Color vs. B&W

[drew2143]

This is kind of an off the wall question but here goes; has anyone had problems switching from the black and white medium to color? I'm currenty the position of switching from b&w to strictly color. I tend to think of b&w more as a fine art than say color. With b&w I had no problem conceptuallizing different projects, but with color I now find the same images that may be interesting in b&w wouldn't be in color. Personally, I think of b&w more as a fine art and color as a commercial medium. Therefore, I'm having trouble making the transition between the two trades. Does anyone have any advice?

[another view]

It makes sense to me because I think of them differently. Usually when shooting I'll plan on an image being converted to B&W (I shoot digital) or not - it's not usually later but sometimes it just seems "right" after I've got the shot. With digital (or scanned film) you do have the option of shooting color and converting to B&W later. Lots of tips and tricks out there for getting the look of the shot right, too - not merely changing to greyscale.

I guess the only advice I can give you is to shoot a lot. Freeman Patterson's books might come in handy, as well as Designing A Photograph by Bill Smith and The Art of Outdoor Photography by Boyd Norton. Good photographs can come from the way that colors interact with one another, in abstract situations or with subject vs. background, etc.