Colour, Mono or Bin?

[KMRennie]

Taken in Sep this year in Corsica. Early morning, driving rain and scudding clouds, lots of flare with Samyang 14mm. Trying to produce a mono but it just looks cluttered to me. Is it just too complex for low contrast in the missle distance contre-jour light to work in mono? I just can't get it looking like how I recall it in colour or mono. When I used a Fuji XE-1 to try to produce shots like this I used to think, not enough dynamic range it will be ok when I get a better camera. This is taken with a D810 so no excuse.
So any advice about processing or is it just toss it in the bin?

Ken

[GrahamBy]

There seem to be two conflicting centres of interest... the local contrast of the rocks on the left pulls the eye, but the composition seems to say "no, look out there, up the valley."
You could experiment with burning in the rocks to be darker and lower in contrast; or you could crop out the right_hand half of the frame...

Just a random opinion 

[Diego Pigozzo]

I agree with GrahamBy and I add that IMHO the shot doesn't have enough drama to justify the "harsh" black&white version.
For me it works much much better in color.

[KMRennie]

Unfortunately I agree with you. The image does not have the drama that was all to evident standing there slowly sliding down the hillside. Thanks for pointing it out.

Ken

[muntanela]

Colour.

[RSL]

Best landscape I've seen in quite a while. Color. Absolutely.

[Dale Villeponteaux]

I vote for color, too. Reminds me of Albert Bierstadt.

Regards,
Dale

[stamper]

Another for colour. It doesn't look too cluttered to me but there is a lot to look at. There is potential in the image if you possibly leave it for a week or two and assess it with fresh eyes.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Where do you keep your bin? 

[donbga]

Taken in Sep this year in Corsica. Early morning, driving rain and scudding clouds, lots of flare with Samyang 14mm. Trying to produce a mono but it just looks cluttered to me. Is it just too complex for low contrast in the missle distance contre-jour light to work in mono? I just can't get it looking like how I recall it in colour or mono. When I used a Fuji XE-1 to try to produce shots like this I used to think, not enough dynamic range it will be ok when I get a better camera. This is taken with a D810 so no excuse.
So any advice about processing or is it just toss it in the bin?

Ken

The short answer for me is color, however the B&W might work with some more editing, the conifers on the lower right look flat and might work better with some more local contrast or application of a contrast filter.

[BobDavid]

I vote for color, too. Reminds me of Albert Bierstadt.

Regards,
Dale

I like the photo.  I first thought of Albert Bierstadt too. Bierstadt's compositions are keenly constructed, and his work sets the bar almost out of reach. I wonder how you'd interpret this scene if you had the opportunity to observe it and photograph it many times over an extended period. I am not singling you out, it's a rhetorical question I often consider within the context of my work and others who photograph scenery.

[RSL]

I vote for color, too. Reminds me of Albert Bierstadt.

Regards,
Dale

Amazing, Dale. That's exactly what I thought. The atmospheric perspective is great stuff.

[KMRennie]

I will take the Albert Bierstadt comment as a great complement, it may however be irony but Americans don't really do irony, to use a stereotype. Donbga the amount of local adjustment  using curves and Nik Tonal adjustments is extreme in both the mono and colour version. I could tinker with HDR in parts to add a bit more oomph.  Little or no contrast in any of the originals. There are about 5 shots merged here to handle the dynamic range, the flare and the raindrops on the front element. Bottom line the colour version is better. When I have time I will post an earlier version with soft evening light bathing the valley and mountains.
Ken

[RSL]

Ken, it's honest criticism. Yes. You can't miss the fact that a lot of post processing has been done on this picture, but unlike way too many cases on LuLa it was very well done. It's a lot like a Bierstadt. The only thing missing is Bierstadt's linear perspective distortion to make the mountains overwhelming. I don't very often see a photograph that can stand with a good landscape painting, but this is one.

[Jeremy Roussak]

Colour, definitely. Reminds me how beautiful I thought Corsica was.

Jeremy

[Jim Kasson]

Taken in Sep this year in Corsica. Early morning, driving rain and scudding clouds, lots of flare with Samyang 14mm. Trying to produce a mono but it just looks cluttered to me. Is it just too complex for low contrast in the missle distance contre-jour light to work in mono? I just can't get it looking like how I recall it in colour or mono. When I used a Fuji XE-1 to try to produce shots like this I used to think, not enough dynamic range it will be ok when I get a better camera. This is taken with a D810 so no excuse.
So any advice about processing or is it just toss it in the bin?

Color. I'd clone out at least the top part of the dead or dying tree on the right. Bierstadt is an apt comparison. I'm assuming you didn't play fast and loose with the proportions as he did with Half Dome.

Nice job.

Jim

[RSL]

Don't TOUCH that dying tree on the right.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Don't TOUCH that dying tree on the right.

I am big on B&W generally, but I have to agree with the public assessment: Color is definitely best here.
And Russ is right about that tree.

Eric

[KMRennie]

This was shot the previous evening. Arrived slightly too late for the valley itself to be bathed in evening light. I had failed to realise just how deep the valley was and how early the suns light would leave it. Never mind I thought, there's always tomorrow. The next day dawned with with the first rain for weeks, a howling gale, no sunlight and a temp drop from the mid 80s to the low 60s.
Ken

[stamper]

You obviously have good Photoshop skills but your judgement whilst using them is a little suspect. The foreground  - imo - looks too light? I would expect a little more shadows. Others will probably/possibly disagree and the consensus of opinion will be interesting.