Big Bend in color and black and white

Here is an image from Big Bend. It had been a great day for clouds in the park and in the afternoon I ended up at the Desert Mountain Overlook. I spent a few hours photographing the blooming Ocotillo, distant mountains, and clouds.

When I got home I started playing with this image and took it black and white where it seemed to take on a new life.

Here it is in color. Black and white below.

See more on my blog or galleries both linked below.

And after taking it to b+w with Photoshop.

Any thoughts on which is better?

I definitely like the B&W version, it seems to add a lot more drama and emotion to it really makes me want to be there. I might try toning the left lower corner down just a tad if was me, but not much. Real nice capture.

Hey Darren, I prefer the B&W version. For me, it moves the shot from the hot, dusty Barren look to an artistic look. This is a personal preference and is probably based on a lot of time spent in the Mojave in the heat and dust of my youth. The bloom on the Ocotillo is a beautiful site in the height of the flowers.

Thanks. I prefer the b+w too. That was the version that made my website.

There's no doubt the B&W has much more impact & drama Darren.
Although both have their own place..
Outstanding work!

I tend to agree with Howard, I think both have their place. The B/W certainly has dramatic impact but I also like the balance of warm/cool tones in the color version.

I normally prefer color but I like the black and white equally as well here. The contrast of the Ocotillo against the dark clouds is really eye catching but you lost the nice blue skies contrasted with the darker clouds.