Need some input: Black and white, or color for this pic?

[dwaugh]

I took this today and I like how it turned out, with the sun making a shadow of the top leaf on the lower one, etc. But I think it looks kinda plain like this. I dont have a lot of experience with black and white, but since it is digital it is easy to do. So, which looks better, if any?





Now that they are side by side I like the color version better... hmm... Also, is this even an ok shot to begin with? I can't tell...

EDIT: Another shot I want input on:

[ChowChi-Ching]

I REALLY like the last image you posted. I am a very symmetrical person and think that the detail and color you got in that is very nice! Great Job!

As far as the first two, I like them both but there is just not enough there to get me excited. Good clarity though.

[jorgemonkey]

With the first set of leafs, I'd go with the B&W one. The only things that bug me about the picture is the part of the leaf that is on the right side of the picture thats cut off. Also my eye is drawn to the leaf with the shadow for some reason. It is a great place to start from, and we look forward to seeing more!

On the second shot, I have one almost exactly like it. I ended up with it in B&W, and on a black background. It made the leaf texture stand out much more.

[Anbesol]

color, by a mile.

[GB1]

They have potential but lack punch (if that makes any sense..) I'd say up the contrast on both versions, see what happens. The bottom shot has a lot of potential abstract croppings - very nice. You could also try a few color variations of the croppings.

GB

[photophorous]

They have potential but lack punch (if that makes any sense..) I'd say up the contrast on both versions, see what happens.

Yes, they both need more contrast, probably more in the B&W than the color. If you do that, I think I'd prefer the B&W one. But, I'm kinda biased towards B&W.

The last image is also very nice, and I think could work either way. But, it doesn't seem as sharp as the other two.

Paul

[dwaugh]

Thanks for everything. I agree, as I said before, that the first one is lacking something, but for some reason I had to take that picture as those leaves kept catching my eye. As for the fern, I just happened to have that idea, as well as a ton of ferns at my house. I wish it was sharper in the ends (the top and bottom) where the fern was farther from the lens. I was already using a high aperture and couldnt afford a much slower shutter speed as the slightest breeze made the image blurry with a shutter of 2.5. I had to try that shot a lot to get a sharp one (this one). I'll try some stuff with it and post it again in various forms, what I come up with. I think it has potential.
EDIT: I wasnt intending on making the fern black and white, but I will see how it looks.
EDIT2: The fern, when I was looking at it in high resolution before resizing it, is actually very sharp. I could see very good detail, but when I resized it it took some of that away, since the details were so small.