Chapter 7: Color Theory for Photography

Understanding how colors affect viewer is very important

1. it sets the mood and atmosphere of a picture
2. it beautifies the outlook of a photograph
3. technically, it can help the subject stands out from the background, or to melt the subject with other elements or the background.
4. it can be another method to imply certain ideas, symbols, or metaphors.

In color theory, colors are derived from the three main colors called primary colors, which are red, blue, yellow.

Warm colors
- range of colors from red-violet to yellow

• it gives viewer a warm impression visually and emotionally.
• it suggests heat or it could suggest sunset. *however, it's very much depending on the content in the picture.

Cool colors
- range of colors from violet to yellow-green

• it gives the viewer a cool impression visually and emotionally.
• it suggests coldness or freshness. *nevertheless, it also depends on the content of the picture.
  

***As long as a picture is dominated by warm colors, even with some elements of cool colors, the picture is still considered a warm color picture. On the other hand, if the major colors in a picture are cool colors, with a bit of red and orange elements, the picture is still a cool color picture.


Contrasting Colors

1. Warm colors vs Cool colors



when warm colors and cool colors co-exist in a photograph, it can make a picture looks vibrant or it can help making a subject stands out, like the picture above.

another example:

green grass [cool color] with red flower [red], it makes the flower stands out obviously without extra lighting setups.

In addition, when two opposite colors are put together in pair, it's called Complimentary Colors.



***when there are too many colors exist in a photograph, the picture could look busy, and it does not lead the viewer's eye to a specific subject.



because there's no specific subject stands out, thus, the subject in this kind of photograph is rather abstract, it could be the "city light" or "space of a city".

2. Bright/Light colors vs Dark colors



Any elements with bright color can out stand from a dark color background, or vice versa.