This assignment is designed to show command of colour in photography. Probably the most challenging assignment to date combining as it did a constant search for colours and situations to represent the relationships and challenging my perception of colour ( primary and secondary ). While I had long realised the vaste range of shades of green, I soon realised the wealth of other colour ranges around me posed both a challenge ( not always in the right place or in the right combination ) and a godsend ( plenty of opportunity to experiment ). If an assignment can be both frustrating and enjoyable then this one fits the bill so far !
To complete the assignment, I have chosen sixteen photographs to illustrate different colour relationships and used a mix of still life and uncontrolled situations to create the colours and relationships desired. Most of the images have been taken with a Canon EOS 500D, three with a Canon IXUS 210 and where changes have been made to the original image to create the desired colour(s) Photoshop Elements was used and the changes indicated below.
Colour harmony through complementary colours
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| P254: f16 @ 1/40 ISO 400 55mm +0.7exp. cropped |
P254 : Though the hues are pale here, the violet and yellow work well together and emphasised by the mix of colour in some of the blooms. The proportions are within the range for violet and yellow as suggested by Goethe and the darker violet shade diagonally in the centre suggests movement. I like the sense of delicacy and lightness suggested by this combination of colour and subject.
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| P255: f5.6 @1/40 ISO200 18mm |
P255: I adjusted the image in P255 to achieve the right shade of orange by slightly increasing the hue, saturation and slightly reducing the brightness. This resulted in the shade I was looking for. With hindsight, I feel I should have reworked the composition to reduce the area of blue as the balance of hue is slightly more than a ratio of one part orange to two parts blue.
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| P256: f8 @ 1/80 ISO200 22mm -0.3exp. |
P256: The red and green in this image matched the plant colour and needed no adjustment.The brightness of the red is slightly toned down by the distinctive green of the geraniums and the composition i.e. scattering of red across the image. I think the ratio of colour is a little more than 1:1 if the colours were blocked. I resisted cropping which might have improved the ratio but would have reduced the overall effectiveness of the composition. Some little movement comes from the positioning of the red blooms and angle of the image.
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| P257: f10 @ 1/800 ISO 400 22mm |
P257: For this image, I returned again to my favourite building to capture a combination of orange and blue. I think the ratio of blue and orange is roughly right and the intervention of the black paintwork contributes to the strong colour combination of the two colours. The strength and colour depth of the orange and the blue contribute well to the sense of vertical and horizontal movement and balance. The lighting was right on the day so I felt that there was no need to adjust the hues as I needed strong saturated colours to capture what I was seeing in front of me.
Colour harmony through similar colours
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| P258: f5.6 @ 1/250 ISO 200 40mm |
P258: I really like this warm colour combination of red and orange blending through to yellow. Here the colours are rich and lend a sense of vibrancy to the dynamic shape created by the shape of the flower heads and petal shapes.
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| P259: f5 @ 1/250 ISO 200 11mm |
P259: While the colour of the blue here is lighter than in other images it works well with the various shades of green ..the impression created by this combination of blue and green is one of cool shaded tranquility despite the central focal point being a wheel (with its implied sense of movement ). Despite the size of the wheel, the amount of blue in the picture is much less than the green thus working with the green rather than against it.
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| P260: f18 @ 1/25 ISO 200 55mm cropped |
P260: I like the way the lilac and red in this image work with as opposed to each other..it maybe that the lilac petals are placed against the red is the reason or the fact that the more obvious proportions are two parts lilac to one part red...either way I feel the outcome is a harmonious one.
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| P261: f2.8 @ 1/320 ISO 125 4mm |
P261: In this image as often happens with these colours in nature, the ratio of green and yellow is probably 1 : 1. It works well on the eye here as the two colours compliment each other. The composition is enhanced by the angle of image and the black railings which lend a dramatic nature to the image.
Colour contrast
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| P262: f5 @ 1/20 ISO 100 18mm -0.3exp. |
P262: Interestingly,I found it harder to capture colour combinations through still life that other found situations. Admittedly you can manipulate the colour ratios but finding the actual colours proved quite hard. Here I have resorted to the sports cap again and warmed to this theme with some additional items calculated not to detract from the key colours of red and blue but create interest. I did increase the saturation here to achieve the richness of colour that I was seeking. I feel there is balance here and the colour contrast works well to draw the eye in.
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| P263: f4.5 @ 1/500 ISO 100 9mm |
P263: I was attracted to these strong primary colours and the contrast they create. I chose to have more yellow than red as I feel this creates more balance in the picture
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| P264: f8 @ 1/80 ISO 200 18mm cropped |
P264: I thought hard and long as to how I might capture lilac and orange together and have to admit that this still life image does favour a very dark lilac verging on purple. That said the darker colour contrasts very well with the strong orange lending a degree of intensity to the relationship. Very much manufactured colours but I felt there was no need to adjust them for this image other than cropping it.
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| P265: f22 @ 1/60 ISO400 55mm |
P265: From manufactured contrast to one in nature.. here I used a blue filter and increased the saturation to get as close to the 'real' image as I could.
Colour accent
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| P266: f10 @ 1/250 ISO 400 22mm - increased hue |
P266: While not strictly keeping to primary and secondary colours as such , I was attracted to this stone work, particularly the brickwork ( admittedly not a pure colour but a rich mix of reds/ oranges ) and its relationship with the blue disabled notice. I increased the hue slightly to ensure the impact of the blue colour 'spot' . Possibly an indulgence but I feel the relationship between the two colours in this image intensifies them both.
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| P267: f4 @ 1/60 ISO 100 28mm |
P267: Amongst the lilac and green, the strength of the red petal stands out disproportionately to the space it occupies. It draws the attention and I think intensifies the green and lilac. I found that the green of the leaves in the original image when printed came out a rather bright almost unnatural green ( the difference between the screen and printed images). To correct this and get nearer the colour of the real plant, I used a red filter.
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| P268: f14 @ 1/30 ISO 100 34mm |
P268: These oranges caught my eye in a busy street demonstrating in practical terms how the eye can be drawn by a colour accent. I spent some time looking at the colours and trying a number of filters to achieve the colour of the original scene - a red filter was my final choice. Again the accent strengthens the colour of the much larger leaf area. I think the colour relationship works well against what could be a distracting detail of buildings.
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| P269: f5.6 @ 1/200 ISO100 54mm |
P269: I first increased the saturation and level of brightness in this image to capture exactly how it appeared to my eye and opted for a blurred background to enhance the picture. The more I looked at the image, I realised that the colour was carrying more 'red' than I needed - a blue filter corrected this and the colour is much nearer to the original flower. I like the way the vibrant yellow of the centre of the flower - the accent - really brings out the lilac colour and detail of the petals. I think the balance here works well.
