Assignment 3 - Tutor Feedback

Most people taking this course find the colour assignment the trickiest. It isn’t the easiest task to find the required combinations in one or two outings, so a mix of stand-alone images and technical shots is a good approach.  Something you’ve done here, along with the detailed diagrams and good notes for both.

Colour Harmony through Complementary Colours

This set of four images and diagrams illustrates perfectly the harmonious possibilities in a variety of complementary colourways, with the diagrams illustrate the movement in the frame.

I think the bud, in the image of the rose, helps strengthen the composition and guide the movement towards the flower head.  The red here, is highly saturated (is that using PS?), and seems to have lost some of its texture and detail, but it’s nicely defined against the soft focus greens in the background.

There’s a gentler feel to the following shot of oranges in a bowl.  This might be partly due to the soft, low light on the subject – feels a bit underexposed here, although the angle lifts the skin texture on the fruit.  There is a strong compositional conflict between the subject and the chrome basket.

The graffiti detail on the London wall works very well with the shapes and the complementary colours producing an unusual, organic movement around the frame.  As you say in your notes it is almost circular, and the purple/yellow combination – much loved by hippies all around the world – is effective and pleasing.

The following close detail of the tomato and stalk produces a quite different movement, well defined in your diagram.  The colour, and particularly the texture details, are excellent in this shot – a beautiful lens, the 105mm.

Colour Harmony Through Similar Colours

This is a strong and interesting set, with a real variety of subject matter and approach to composition, in which you demonstrate harmony similar colours perfectly. 

The shot of the flower from above, perfectly positioned in the frame, contains a really good range of detail across the dynamic range, and although there is a good depth of field, it is the colour that distinguishes the flower head.  I’m picking up a circular movement around the flower in this image.

With the landscape image, while the flat light lowers the level of contrast and facilitates the idea of similar colour harmony, I think the shot would work in fill strong light.  The colours define the composition, but the real strength is the positive/negative shape, of the rising hill against the skyline.

Playground artifacts or contemporary sculpture, interesting how design and fine art are so close, especially when, as in this image, the structure is ambiguous.  The three plains fall back, defined by the red, orange and yellow elements, creating a nice sense of space (and harmony).

I’m never sure about this type of shot, although there are certainly a range of harmonious similar colours here, and a sense of rhythm around the frame.  It’s crying out for something, an imperfection or an anomalous addition to attract the eye.

Colour Contrast through Contrasting Colour

The first two images in this set are really intriguing; with a highly effective use of infra red and polarizing filters.  Polarisers, of course, produce the most beautiful range of colour and tone in the right light, as well as cutting out surface reflections.  The landscape here in Kew, is classic, with strong cloud detail and a well balanced foreground of lake divided by the tree line.  Interestingly, for me, it’s the sky and the refection that are the real strengths of the image.  With the previous image, the sky is most striking, with a great sense of movement, and the tropical house shimmers below – I think the contrast is pretty minimal here, although the wall does underline the shot.

The lifeguard on the beach could be either contrasting, or colour accent, but works very well, with the use of a long lens to create foreshortening, and the similar colour range of beach and tidal pools.

The close shot of the poppy, similarly to the earlier image of the rose, is heavily saturated here, and I’m missing most of the purple at the centre of the flower head.  I wonder if this is just the transfer to PDF – or the reduction of detail in the jpeg transfer?

Colour Accent

This is the element of the assignment that people tend to find hardest to deal with – examples are out there, but sometimes need a bit of patience.  This set of four is pretty good, with the red bin accented against the field of green.  The strong light is crucial here, saturating the colours and making the red accent stand out even more.

Yes, there’s a humorous relationship in both the size and the angle between the seagull and girl – looks like a morsel ready to be picked off.  The orange top worn by the girl really helps her to stand out as a small and distant subject, and the eye moves between the two, as you show in your diagram.

I see a different dynamic (an additional one I should say) in the following shot of the inflatable in the surf, with the direction coming from the horizon, down with the approaching waves.  The small craft would always attract the eye as it’s so different, breaking up the rolling horizontals of the waves, but the yellow accent helps define the effect.

When you look at the colour of the IronBru, and then at the effect it appears to have on the paperclips, you ask yourself what they put in it…  even the same(ish) colour on colour can work as an accent very well, with the hue and distinct shape of the objects drawing the eye – but, the movement travels around them, too for me.

Your reflective summary is very good, and as you say, this is an assignment which makes you look at images in a different way.  Here you prove that you have been successful and effective in that process – well done

Assignment 3 - Colour

Brief:
Take about four photographs each (16 altogether) that illustrate the following colour relationships:

• Colour harmony through complementary colours (colours that face each other across the circle)
• Colour harmony through similar colours (those near each other, as in a cool or warm range of colours)
• Colour contrast through contrasting colours (colours spaced about a third of the way around the circle)
• Colour accent using any of the above ( a small area of colour which sits against a much larger background of another colour as a spot or accent)

Try to vary the subject matter, including both arrangements (such as still-life) and found situations.

Colour Harmony Through Complementary Colours


Red & Green

This was taken at Kew Gardens, a couple of weeks ago. I placed the rose on a rule of thirds hot spot, but also wanted to include the bud for added interest. 

The stem acts as a leading line, but also, the stark red against the cool background makes the flower 'pop' and draws the eye to it.

Warm colours colours are sometimes described as 'aggressive' whereas cool colours are 'regressive'. This concept works in this image because the rose is in the foreground and the leaves disappear into the background.

Orange & Blue

This is a shot of oranges in a chrome fruit bowl, with the camera tripod mounted and pointing up. I used a tungsten white balance to achieve the blue background, and the inspiration for this came from Joe McNally's "The Hot Shoe Diaries".

The orange:blue ratio of 1:2 has been ignored because even though the orange colour occupies most of the frame, it does not over-dominate because it is being broken up by the chrome bars.

As demonstrated in the previous section (Elements of Design), curves suggest movement. In this example, the fruit bowl and the shape of the oranges imply movement across the image in all directions. The repetitive pattern also gives rhythm. This is another example of a warm foreground against a cool background which reinforces the relative importance of the oranges in the frame.

Yellow & Violet

This is a section from some graffitti in the East End of London. Violet is a tricky colour to find, and this colour appeared much lighter in reality than it does on my monitor!

I shot it at an oblique angle to retain the texture in the surface, but also to eliminate other colours. I tried to incorporate more violet than yellow to show a 1:3 division, which was made difficult due to the nature of the design and my angle of view.

The curves lead the eye around the image in a random, but almost circular manner. The yellow colour occupies a smaller surface area than the violet, and because yellow is brighter, I suppose this makes it 'easier on the eye'. This image is two-dimensional so I'm not conscious of any tension between the colours.

Red & Green

This is a macro shot of a tomato taken with the Nikon 105mm. Of all the complementary colours, the red/green combination appears to be the most prevalent, in plants especially. I have filled the frame with the stem as it is usually such a small and not so significant part of the fruit, and I tried to aim for the 1:1 balance between to the colours.

This is another random visual journey but the red:green combination is different because this time the background is red. The stem is so prominent in the frame, it doesn't appear to be regressing. Also, the red is graduated due to the incidence of light, and so does not consume the green colour.

Colour Harmony Through Similar Colours

Cool Colours

This was taken at Kew Gardens, and does not contain any warm tones. I have cropped to remove part of another flower in the top right corner. There is a little detail in the background, but not enough for it to detract from the flower.

The edges of the leaves in the background have caught the light, and all seem to point in the general direction of the flower. The petals are spread to display the central part, which is also a vivid shade.

This was taken in St Ives. The scene is almost equally balanced between cool blue and green hues, with the house providing some interest where they intersect.

The house is at the top of a hill so the slopes on either side act as leading lines. Originally, I thought the house might be slightly yellow, but the colour picker in Photoshop rendered it grey.

Warm Colours

This was taken in the playground of a local park. The colours are garish because they are aimed at very young children.

There are many interesting shapes in this structure, primarily because of the target audience. There is no main focal point - framing was chosen to exclude other unwanted elements.

In this shot of my garden wall, I have chosen a subject with a range of warm tones, rather than solid blocks of colour as per the previous example.

There is a range of warm tones which blend together. Again, there is no overall focal point so I cannot see any specific movement - it's quite arbitrary.

Colour Contrast Through Contrasting Colours

This is the Palm House at Kew Gardens taken using an infrared filter. I swapped the red and blue channels in Photoshop which is a common technique in infrared photography to achieve a blue sky. I particularly like the effect of the long exposure (30 seconds) on the clouds and people passing through the frame. 

Apart from movement suggested by curves and the clouds, it was difficult to identify other forms of movement as there is quite  alot going on in this picture. Blue is dominant in both the foreground and background and the palmhouse itself is a mixture of contrasting blue and red tones.

Another shot from Kew Gardens, this time using a polarising filter. The only adjustments made in Photoshop were levels and curves. The effect of the filter has enhanced the contrast between the different shades of yellow, and the blue sky.

Initially, the eye is immediately drawn to the bright yellow foliage on the left, but then there are numerous patterns, rhythms and curves which divert attention to other parts of the image.

This is a lifeguard on one of the beaches at St Ives. I zoomed the lens to exclude other people and paused just long enough to include his reflection in the small pool. I cropped a little from the top and bottom because of a lack of detail/interest in those parts, but left the horizon in to give the image context.

I think movement is directly towards the lifeguard due to the absence of any other significant subject, and because the colour of his clothing is markedly different to his surroundings. Red and yellow provide a strong contrast from each other and perhaps this was the thinking behind the design of this particular uniform - it is highly visible.

This flower includes green, orange and violet/purple, which form a triad of contrasting colours since they are equidistant on the colour wheel.

The stem acts as a leading line, though it is almost camouflaged by the leaves in the background. The small depth of field combined with cool tones help the green to blend away so that the orange and purple can come to the fore.

Colour Accent

This was taken in a local park. These red bins were strategically placed throughout, and were very noticeable. I have not placed this on a third because I wanted to frame it between the trees. Initially I thought about changing my position to exclude the white structure in the background, but decided to keep it as it appears to be indicating towards the bin rather than detracting attention from it. Again, I am aware of many lines - horizontal, vertical and diagonal - in this image.

This is a very simplified rendition, but shows that although there are many tones in this shot, red bin is clearly the main focal point even though it is not situated in the foreground. It is the only warm colour in the shot.

My original intention was to capture this seagull, but I noticed the young girl on the beach while framing the shot, and decided to include her as well - it's as though the seagull is sizing her up! 

There is an implied line between the two and the beach surf and wall also lead the line of sight towards the girl. The background is made up of pastel shades which enable the seagull's beak and the girl's clothing to stand out.

This was taken in St Ives. There were two young boys in this boat and I took a few shots of them trying to negotiate the waves. I chose this image because of the neat lines running across the frame. The position of the dinghy is such that only one of the boys is visible which helps to tidy up the shot - this was more by luck than design.

This shot has been reduced to solid blocks of colour and in doing so, reveals that it is predominantly made up of cold colours. In fact, the only warm colour is the dinghy which, against the almost monotone background becomes fluorescent. The position of the dinghy is also emphasized because of the way it interrupts the surf.

My local branch of Tesco Express was doing a special offer on Irn Bru, so I bought a couple of bottles and emptied them into a white enamel bowl, placed by a window. I searched, unsuccessfully for something that would float but settled for these paperclips, which were deliberately placed. I chose 3 because a solitary paperclip didn't show up that well and I quite like the cumulative effect of the bubbles.

I think that the eye is immediately drawn to the paperclips because of the contrast with the background, and due to the higher concentration of bubbles in that part of the frame. However, the saturation of the red is lessened by the bubbles and the colour cast due to being submerged in the orange liquid.

What have I learned?

In addition to placement within the frame, colour can be used to make subjects more or less prominent in an image. In fashion, there are colours which simply do not work together, but surprisingly I was not aware of any colours that really clashed and could not work together in the images I examined.

I noticed many interesting colour combinations in food packaging and company logos, and I now have a better appreciation of colour as more than just a decorative element.

This assignment has been useful in forcing me to analyse my images in ways I have not done previously. It was also an exercise in consolidation, since many of the themes from the first two sections of the course frequently reoccurred here.

Colour Relationships

Yellow:Violet (1:3)
I decided to revisit this after reading a comment by Michael Freeman in "The Photographer's Eye." He says:

"Violet ...is easily confused with purple."

I think my beetroot image is definitely purple. So 2 days ago I went in search of violet, and took this shot through the window of a shoe shop in Central London. There was also a pair of purple trainers in the same display, so I could immediately appreciate the difference in tones.

I cropped it in Photoshop to achieve the required ratio.

I consider myself very fortunate to have found a violet shoe with a yellow lining, although in Summer fashion styles it seems to be a popular combination.

Colour Relationships

Brief:
Produce three or four images which feature colour combinations that appeal to you.


Pink & Yellow

Pink is one of my favourite colours as it easily combines with a range of other colours. This combination of pink and yellow looks almost edible because it reminds me of seaside rock or raspberry ripple ice-cream!

At first glance these colours seem to clash, but because pink is a tint of red, which is near to yellow on the colour wheel, they are actually quite similar.

Pink & Green

This shade of pink is almost fluorescent, and because it only appears in thin strips, it does not overwhelm. It works very well with the green for two reasons. Firstly the dark, cool shade of green balances out the vivid, hot shade of pink, and secondly they are complementary colours on the colour wheel (pink is a tint of red).

Orange, Green & Blue

Orange and green are contrasting colours due to their placement on the colour wheel, but they do not clash because I think the cool green manages to tone down the effect of the warm orange. I opted for a low perspective when composing this shot in order to incorporate the sky. I particularly liked the warm translucent orange against the cool blue background.

Colours into Tones in Black & White

Brief:
Make a still-life arrangement that includes the colours red, yellow, green and blue. Also include a piece of grey card which should appear as mid-grey in each exposure.


Create five monochrome versions in Photoshop using the preset filter options (neutral/default, red, yellow, green and blue).


Original

This is a still life I set up earlier today, featuring the colours red, yellow, green and blue. A grey card is also included to check the white balance.

No Filter

This is the image after being converted to black and white in Photoshop, without applying any of the preset filters.

Red Filter

Yellow Filter

Green Filter

Blue Filter

What have I learned?

According to the study material, each coloured filter lightens the corresponding colour in an image, and darkens any others. Though this may ring true for the blue and green filters, it is not an exact science, which I noted when looking at the examples in the course file, and my own images. For example, the red filter makes yellow tones lighter. 

Colour Relationships

Brief:
Produce one photograph for each combination of primary and secondary colours, adjusting the distance, focal length or framing when you shoot so that you compose the picture to the following proportions:

• Red: Green        1:1
• Orange: Blue     1:2
• Yellow: Violet    1:3

Red:Green (1:1)

I took this at Kew Gardens last Thursday. When composing the shot, I tried to fill the frame with berries to achieve the required ratio, as they were small in size and number when compared with the leaves. I also cropped a little from the edges to tidy up the framing.

Orange:Blue (1:2)

I took this in St Ives yesterday morning and was struck by the contrast between these two vivid colours. I framed this so that the roof only occupies roughly one third of the the image.

Yellow:Violet (1:3)

These are the raw ingredients for an evening meal that I have placed in diffused window light. I used a sheet of white paper to provide fill light.and cropped to remove some background.

Primary & Secondary Colours

Cyan

I spent the Bank Holiday weekend in St Ives and when I saw the colour of the sea, I thought this would provide me with a better example of cyan. I took this on Saturday afternoon, and the underexposed (top) image is my favourite of the three, although they all look quite flat.

Primary & Secondary Colours

Cyan

All of these images were taken at Kew Gardens this morning. I had to do quite a bit of searching for this one as it's not as prevalent as the other colours. I found this plant growing on some rocks in one of the conservatories.

Again, I took three bracketed shots which, from top to bottom are as follows: underexposed (half a stop), correctly exposed and overexposed (half a stop). The underexposed image is the only which comes close to reality. The others look slightly greyer than they actually were. 

Magenta

In this example, my preference is for the underexposed (top) image as it is more vibrant and closest to the actual colour of the flower.

Yellow

These are dying plants, and I am torn between the correctly exposed and the overexposed images. Besides a distinct lack of contrast, the middle and bottom images show a lighter shade of yellow, that I prefer. I wonder if that is because I associate yellow with Summer and therefore the darker image seems somehow 'unnatural'?

I suppose this is an example of an emotional response to colour, as mentioned in the study material.