It is great that all of you have visited the DR, but remember why these photos were posted. The photographer wanted C&C. Whether you like or dislike the images is not relevant, but rather your reasons why. So, here goes with thoughts on the composition of the images and what I see in the photos.
First, what is the subject? In the first I see a chair, lizard, rotting post, a background with lines...in the colored version a bright yellow background with jagged lines. I assume your main subject is the chair because that is the most prominent and largest subject. So, how do the rest of the elements relate to the chair. Do the other elements in the photo draw our attention to the chair or away from it? How about that lizard? How important is it? I believe it draws our attention away from the chair, but it is it important for us to see it? We can recognize what it is, but we cannot see much detail. Does it deserve our attention or is it just distracting us away from looking at that chair.
What about the background? How important is it? Yes, it is colorful, but do we really need to see it or is is just there because it is just what was in the background. The wiggling line is interesting and might warrant a photo by itself, but what does it add to the chair. Notice how part of it is hitting the chair? If you want it there it would help add to the depth of the photo is it were not touching the chair, but had some space. But, I would suggest that the background is not important because it pulls our attention away from the chair and for what reason. A solution would be to have used a wider (smaller numbered f/stop) aperture which would have blurred the background still keeping it color, but not pulling our attention away from the chair.
The chair itself has a lot of positive things going for and I can see why it caught your eye. I see interesting patterns in the seat, I see interesting textures in the rockers, the wood. The post helps emphasize that the chair is not new has been used which adds to its charm.
In short this is an image of a chair, so let us see an image of a chair. Omit or lessen objects in your photo that are not related to the chair that keep us looking at the chair. If you want a picture of a chair, let it be a picture of a chair....not a lizzard or a background of other items that do not belong even thought they might be there!
I think one of the reasons this works better as a B&W is because the bright yellow takes away from , the softer textures and unpainted character of the chair. A duller background would be more appropriate.
The tienda photo has great color, but agin you were trying to get it all in. What made you take the picture? Could you have chosen something within that scene gotten closer to it and highlighted even more the story you were trying to tell. For example, is it important for us to see so much of the street in the foreground? If there is writing on signs, we would like to be able to clearly read it. look at all the color in just one of the buildings? Do we need to see all of the buildings to understand why you took the shot?
What about the background? the trees and sky are sort of washed out, are they needed. I would like to see more of those flowers, less of the fence. How about that pink building and what about that person? She/he looks interesting, but we can barely see what he/she is wearing?
The old adage "Less is More" might apply to both your images.
BTW I spent two years with the Peace Corps in the DR ('66-'68) and JFK had a rocker from the DR.
[/URL] Chair BW by lee.demers, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/URL] Chair Colour by lee.demers, on Flickr[/IMG]
[/URL] DSCN5186 by lee.demers, on Flickr[/IMG]
. Going to Hawaii in February and I'm getting a T3i for Christmas this year 
Can't wait to use it.
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