I recently edited some photos for one of my clients, and we were trying to decide whether they should be in color or black and white. I was immediately convinced they should be in color and told him so. I had both edits on my desktop and let them sit overnight. Sometimes you can get so wrapped up into what you think it should be you can lose sight of what they want to be. Well I can anyway. The next morning I took a look at both edits and was actually somewhat startled when I saw how much more powerful the black and white images were; they spoke to me.
I have always been a fan of B/W images; geez that’s why I started shooting with Tri-X back in the day. In this case, the photographer had a message and wanted to get across a point of sadness and wrongdoing and a bleak outlook. In this particular case, the black and white relayed that message better. Though the beauty of the outdoors was lost, the message was clear.
My point is that if you are having a hard time deciding on the direction to go with a particular edit, walk away for a few hours or let them sit overnight. Then come back and let them speak and tell you what to do.
