Ndbrown07's Blog

Color Expression

Color Expression

The first way to explore color is by expressing it. By taking a color and using it as a dominant feature and color in a photo you have shown it or expressed it. Freshly baked pizza was caught as an image for expressing color. The red sauce and pepperoni were dominant features and the lighting accentuated the grease filled pockets. Taking an interesting view of the pizza worked well with an aperture of 4.8 and a shutter speed of 60. I feel this photo creates a three-dimensional color buffet and every time I look at it I get hungry. Using color expression worked well in this photo. The picture of my cousin all decked out for the tournament was a perfect opportunity to catch his expression as well as expressing the team’s color. Orange is so vibrant and exciting and so was the game. The color helps this photo tell a story and gives it stronger emotion. The boy’s expression is very strong and helps orange be a strong color also. The expression and color work so well together in this shot, it brings the moment alive. This picture was taken with a small aperture number of 5.6 and a faster shutter speed of 250. I really love this shot because it really is all about the orange and what that does for the expression in the photo.

Complementary Harmony

Next, I studied the different color relationships that can be thought of when shooting a photograph. Complementary harmony is when two colors are used from opposite sides of the color wheel but are placed next to each other in the photograph. I found a beautiful orange colored limestone in a rock quarry near my home. Shooting just the limestone ledge, the orange does not stand out. I tried that shot so I could compare it to the orange rock against a bright blue sky. What a difference that contrast made! I feel using complementary harmony is a great tool to give a subject a reference point to compare the color to. The lighting in this photo was also important in capturing the bright color of the orange rock. When using the blue and orange as complements of each other in a photograph, just like my art class color wheel, it was obvious what a real difference that made. Using an aperture of 22 and a shutter speed of 500 created this perfect exposure.

Harmony of Similarity

A relationship that uses different hues of the same color is called harmony of similarity. When the whole photograph is based on different shades of the same color it can be very eye appealing. I have often seen this principle used when families have their group dress in shades of the same color for a photo. The rock quarry was as great location on a sunny day to get many natural shades of oranges, yellows, and tans. This photo contains at least four different layers, which helps to create depth and interest. Lines, shapes, lighting, and color all play important roles in giving this photo interest and visual appeal. A shutter speed of 500 and aperture of 24 created this clear photo. I feel peace and harmony when I am outdoors so I purposefully wanted the photo showing harmony of similarity to be of nature. I believe this is a striking example of this concept and one that is interesting to look at.

Accent Color

Color accent is a relationship of color that can really make something pop out in your photograph. My picture of an orange sign in front of a rather colorless scene really gives the sign attention. There is no doubt in our mind what the subject is and the prominence of its location also gives the sign importance. I used an aperture of 22 and a shutter speed of 500 to get these colors to stand out. This photo has unique lines, both vertical and horizontal, guiding you to the sign. There is also elemental form we recognize in the rectangle shape. One’s eye is certain to focus on the orange sign in this photo.

Black and White

One can also use colors in muted tones or even black and white to communicate a feeling in a photograph. Muted colors can give a photo a softer feel. I used the foggy days this past week and the dulled colors of the end of winter to my advantage in creating a feeling in my photos. I found many opportunities to capture nature’s colors in muted tones. The colors enhanced the way I was feeling on these days; quiet, still, even gloomy. The gray days of last week were captured with a tone that the muted colors enhanced.

The black and white photo is an expression of color also. Colors like red and green tend to be darker in black and white photography than yellow and blue. Since the sky was such a dull blue-gray, I knew taking a photograph against that backdrop would help the subject stand out even more as a black and white print. The dark browns of the trees, deep gold of the sunflowers, and the dull green of the newly forming grass were the right colors to pop against the sky when changed to a monochrome print. This photo had eye appeal right away to me. I noticed the natural framing with the trees and the horizontal and vertical lines made with the stalks of the sunflowers were stunning against the light background. A shutter speed of 60 and an aperture of 14 created this photo.

Muted Colors

The photograph of the melting snow, dead grass, gray sky, gray poles, and foggy appearance of the day makes me feel something personal. It is something like loneliness but I think it is more like stillness. The poles, somewhat out of perfect alignment, add to this feeling. They also give some shape and line for the eye to follow. The small stream of melting snow gives the photo perspective and again adds to the feeling. This picture would have a totally different feel and mood if it were filled with the bright colors of green grass and blue sky. One can really see there is a place for muted colors with this photograph. A shutter speed of 125 and aperture of 8 helped create this photo.