True Colors (Two); 2016, 2017
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When color's contribution to an image is particularly dramatic and prominent, it is easier to say the obvious: color adds something that is essential, or even that it is the essential element in the photo. This is especially so when the subject matter of the image is inherently colorful, particularly if the subject is identified with specific colors.
In these three images, the dominant colors identify, or identify with, the visual subject in a way B&W would have been unable to achieve.
In comparison, sometimes the color is just another element, and is perhaps not the dominant element or even critical to the image This pair from Tuscany, the original as shot and a B&W conversion, is an example. Either would be acceptable.
Another example is the original yellow daffodil and the B&W conversion. Here the yellow original is, to me, less interesting than the luminous B&W conversion.
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After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.