Color
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In photography it is a good practice to look for colors that look good together. Lets take a look at color theory and how you can apply some artistic principles to your photography.
The basic primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. When primary colors are blended of equal parts they produce secondary colors. These colors are orange, green, and violet. When secondary and primary colors are blended they produce tertiary colors. These colors are red-orange, red-violet, yellow-orange, yellow-green, blue-violet, and blue-green.
Together these colors make up the color wheel. The color wheel is a reference for the relationships of color and their interactions. By mixing these colors together you get an infinite number of colors.
Color variety is also influenced by the amount of white, black, and grey that is added to the color. When white is added to a color it is called a tint. When black is added to a color it is called a shade. When grey is added to a color it is called a tone. By the addition of tints, shades and tones, single colors can be blended to make literally millions of sub colors.
When, tints, shades, and tones are added to the color wheel it makes up the range of colors we see everyday.
Relationships between colors are called color schemes. There are many different types of color schemes, but we will only focus on a few of the most commonly used. Many times in photography, the color scheme is given to you; however it is good to recognize the strengths of each situation.
There are four common color schemes used in photography; monochromatic, complementary, triadic, and adjacent. Each scheme gives representation to a photograph and conveys different meanings.
Monochromatic color schemes are a one-color scheme using different tints, tones, and shades. This scheme is often viewed as clean and elegant. This color scheme is often used to establish an overall mood in your photographs.
The complementary color scheme is colors opposite each other on the color wheel. This scheme is visually contrasting, providing liveliness and drawing utmost attention. It is wise to choose one dominant color and the second as an accent for more balance. Photographing cool colors against warm usually produces the best results.
Triadic color schemes hold three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. Although often complex, this scheme is harmonious and easily retains balance. When using a triadic color scheme in your photography find subjects where one color is used in larger amounts than the others.
Adjacent color schemes (also known as analogous) uses colors next to each other on the color wheel. This scheme makes photographs appear richer than the monochromatic scheme but not as vibrant as the complementary.
These schemes may be hard to spot or put together within your images, but they can all enhance your photographs when used correctly.
Assignments
These assignments provide different practice with color schemes. Don’t forget that these color schemes can vary with tints, tones, and shades and the options are endless.
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Once you have taken basic photographs using the color schemes try using the same color schemes with different colors. For example, if you used purple and yellow for your first assignment, try capturing a photograph with the complementary colors green and red, or orange and blue.