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The Rainbow Color Photography Project

Rainbow umbrella. Hong Kong, 2013. Kodak Portra 400 film (35mm)
Rainbow umbrella. Hong Kong, 2013. Kodak Portra 400 film (35mm)

Dear friend,

A fun epiphany I had in photography: SHOOT MORE COLOR to thrive more in your photography!

Color puts a smile on my face! :)

So I recently did something fun in WordPress.org (on this blog): I started to search some old “tags” of colors in my “Media Library”. For example, I searched the words Yellow, Blue, Red, Red-Green, etc. I then ended up re-discovering all these wonderful colors I photographed in the past, categorized by each color. This gave me a HUGE rush of joy– just seeing all of these different colors arranged nicely stimulated my eyes, and my artistic juices.

The rainbow project, described.

(Some) of the wide-range of Chroma/Colors visible to the human eye.
(Some) of the wide-range of Chroma/Colors visible to the human eye.

Therefore I had this little idea for a photography project: it is the “rainbow” project.

The basic concept is this:

  1. In your photography, seek to document and photograph ALL the colors of the rainbow (ROYGBIV: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet and every hue~). You can do this in different ways. First of all, over a long period of time, you can just keep shooting colorful stuff you have (then categorize the colors afterwards), or you can purposefully give yourself a ‘creative constraint‘ of only shooting a certain color in a certain day. For example, for a certain day, ONLY shoot the color red. Or another day, ONLY shoot the color blue. This will help stimulate your eyes to better see certain colors. For further learning on how to see more as a photographer, pick up a copy of my book, “HOW TO SEE: Visual Guide to Composition, Color, & Editing in Photography“.
  2. Or, you can look back at your old media library of all of your photos, and then spend a few hours categorizing all of the different colors you’ve already photographed. Then ask yourself, “What colors do I like the best?” I have found for myself, I am really drawn to the color red– and the color itself re-evokes passion, energy, and a zest for living!

Colorful inspiration

If you need some inspiration for color photographers, I recommend studying or looking at the work of:

  • Sean Lotman
  • Maarten Rots
  • Martin Parr
  • William Eggleston
  • Stephen Shore
  • Alex Webb
  • Constantine Manos
  • David Alan Harvey
  • Bruce Davidson (Subway Project)
  • ERIC KIM CHROMA PROJECT on YouTube

Learn how to shoot color

Red cowboy. Red, yellow, blue. Los Angeles, 2013. Street photograph by Eric Kim.
Red cowboy. Red, yellow, blue. Los Angeles, 2013

If you want to learn how to take better color photos, resources below:

  • New eBook: HOW TO SEE: Visual Guide to Composition, Color, Editing in Photography
  • Red and Green Composition Color Theory For Photographers
  • Abstract Color Pictures
  • The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Color Photography
  • Opponent Process Color Theory For Photographers
  • Color Theory For Photographers

Have fun, and be colorful!

ERIC

Add some more color to your life with limited-edition Henri Wrist Strap CHROMA LIMITED EDITION >

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My personal favorite color photos

Istanbul, 2014
Melbourne, 2014
Melbourne, 2014

chroma eric kim color photography chroma eric kim color photography chroma eric kim photography color eric kim photography surrealism eric kim photography surrealism eric kim street photography - color - chroma-11

Red faucet.
Pink bicycle.
Pink bicycle.

Pink ear.
Pink ear.
Sexy pink lips.
Sexy pink lips.
Red coat in car.
Red coat in car.
Pink soap dispenser.
Pink soap dispenser.

ERIC KIM EXPERIENCES

Dark skies over tokyo // CRIMSON RED.

Experiences never die:

2020 Workshops

  • Jan 16-19: Mexico City Travel Street Photography Adventure – OPEN!
  • Feb 29-Mar 1: NEW ORLEANS Street Photography Experience – NEW!
  • March 21-22: Boston Discover Your Unique Voice in Photography Workshop – OPEN!
  • April 24-26: CHICAGO Street Photography Experience (info TBA)
  • June 20-21: HONG KONG Street Photography Experience (info TBA)
  • August 27-30: SAIGON, VIETNAM Street Photography Adventure (info TBA)

eric kim new orleans workshop 2020


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ERIC KIM Experiences

Experiences never die:

  • Jan 16-19: Mexico City Travel Street Photography Adventure – OPEN!
  • Feb 29-Mar 1: NEW ORLEANS Street Photography Experience – NEW!
  • March 21-22: Boston Discover Your Unique Voice in Photography Workshop – OPEN!
  • April 25-26: CHICAGO Street Photography Experience (info TBA)
  • August 27-30: SAIGON, VIETNAM Street Photography Adventure (info TBA)

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HAPTIC INDUSTRIES

Read our HAPTIC MAGAZINE: Issue 1 “Our Story” >

HAPTIC makes creative tools to empower visual artists. From educational tools, art platforms, to camera equipment, HAPTIC is driven by a spirit of experimentation and creative collaboration. We are a majority women led, family operated industry, and have great pride in everything we make.

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The Story of Haptic

HAPTIC MISSION: We believe in disrupting the production market for photography, art, and creative tools. We are transparent about the labor practices behind HAPTIC because we are proud and love everything we make. We support honest and beautiful work with respectful wages to our artists, artisans, and collaborators.

We are not anonymous. Our products are a story. HAPTIC products are printed, prepared, shipped from California with creative collaborators from Saigon.

Read more about our values and collaborations with artists and artisans >

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