What do you prefer?


Yup, in the tradition of all time great philosophical debates to ponder such as Mac vs PC, Star Wars vs Star Trek, and of course Tastes Great vs Less Filling, I present to you…
Black & White Vs Color!
After an amazing time in Tanzania last year leading a photo safari I returned with close to 15,000 frames shot and there were even a few keepers. Shortly after returning home I sat down to edit my images. I’m still nowhere near done with culling the voluminous files but I have selected a few of my favorites and shared some of those in a recent blog post about my experience on safari.
This particular photo of a young leopard was a standout for me and it brought back some nice memories for me. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a certain affinity for floofy feline friends and this one was such a glorious example of the best of the best looking of them. Just to the left of this scene was mama leopard who was devouring an antelope and baby here had just had his/her fill and was walking away from the feast. This was one of the most astonishing scenes that I was able to witness on this tour but rest assured, there were so many more that it would take days and a much better memory to be able to share all of them with you. Hence the 15,000 frames shot on this trip. This one, in particular, with my trusty Fujifilm X-T2 and Fujinon XF 100-400mm lens.
“Choices are the hinges of destiny.” ~Edwin Markham
Getting back to the idea of Black and White or Color, I’m really curious to know what you prefer and why. So, if you’d be kind enough, please leave a comment with your choice and a brief note as to what makes you prefer either the Color or Black and White.
For me, I preferred the way it looked in black and white from the moment I started to work on the photo but after starting all over again and re-editing the color, I really liked that one too. Very wishy-washy of me for sure but if I had to choose one, I’d go back to the monochrome of the black and white with a slight sepia tint.

Time to choose!
I had to make a choice since recently I decided to get this photograph printed as a huge 40″ x 60″ or 101 cm x 152 cm. I was approached by Canvasdiscount.com to have one of my photos printed. I’ll be honest. My first reaction was to decline as I didn’t think that I’d want any of my work printed on canvas. What I had seen printed on canvas in the past was less than impressive but that was many years ago. I guess that the technology has improved a great deal because after saying yes and getting the print sent to me, I was very impressed with just how good it looked.
This also should dispel whatever doubts anyone has regarding printing large format while using a cropped sensor camera like the Fujifilm X-T2. The results are awesome.
I now have this piece hanging on my living room wall and it looks great. The photo of me with the print looks good but trust me, the print looks even better in person. The kicker on this is the price. It costs a lot to print large format images as a rule but my cost on this mounted print including shipping was only $160. Color me impressed. Hmmm color… I wonder. ;-)
“It doesn’t matter which side of the fence you get off on sometimes. What matters most is getting off. You cannot make progress without making decisions.” ~Jim Rohn

40×60 inch canvas print
Ok, now I’m curious to hear what you have to say. Leave a note in the comments with your choice.
Thanks!
But wait… there’s more
For everyone reading this, I have a deal for you! Using a special code KENPHOTO you will be able to acquire two 8’’x8’’ format canvas prints for a price of only 9 USD! Basically, you get one canvas print for absolutely FREE. The regular retail price of 8’’x8’’ canvas is $49! How does that sound?
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Hi Ken-
I would choose B&W because it adds extra drama and mystery to the image. I think most people view Africa as an exotic and mysterious place and thus B&W would compliment this…thanks for asking…
Best to you, Paul
Cheers, Paul. I really like your perspective and I agree.
I’m partial to the monochrome. The color version is nice, but the monochrome version is evocative.
I agree… While my memories of the moment are vivid color, the BW wone moves me more.
Ken,
What a trip and what a question. I have done so many B&W over the years. Hours, Weeks, Years in the darkroom. I am so glad to do post processing on the computer now. I love both. Some times I
look at a color photo that just does not work and I switch it to B&W and it Pops. So I do both but more color now.
I have the Sony A7R ii and am thinking of the Fuji T2X. Not sure yet.
A question, what do you use for back-up storage on a trip like that. I am going to Morocco for a month in October. Do you have a bog on it you could send me the link to?
Woohoo… Fuji X-T2! Love that camera.
I do not have a blog on the subject but I have given talks on the subject. In a nutshell, I’d suggest a couple of small travel drives, 1 TB each should do. For software to download, I use Shotput Pro.
I hope that helps!
Black and white I think. There are so many beautiful tones in this. Somehow it pops more for me than the colour. IThe black and white is less distracting.
I’m with you, Linda! B&W on this one :-)
love this contrast.. sometime its look good when the taken images showing something.. if we talk about old and heritage property than this method works better.
I’m going against the grain here. While I like both, the warn tones of the spots of sun on the fur contrast nicely with the blurred green background adding something that doesn’t translate in the B&W.
You’re a rebel, Mike! I like it :-)
Love your reasoning.
I prefer the color on the screen but then I saw the monochrome picture of the print. Wow! Stunning.
I’m a big fan of B&W, but the color of the cat’s coat and eyes really push me toward the color.
Not easy to choose… is it? ;-)
This was a really interesting post, thanks for sharing your travel experience.
So did you like the B&W or color better?
I’d say color in this case, but both versions are amazing. Great post!
Hey Allison… Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I too prefer the B & W as it creates more of a mood. Colour is great, it just shifts the mood it a different direction. Colour in some situations can be a distraction from the real story being told.
Thanks Ken for sharing. I just discovered you and I really love your images.
The black and white version looks more mysterious and professional. My choice actually surprises me because I almost always choose color photos over black and white ones. Good shot!