After the success of last Wednesdays colour image I decided to do another one. This time a Castle, and one of my favourite sites this year. Ballyadams Castle in Co. Laois. What we now see of this quite stunning ruin dates back to the 15th century. For anyone whom missed the original post or would like to learn about the history of this castle, you can CLICK HERE.
Again working from the RAW file, I made a slight levels adjustment and increased the structure. For those of you whom have been following this blog for a while, you will know that I have been shooting the many sites I visit in black & white for over a year and a half. I find that this medium fits in better and portrays the subject much better than a colour shot. That said I guess they can look equally stunning in colour. And so I find myself back at where I started 18 months ago, with the same conundrum, Colour or Black & White? Maybe it is something that I will always struggle with, or perhaps the images will dictate the outcome on a case by case basis! I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this, which are always much appreciated. 🙂
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Ed Mooney Photography 
Its a beautiful image Ed but I love the drama and atmosphere of the B&w myself… fits so well with the subject matter. Maybe just go with the flow, though… maybe when you visit a site you will get a feel for whether colour or B&W will work best… No reason why you shouldnt mix it up a bit!
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Wise words Ali, the temptation is to go B&W as it just suits most of what I shoot, but I guess I should leave an open mind for the odd bit of color 🙂
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Thanks so much for the gorgeous colorful shot! Between color or B&W, I go case by case. Best to you! 🙂
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Thanks Fabio, much appreciated 🙂
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Nothing wrong with both! This one jumped out at me because it was in color and you’ve had b&w for a while.
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Thanks Sherri, I do have a thing for the B&W, but every now and then I get the urge for some color 🙂
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Looks great in color. For me B&W is a case by case. Some of my shots just don’t look right in B&W.
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I know what you mean James, some shots look equally good in either format, then some just dont work. 🙂
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I love your monochrome images, Ed, and I think it suits your subjects, injects a certain mood, sense of place…. But the occasional colour image is worth playing with! 🙂
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Thank you Sue, much appreciated. I think I will do just that 🙂
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🙂
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well I think the color here gives a 3 -D feel that pulls ya in… – very cool – love the clouds esp.
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Thank you, much appreciated 🙂
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de nada 🙂 have a great week
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It does look great in colour. The only thing I will add is the chromatic aberration on the edges of the clouds looks a bit jarring.
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Well spotted Ben, might have pushed the PP a bit too high on that. Something new to learn about 🙂
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I often find myself drawn to B&W over colour although I do think it’s a question of a case-by-case basis. Then again, I’m not a photographer except in the sense that I use my photographs to create digital art. I must go and look at your B&W version and the history.
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Thank you, really appreciate the comments 🙂
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That blue sky is so luscious…nice work!! 🙂
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Thanks Dan, its those skies that work best in B&W too 🙂
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Absolutely beautiful!! I still love the mood of your monochromes best but this is a nice change too!! And thank you for your histories always!!!
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Now, why not both ??
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I agree on the ‘case by case’ comments, but I think the black and whites have to be only for ones that look significantly better in mono.
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There’s nothing wrong with either of them, but the effect is so different. You presumably love ruins for the same reason I do, because there’s a brooding, mythic quality about them, a hint of mystery and magic. Winter, twilight an b and w just seem right for places like this. (Even though I’d probably rather visit the place on a beautiful sunny day like the one shown here!) Keep up the good work!
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Thanks Mate, 🙂
I sure do love these places for the same reasons. B&W is may favourite way to show them. Would you believe that a .bright sunny day is actually the best for getting a really good B&W image? A dull overcast day is actually better for a colour shot?
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It seems logical enough with sunny days making good b and w photos because the image will be sharper and the shadows more pronounced. I can’t really understand why colour ones turn out better on a dull day but I’ll take your word for it, Ed! You obviously know a lot about it! 🙂
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Beautiful!
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Like it …
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I think it depends on what you want to achieve with your image. Some images lend themselves to black and white far more than colour and vice versa. However for sheer drama, you can’t go past monochrome. 🙂
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I personally love working in B&W however not every photograph I take works well in monochrome and so those photographs I leave in colour. For me, the decision on whether a photograph will be colour or B&W depends on the subject matter and the visual impact of the final piece.
One of the things I like about modern digital photography is that you have the ability to shoot in colour and convert later to B&W allowing you to experiment and see which works best for you.
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