Colour

Colour is one of the six classic design elements, which also includes shape, form, line, texture and space. Like the other design elements, good use of colour can evoke emotion and give the viewer something to think about.

Colour is one of those things that was see all the time but often don’t notice, at least not on a conscious level. Sure, a beautiful field of bright red flowers will immediately catch our eye, as will a brilliant red sunset. But what we don’t notice is how subtle shades of colour can affect mood and our perception of a scene, or how brilliant colours can send a strong subconscious message about what we’re seeing.

There are a lot of theories and ideas about how colour affects mood, composition and therefore photographs, but for at the most basic level, colour can be separated into two very general categories: cool and warm.

Cool colours are those on the blue-green end of the spectrum – these colours invoke feelings of tranquillity, peace and calm. On the other end of the spectrum are the reds and yellows, or warm colours. These colours are more inviting; they invoke feelings of happiness, optimism and excitement. Depending on the context, they can also make a viewer feel angry, irritated or even hungry (ever wondered why so many fast food logos are red or yellow?)

COMPLIMENTARY, ANALOGOUS AND MONOCHROMATIC COLOUR

But learning to use colour in photography goes beyond simply choosing one colour over another. When you learn how to use colours together, you can create truly striking images. Start by learning your colour wheel, and look for contrasting, or complimentary colours in the world around you.

A yellow flower photographed against a blue background, for example, is engaging to the eye because blue and yellow are complimentary colours (opposite to one another on the colour wheel). You can use complimentary colours in the foreground and background, with the subject and background or with two or more subjects. Blue flowers photographed with yellow flowers will look equally as striking as that yellow flower against the blue background.

Another way to use colour is to choose analogous colours. Analogous colours are those that are next to each other on the colour wheel: blue and green, for example, or red and purple. When using an analogous colour scheme, try to make one of the two colours the focus of the image, and use the second colour to enhance the overall image.

A third way of using colour is to focus on monochromatic scenes. A monochromatic scene consists of varying shades of a single colour. The key to a successful monochromatic image is to find scenes with good contrast throughout the image–you want the photo to have a dark version of the colour, a light one and a good range of tones in between.

COLOUR SATURATION

Another colour quality to pay attention to is saturation. Saturation refers to the richness of the colour. An image with dull colours, such as a pale green meadow on an overcast day, has very low colour saturation. A field full of bright orange pumpkins on a sunny morning, on the other hand, has very high colour saturation.

Saturation is one of those things that you can tweak in post-processing if you’re not happy with the way it looks in your original image. Some cameras will even let you adjust colour saturation before you start shooting, so start looking at each scene with an eye for how rich you would like the colours to appear. If you think they could use a bump, try changing your camera’s setting or do a little playing around in Photoshop after the fact.

Both types of saturation have their place. An image with lower saturation seems softer, dreamy and idealistic. An image with high saturation seems bright and exciting. Think about the feeling you want to convey with your image before deciding how much or how little saturation would best suit the scene.

INCLUDE BLACKS, WHITES AND NEUTRALS

A bright colour against a white background can make a bold statement, and black can create drama. Neutral tones like gray and brown will draw attention to a brightly coloured subject. Carefully chosen neutrals, blacks and whites combined with a bold colour will make for a much more compelling image than if you simply isolate that bold colour against other muted or scattered ones.

CONTROLLING COLOUR

It’s easy to fall into that trap of considering only your subject and how it relates to the objects around it, without thinking about the colour. But colour can add emotion and drama to scenes that you wouldn’t ordinarily think would inspire such feelings. And you have more control over the colour in an image than you might think. This doesn’t mean you need to paint your poor cat green or dress him up in a tutu to create a colourful subject (though that would probably be kind of funny, albeit perilous). Instead, pay attention to how you frame colour and how you can use light to enhance it.

Time of day, for example, can add a particular colour cast to an image, which can dramatically change the way the scene is perceived by your viewer. Photos taken in the early part of the day or in the late afternoon will have a warmer cast, which will make the scene seem inviting and cheerful. Photos taken at mid-day or at twilight tend to have a cooler cast, which is more relaxing and peaceful. You can also control colour by composing your image in such a way that a particular colour becomes the focus, while other colours become less important.

DON’T OVERDO IT

Colour is a wonderful tool for creating an engaging image, but it’s very easy to go overboard with it. Complimentary colours can look striking together, but too much colour can make your viewer cringe. If your scene contains a very strong, bold colour in the foreground, don’t include a lot of other bold colours in the surrounding scenery or in the background. Too much colour is confusing to the eye and will make for a feeling of chaos throughout the image.

KNOW WHEN NOT TO USE COLOUR

Some images just look better in black and white. You may choose to completely desaturate an image (which is just another word for making it black and white) if you find that there are too many colours distracting you from the composition or the subject itself. Conversely, black and white is a good choice when the colours in a scene just aren’t that interesting or present. You may also want to use black and white if the contrast in the image calls for it – for example, if there is a good range of tones between the highlights and the shadows.

As always, experimentation will make you a better photographer, so try assigning yourself some colour projects. Find a good monochromatic scene, and then experiment with different colour compositions. Try doing a photo shoot where your primary focus is on colour, with subject taking a secondary position. Or assign yourself one colour each day, and see if you can create a series of images that follows the colour wheel. Whatever you choose to do, learning to recognize colour as it relates to mood and composition will give you another useful tool in that photographic arsenal, and a colourful collection of compelling images in your portfolio