B&W or Colour

What do you think works best in this shot?

Colour:



B&W:



Thanks
M

B&W. The green tree at the top distracts in the colour one.

I'd say colour, the water surface looks too artificial in the B&W for my taste.

Goodness, in what sense does it look more realistic in the colour one?

Perhaps I should have said, the colour image looks less artificial!

I'm not a fan of cotton wool water, but I like the B/W version best.

Normally it's simply too cliched for me to like it, although that wouldn't stop me trying to achieve the effect just from a technique point of view. But this one is more graphic art than photography (sorry - I know that assertion could be a thread in itself), and I find myself liking the cotton wool a lot more than I usually do.

If it hadn't been for the tree, I'd have preferred the colour, since, well, I like colour.

But as I say, the green tree is a distraction that disappears in B&W.

Thanks for all your comments

ChrisA I am new to photography so could you explain either here or in a personal message why it is more graphic art than photography?

Cheers
M