Whereas the previous blog dealt solely with identifying the six different colours in the standard colour circle this exercise (25) in the OCA’s Art of Photography module on colour is concerned with the relationships between colours. A key component of the colour relationships is the relative brightness of the colours. So, for example, if colour A were twice as bright as colour B then in any given image in which these two colours dominate colour A should occupy half the space of colour B so as to ensure balanced harmony between the two colours. The course notes for this part of the course (p111) go further and, using ratios suggested by Von Goethe, note the ideal proportions as being
red:green 1:1, orange:blue 1:2, yellow violet 1:3.
Von Goethe assigned numbers to individual colours as follows: yellow 9, orange 8, red and green 6, blue 4 and violet 3.
Michael Freeman in The Photographer’s Eye, (Ilex, 2007) the text for the course argues that it is not necessarily a simple numerical relationship as suggested by the ratios above. He suggests that colours will appear differently when set against different colours. Yellow, for example, will appear brighter when set against black than against white (p118). A good example of this is the red umbrella set against a snow covered pavement from New York photographer Saul Leiter, one of the first street photographers to use colour, compared to the red of the taxicab roof against the yellow of the body – also by Leiter.
This exercise is in two parts. In the first part images showing the ratios noted above for red:green, arange:blue and yellow violet and in the second part a series of images using other coolour combinations. In each case the image is accompanied by a short reflection/observation.
The course notes recommend against using a ‘paint catalogue’ apprach to the capture of images in these exercises. However, in the case of the red:green image, at a ratio of 1:1, the opportunity could not be ignored! the amount of green in the door and frame was increased slightly to compensate for the wet paint notice.
The orange brick contrasts sharply with the blue of the sky. Freeman notes that orange and blue is a classic colour combination (The Photographer’s Eye, p118). The orange brick accounts for roughly half of the area occupied by the blue sky.
The third image is of soft Gorgonia coral from the Medes islands in north east Spain. These corals grow straight out from reef walls to catch food particles drifting by on the gentle currents. Two splashes of violet are obvious with a single large yellow Gorgonia coral with small splashes of yellow elsewhere throughout the image. They are roughly in a ratio of 1:3 yellow to violet.
In the second part of the exercise a series of images using colour combinations different to those above has been assembled, In each case the image is accompanied by a short observation. In assembling the images I am conscious of the feedback from the second assignment in this programme to continue to seek opportunities for image making in contexts and situations that I am used to doing. The final two of the images fall squarely into this category.
The first image, dominated by oranges and whites, is of a Dahlia Anemone. This is a filter feeding animal and the species is characterised by the very great variety of colours displayed.
The frost covered birch tree contrasts very strongly with the cloudless blue of the sky. While both this and the preceding image are static in nature the bold colours are eye catching.
In the third image, the blue of the shop surround and the hat of the man walking past the shop is set against the pink of the man’s jumper and the clothing in the shop window and the red and black of the door frame at the right hand side of the window. A possible crop would be to remove the red door frame and simplify the colour combinations. Freeman (p121 of the Photographer’s Eye) shows the possible range of colour ratios and combinations. While pinks and blues do not obviously fall into natural ratios the image appears roughly in harmony, excepting the red which draws the eye to the right.
For completeness, a crop of this image that excludes the red and black of the door frame is presented below. On balance the image without the red and black appears in balance to a greater extent than the first image.
The final image is red and black and has been made using the strong curves of the shoes, and the symmetry with half one shoe and half of another.
The management of colour relationships is, however, not just about harmony between colours but also about understanding what mood or emotions are generated by the colours themselves or in relationships; red is the colour of fire and blood, orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow, yellow is the colour of sunshine, green is the colour of nature, blue symbolises truth and trust and is the colour of the sky and sea, purple has the stability of blue and the energy of red, white is associated with goodness and black with power, death, evil and elegance.
Each of the images above then should convey a particular mood. For me, orange and yellow anemones always make me stop when I am diving and look and, inevitably, if I have photographed this colour of anemone I feel the dive has been a good one. The white tree and blue sky give me a sense of uplift and ‘cleanliness’ while the red and black of the shoes is definitely a power fashion statement.
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