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The colour of the object illuminated partakes of the colour of that which illuminates it. – Leonardo da Vinci

In our past columns (see links below) we have discussed such topics as how one colour can complement or distract from a bordering colour. We have also learned that to truly see colour one has to understand how shades of grey are comprised of mere percentages of black ranging from pure white to pure black. A primary objective coming from these discussions should be an understanding of how contrast plays a primary role and is an integral component of the final image.

Let’s look a little deeper into this concept and how we might apply this knowledge in our own picture making.

For the nature photographer there are essentially two core subject matters upon which we will concentrate our efforts, those being critters and where critters live. How each is approached and photographed will depend on a litany of variables, but essentially the one constant is that we will have little control over the lighting. The quality of that light, however, will often decide how we have to approach the image and what type of photograph to make.

Generally speaking, where I live on the Tropic of Cancer, the light will be best up to about two hours after sunrise, and from two hours before sunset. It can also be safely assumed the closer you get to the equator, the more quickly the light will become harsh with contrast and hard edges shadows after sunrise. Conversely, the closer you are to the poles the longer the “golden hours” of nice warm coloured light.  When the sun is high in the sky at noon it is often too harsh and creates far too much contrast to provide good photo opportunities, unless we adjust our approach.

Photo 1

 It has been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  This old gobbler, in photo 1, was having a difficult time locating a mate — evidently it wasn’t just me who thought he was butt ugly. His temperament wasn’t stellar either as I recall, let’s just say this was the last image of the sequence. With that having been said, the photograph was made around high noon and in lighting conditions that had far too much contrast for a pleasing image. By selecting a tight composition to take advantage of the contrasting colour it becomes possible to shoot throughout the entire day. Should this composition not be so tight, the image would have been far less effective. Identify the complementary colours in the scene and allow those to be the focal point while being somewhat oblivious to the subject.  In this case the red is the focal point and is accentuated by the blacks.

Photo 2

 If one is driving down a country road around lunch time, some great tunes rockin’ on the radio, a cloudless blue sky overhead, the arm thrust out the window ala truck driver style … well, what could be better?  Why a field full of beautiful sunflowers appearing over the next hill of course.

Should one compare the golden colour of the sunflower to the deep blue sky in image 2, you would soon realize that gold and blue are opposite on the colour wheel. As a consequence of being complementary colours (or very close to) they will immediately create a colour contrast that will work even when the light is harsh. All that remains is to get permission from the farmer to enter his field and compose the image so there are no competing colours in the viewfinder. Voila, you now have a successful photo taken at a time of day when most photographers are having a noonday nap.

If you think of the colour wheel and how colours complement each other you will soon intuitively be making photographs without even thinking of colour theory. When the scene looks good in the viewfinder it usually is, capture the image and analyse it at home.

And remember, if you are having fun you are doing it right.

Read the Full ‘Learning to See Series’ at:

• Learning to See Part 1
• Learning to See Part 2
• Learning to See Part 3
• Learning to See Part 4

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Learning to See, Part V

Digital Photography School

The Hues and Use of Colour, Part III

Seek the strongest colour possible…the content is of no importance. 

–Henri Matisse

Upon review of our last entry we learned that the colour, tone or shade of a perimeter colour can, and does, affect the primary subject. The works of the artists identified —Turner, Maisel and Meola — amplify this notion without reservation.

In many cases a specific colour is also very responsible for controlling our subconscious.  When we think of white we translate our thoughts to purity and objectivity. Red is for romance, yellow of jealousy, and green for a pristine environment. At the same time we can look at the colour black as a flat monotone that is suggestive of death; paint that same uninspired black with a wash of high gloss varnish and it immediately takes on a feeling of high-class and being formal. Blue is the most popular and preferred colour by adults in North America.

A Basic Colour Wheel showing Primary and Secondary Colours

An advertising executive once told me colour sells, the right colour sells better. It is not by accident that we instantly identify a specific red with Coca-Cola, yellow with Kodak or National Geographic, HP and IBM with the use of blue, and green by Fuji.  These colours were not selected by accident, and reinforces the notion that colour does have a very profound effect on how we view an image.

If we think of the colours of Coke and Kodak and IBM, we instantly associate these corporate colours as being a bold red, yellow and blue respectively. These are primary colours, from which all other colours are made. If we were to mix an equal amount of two primary colours, the result would be the secondary hues of orange, green and violet. And so it continues, and millions of colours are possible by mixing variations of these three primary colours.

Review illustration two, and see the effect the perimeter colour has on the red square in the centre. Against the black background the red stands up and offers an illusion of brilliance and strength, whereas when bordered by green the red really comes to life and is vibrant and happy. Meanwhile when surrounded by orange there is no contrast and the red square appears as, well, blah! Introduce violet as a neighbour and it simply kills that once vibrant and full of life little red square.

Illustration 2

That is all fine and dandy but what does it mean for the beginning photographer?

Much, and if you remember the basic principle of colour theory you will see yourself moving around the landscape more than ever looking for the complementary colour to support that of the subject. In so doing your final result will have more contrast and impact and you will more often than not be rewarded with the ‘wow’ factor.

This autumn scene near Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia is not overly exciting but provides a good example of colour theory in practise. If you cover the bottom half of the picture you are left with a secondary coloured orange foliaged tree and violet coloured sky, and the scene completely lacks any attention grabbing detail. Next cover the top half of the image; although the bottom half of the scene, although much less interesting than the picture as a whole, has far more impact due to the primary colour of yellow being surrounded by the primary colour of red and thus supporting the point of Matisse as quoted at the opening.

There have been many textbooks written on colour theory, and the science of the colour wheel dates back to at least the time of Newton. Personally, my curiosity is aroused when I am out making pictures, all I have to remember is that opposite colours attract, bordering colours repel. Too easy; now get out there and make some great pictures.

And remember, if you are having fun you are doing it right!

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Learning to See, Part IV

Digital Photography School

Read earlier posts in this series at “Learning to See – For Beginners” and “Learning to See Part 2“.

The Hues and Use of Colour, Part II

Colour is a means of expressing light. – Henri Matisse

In the first installment of the “Hues and Use of Colour” we introduced a discussion on colour, albeit the two colours of black and white. By further exploring the work of Ansel Adams we discovered that black and white is not, well, just black and white, but varying shades of greys between the two extremes.

I also hope your research led you to discover other great masters of the black and white print: Robert Maplethorpe, John Sexton and Edward Weston to name but a few. In your study you should have also witnessed how these world-class photographers were masters in the darkroom. Advanced photographers intimately understand that by controlling one shade of grey they are also effectively complementing the neighbouring tone.

Visual perception of colour may not necessarily be truthful. This is amplified in illustration number one. As you look at the illustration do not over analyse, but ask yourself which circle is actually the whitest? Of course you are going to study the illustration and come to the conclusion that they are all of the same tone, even though the illusion is that the extreme right circle is brightest.

Now look at illustration number two. Again, which is the brightest circle? I think you would agree the right-hand circle is the brighter.

Illustration 2

In illustration one, all of the circles are 100% white and the background is shades of grey ranging from 25% black on the extreme left square, through 50% black, 75% black and finally 100% black on the extreme right. With just two basic colours, and varying shades thereof, it is quite easy to see the simultaneous contrast. In illustration two the background square is either 100% white or 100% black, and the circle is 18% grey (+/- 3% to provide for the pattern detail). Simply by adding the pattern to the circle, and dramatically increasing the adjoining background variance in tone we can create an illusion of assimilated contrast. The two circles in illustration two are identical in all aspects.

We can take this exact same theory and apply it to colour photography. Many photographers will use post-production software, such as Photoshop, and saturate a selected colour to increase the “punch” in the image. Based on illustration two principles could we not increase the tonal range of the supporting, or complementary colour to achieve the same result?

But what are complementary colours?

Before we get into a large debate and ongoing dialogue I want you to try a small experiment. The materials are quite simple: Print a full sheet of 8.5 x 11-inch paper as a solid bright royal blue. Have a second sheet of equal sized clear bright white paper at hand. Now, stare at the blue paper for a minute or so and then quickly move your eyes to the white paper. That white paper should show a yellow afterimage. That is because yellow is a complimentary colour to blue. Other complimentary colours are Green and Magenta, and, Red and Cyan.

An isolated detail of a shoreline cliff allows the reds to enhance the greens, or vice versa … depending on how you look at it. Location: Five Islands Provincial Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

Now that we have started to think colour and how one colour can complement another, I want you to do a web search looking for some great colour imagery. Look at photographer websites, and their portfolios; a great start would be the work of Pete Turner, a true master of colour.  A couple of other “purveyors of colour” worth more than a cursory glance would be Jay Maisel and Eric Meola.

I raise these great photographers works as I want the novice photographer to get ready for an introduction to the colour wheel in the next installment of “Hues and Use of Colour.” To truly be aware how one colour can affect its neighbour we have to understand the colour wheel and its theories, but not too much as we don’t want to take the fun out of making pictures.

After all, if you are having fun you are doing it right!

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Learning to See, Part III

Digital Photography School

The Hues and Use of Colour 

Colour is to photography what verbs are to writing. –Daryl Benson

From the day we are born we start to see the world in colour. Just like taxes and death there is no avoiding it, or at least we should hope not.

What has developed over the years by academia is a litany of theorems best described by Encyclopaedia Britannica: “The number and variety of these theories demonstrates that no universally accepted rules apply; the perception of colour depends on individual experience.”

If a respected reference such as Britannica recognized that no universally accepted theory could be adopted, then how can a short blog entry possibly answer the question :What is Colour?” Obviously it can’t. The task, then, is to pique your interest, encourage you to explore other references, and employ photographic technique that has proven over time to work.

Before we delve into colour in a fast and furious way, let us step back and think of the great black and white imagery that captures our attention. By having a grasp of what truly makes a fine black and white print we can better understand what creates a lasting colour photograph.

For the landscape photographer, there is probably no better place to start than with the work of Ansel Adams. Any student of photography should be encouraged to study this incredible body of work available at bookstores, libraries or on the web.

As you review the collection, the tonal range of the prints will no doubt intrigue you. By creating a process which became universally known as “The Zone System” Adams was able to accurately pre-visualize how the final print should appear, and he exposed the negative to maximize the latitude of the medium; the blacks would be black without “blocking up” and the whites would be white without “blowing out.”

Books have been written on the zone system so, again, I would encourage a web search for greater clarification.

We can also use the zone system today with digital photography, and, indeed we should have a working knowledge of the topic. Fortunately for us the matrix metering systems in many cameras use algorithms in the same principal as that which allowed Adams to develop the Zone System, thus ensuring we automatically get a good exposure. Whereas Adams zone system generally worked with a tonal range measuring from zero to ten, the same white and black points in today’s digital photography measure from 0 to 255.

I would love to have the opportunity to view an original Adams negative. I suspect it would be very flat and boring, much like a perfectly exposed “middle zone” colour digital file. The answer behind a beautiful high-contrast black and white photograph, or a colour-dripping-off-the-paper giclee print does not completely lie with the exposure, but with the darkroom manipulation techniques after the capture that was employed to “pop” the contrast.

By learning to see and understand the tonal range of the scene in black and white, the photographer will be developing an intuitive process of pre-visualizing the final image in colour and by consequence decide whether graduated filters or multiple exposures should be made for later merging in editing software. With practise this will become an intuitive process.

As you start your creative vision process don’t let your eyes restrict you by what you see, but allow your mind to direct you by what you can create. Only then will you start to have vision true to yourself and begin developing a personal style.

In the next entry we will look at complimentary colours.

And remember, if you are having fun, you are doing it right!

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Learning to See, Part II

Digital Photography School