because his eyes have a very interesting color. Also, when I look at the B&W, there seems to be very little contrast between the whites of his eyes and the background/his skin/etc.

Either way, it's a nice shot!

[HL45]

I'm liking the B&W! The color shot looks ok on my non calibrated monitor, not too red.

[SusanH1970]

I definitely see red in the color version as well. Rather than taking the saturation down, try doing a selective color layer, choose neutrals from the drop down menu, and pull a tiny bit of magenta out (if you're using Photoshop, that is).

I do really like the BW, though!

[RKell6898]

I like the B&W portrait better. It just seem like a real keepsake for the parents & grandparents.