Past tense story telling or writing speaks from the point of an event that has happened in the past and you are able to tell the story in a way the readers can imagine the event just happening.
I think most writers relates more when they write from the past than the present. It also gives one the liberty to effectively paint the scene in a more clearer picture.
And writing in the present tense has some sought of limitation for writers using that style just because it tend to limit the level of the writer's imagination. he event in question had not happened so you want to be careful how you will paint the picture you want your readers to see.
(My opinion)
But you said in your post, both style is good. However the success of any of the style will depend solely on the writer and his level of imagination when it comes to creating a picture in the mind of his readers (fiction).
Thanks for sharing this.