Lord Buddha in Mossy Green or Black & White: You Choose

Today’s Buddha photo of the day comes from the Baan Phor Liang Meun’s Terra-Cotta Arts garden in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

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I had the pleasure of wandering around the Baan Phor Liang Meun’s Terra-Cotta Arts garden with Alan McArthur, who also leads photo tours around Chiang Mai. As he wanted to experiment with my 10.5mm fisheye lens, I used the opportunity to zoom in on details with my point and shoot instead of getting my customary wide shot.

Buddha in Black & White or Color?

This closeup of a Buddha’s face is one of my favorite photos of the day: particularly because of the green moss growing on his face. However, when I showed it to Alan, the first words out of his mouth were, “that would look great as a black and white photograph.”

After Alan suggested the conversion, my initial thought was, “no way; then you can’t see the green of the moss on Lord Buddha.” But, after processing the photo both ways, I really do enjoy the black and white treatment: for totally different reasons.

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My real question is, which of these two Buddha photographs do YOU like better and why?

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.