To Colour or NOT to Colour?

I've been thinking about going Black and White in my photography for a while... and lo and behold, my favorite magazine comes along with their annual issue on Black and White photography.  Now I'll be honest... I love colour photos just as much as anybody else... and I've been guilty of taking a colour photo that didn't quite work and making it into B&W to salvage it.  Some photos, just simply DESERVE to be made into B&W because they take on a whole new life that they don't have when left alone.

There are some distinct advantages to shooting in Black & White... It forces you to see a little bit differently, and it also makes you spend more time on composing your photo, because a badly composed B&W photo is criticized more harshly than were it colour.  And when you learn how to see the textures and and tones that B&W photographs can convey, you can truly start to get some powerful shots.

Take, as an example, this shot of a bridge.  In colour, it was just kind of a mess.  It was a neat idea when I took it, and then as I thought about it, I decided that it needed to be converted into Black & White.  A couple of darkroom tools later, out comes this photo which is full of texture, detail, warmth, and life.  Which is perfect, because the whole hike was lively, and the weather was perfect for it.  I could have used a few other techniques to bring everything out of this photograph, but I felt that simple was best for it.  The photo is busy enough as it is.

Other things that I've seen have just simply begged to be photographed in Black & White. A snag in the forest simply leapt out at me and demanded to be photographed... and it was clear that colour would not work. A clump of toadstools on a stump almost screamed it at me. That photo, while good in colour, took on a whole new life in B&W. Winter photos are very well suited to Black & White photography; particularly when you have a subject that is ALSO well-suited to it.

Like I said... a couple of these in colour would be good shots anyway... and a couple of these just simply DON'T WORK other than in Black & White.  Black and White photography is something that I think all photographers should explore in more depth than they normally do, and I intend to.  Am I going to forsake colour?  Certainly not... but I am going to spend more time looking for shots that are going to be taken in Black & White.

What do you think?  Does Black & White photography speak to you?  Is good B&W photography something that you want to hang on your wall?