Photographs can be in color or in black and white. Both choices make a very specific and poignant statement visually. Just like a painter, a photographer should be aware of the colors in his/her subject. Looking at the color wheel can help you understand the colors in your composition
better.
Traditional color theory says that colors across
from each other are complimentary while colors next to each other on the color wheel are
traditionally considered to clash with each other. But in photography, colors next to one another are often complimentary while colors across from each other are not. And colors that are at an angle to one another clash the most in photography.
- Opposite Colors
- Can overwhelm an image or subject
- Can be used to draw attention to one part of an image
- Can be used to create a feeling of discord in the image
- Adjacent Colors
- Tend to blend in and not overwhelm an image or subject
- Can be used to "tie" two pieces of an image together
- Can be used to create harmony within the image
Clashing in a color palette is most noticeable in "man made" colors, such colors in nature are much more natural and complimentary.
2 comments:
I never thought about it. I just took pictures and kept the ones that looked good to me.
Some of the others I wish I'd have kept as I learned how to use Paint.net program. Those shots would have been perfect for cutting and what not.
it was weird to me that red and green are complimentary...until I used them in a painting. Funny how photography and painting are so different, yet so similar!!
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