Color is one of my favorite visual stimuluses:
Infinite variety
The fascinating thing about colors and photography:
There is an infinite way color can be expressed.
For example,
- Color-combinations and coordinations of colors
- Colors you discover in the streets
- The way you post-process colors, or the way that color is rendered into film (or any other medium)
- The randomness of color
- The emotions that I get from color
One of my favorite places for color — Mexico City:
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-264-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cdmx-v22-eric-kim-ricoh-gr-ii-48-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-262-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-259-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-271-2000x1325.jpg)
Most of these photos shot on RICOH GR II in macro mode and flash:
How to discover colors/shoot better color photos
Some tips:
- The camera you use is important. Certain cameras/sensors express colors differently. For example, I’ve been able to obtain this lovely high-saturation color via the RICOH GR II by using flash, shooting in ‘positive film’ preset, and by post-processing the images using Lightroom. To exaggerate colors, I played especially with ‘blacks’, ‘whites’, and ‘contrast’ sliders.
- Generally speaking, I’ve discovered the best color-combinations/grit is from older neighborhoods — where you can find more peeling paint, and generally in more ‘ghetto’ neighborhoods. Also, the benefit of shooting in back-alleys. A city that was VERY colorful (I didn’t expect) was Denver, Colorado (my new favorite American city).
- Post-process your photos based on your taste, and keep processing your photos until they look the way you want them to look! Once you’ve discovered a certain technique, camera-equipment/setup that you like– stick with it for a while!
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-10-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh18-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-21-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-24-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-26-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Eric-kim-Mexico-City-Ricoh-Polanco-2019-50-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-29-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Eric-kim-Mexico-City-Ricoh-Polanco-2019-63-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Eric-kim-Mexico-City-Ricoh-Polanco-2019-59-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-53-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-54-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-34-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-40-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-11-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-44-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-12-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-45-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-14-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-25-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-52-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-30-1325x2000.jpg)
How to best present your color works
For myself, I really delight in using the ’tiled galleries’ function in wordpress.org (what runs this blog).
Also the new function in wordpress is that you can display your photos ‘full width’; which creates a much more immersive online photo-viewing experience for color images.
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-62-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-41-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-44-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/20190214_144008.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-45-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-46-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-74-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-64-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-73-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh44-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-68-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh78-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-80-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-84-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-83-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh113-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh114-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh116-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh117-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh92-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-86-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-87-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh94-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-88-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh96-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh100-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/CDMX-v18-mercado-ricoh103-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-117-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-116-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-photography-polanco-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-122-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-117-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-118-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/eric-kim-street-photography-mexico-city-ricoh-gr-ii-119-1325x2000.jpg)
Are there such thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ colors/”ideal” color-combinations?
I think ultimately all colors are subjective. To me, what interests me about color is the PROPORTIONS of colors in a frame.
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-01-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-04-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-06-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-07-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-08-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-11-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-17-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-18-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-19-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-20-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-21-1-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-22-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-23-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-25-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Ricoh-gr-ii-Orange-County-2019-27-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cdmx-v21-ricoh-gr-ii-JPEG-v218-2000x1325.jpg)
Analyzing color-proportions
To analyze deeper, let us inspect some of these photos.
First photo is this blue/red photo:
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/blue-and-red-0-2000x1325.jpg?resize=1200%2C795)
This is what I see:
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/blue-and-red-2000x1325.jpg?resize=1200%2C795)
And the yellow line demarcates the center of the frame:
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/blue-and-red-4-yellow-2000x1325.jpg?resize=1200%2C795)
And here is the rule of thirds grid applied:
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/blue-and-red-rule-of-thirds-2000x1345.png?resize=1200%2C807)
And with a gaussian blur filter applied:
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/blue-and-red-3-2000x1325.jpg?resize=1200%2C795)
Technically if I colored in the areas (using the Photoshop ‘Eyedropper’ (I) tool and the ‘Polygonal Lasso’ tool (L) — this is what it looks like:
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/blue-and-red-5-drawn-2000x1325.jpg?resize=1200%2C795)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/blue-and-red-6-drawn-2000x1325.jpg?resize=1200%2C795)
So for myself, it seems interesting that these color-abstract images are just a blend of different colors and proportions of color in the frame.
Think about proportions
![Cindy Mondrian arms](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/mondrian-1-2000x1325.jpg?resize=1200%2C795)
Ultimately I think photography composition and color (and abstract art) can be distilled into proportions:
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/mondrian-2-2000x1325.jpg?resize=1200%2C795)
- Proportions of a certain color vs another color in the frame.
- Placement of visual elements within the frame
- How the frame is sub-divided.
Let this lead your photo composition forward!
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/mondrian-3-2000x1325.jpg?resize=2000%2C2000)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/mondrian-4-2000x1325.jpg?resize=2000%2C2000)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/mondrian-5-2000x1325.jpg?resize=2000%2C2000)
ERIC