![Color wheel theory: Dynamic tension between opposing colors.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-08-at-11.06.08-PM.png?resize=438%2C479)
How to harness COLOR THEORY from art to make better color photographs:
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Color Theory 101
Colors: there are no definitive “rules” to what makes a good color photograph or not. But, there are certain principles, guidelines, and theories on how to make better color pictures.
COLOR WHEEL
For example, take the color wheel.
1. Warm vs Cool Tones
According to this theory, you want to contrast “warm” tones from “cool” tones.
2. Complementary Colors
Also, colors on the opposite sides of the color wheel (red vs green, orange vs blue) are “complementary colors”— colors that complement, or balance each other well:
![Color wheel theory: Dynamic tension between opposing colors.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Screen-Shot-2017-11-08-at-11.06.08-PM.png?resize=438%2C479)
Warm vs Cool Tones
Examples of some of my photographs that illustrate “warm” vs “cool” tones:
![Warm tones of the orange-red textures, contrasted against the “cool” blue background of this texture.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/AAD9F36B-F7BB-4C4E-9FFF-66B92647D740-800x1208.jpeg?resize=800%2C1208)
![The “warm” tone of the woman’s orange face, contrasted against the “cool” tone of the blue background.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/02CAAD7C-6CC3-4686-83F6-ABE3E17B99E4-800x530.jpeg?resize=800%2C530)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/29FD923D-D134-4DA4-904D-263ED97727B4-800x600.jpeg?resize=800%2C600)
Complementary Colors
Blue and Orange/Red
![Man with flip phone. Tokyo, 2017](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/eric-kim2-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530)
![Orange, blue, and green colors.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/eric-kim-photography-color-chroma-84360019-800x531.jpg?resize=800%2C531)
![Blue triangle complements the red rectangle.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/8F892EFD-EC16-4598-9266-AF8564AD9CE7-800x1067.jpeg?resize=800%2C1067)
![Kyoto selfie with Cindy. Reflection, 2017](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-KYOTO-0135994-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-KYOTO-0135940-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530)
Red vs Green
![High angle shot of red and green crosswalk. Shibuya, Tokyo 2017](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/7C2298EF-E518-4118-BF70-788D40144DCC-800x530.jpeg?resize=800%2C530)
![IKKO TANAKA x ERIC KIM](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/5CEA7627-0EF0-4385-A012-E5F3D52F1B37-800x1067.jpeg?resize=800%2C1067)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/5A7588D3-87A4-42DD-9B20-65117281EC51-800x1067.jpeg?resize=800%2C1067)
PRIMARY COLORS
![“RYB”- red, yellow, and blue mixing to make other colors.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/B8CE620B-1B05-4ED8-8DDC-249DA786EAD7-800x800.png?resize=800%2C800)
Another theory in photography and color: that there are three “primary” colors:
- Red
- Yellow
- Blue
![RYB color chart from George Field's 1841 Chromatography; or, A treatise on colours and pigments:](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/FE042C5D-A87F-4E90-BD91-C291669EB469.png?resize=656%2C552)
The best artist to study primary colors (red, yellow, blue) is Piet Mondrian, who distilled artistic composition to the primal basics:
Believe it or not, yet, Piet Mondrian did know how to paint. Here are his earlier works; note how he integrated color theory into his work:
Anyways, we can learn to better integrate these primary colors into our photos, by focusing on one primary color at a time:
Red pictures
![Cindy behind red curtain. Kyoto, 2017](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-KYOTO-DARK-0136720-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530)
![Red and yellow storefront. NYC, 2017](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/84B9D4B4-ACAD-4121-BE4A-DD98E88E29BA-800x600.jpeg?resize=800%2C600)
![Diagonals and selfie. Red. Tokyo, 2017](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/ERIC-KIM-TOKYO-PHOTOGRAPHY-2017-0150818-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530)
![Man with red tape. Venice, 2013](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/eric-kim-photography-color-chroma-kodak-portra-400-leica-mp-film-35mm-summicron-asph-9-800x1206.jpg?resize=800%2C1206)
Yellow pictures
![Woman in airplane. Sunset over NYC. Pentax 645Z](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/4A94B0B7-A02C-4E72-99A0-FEB65DB8DABD-800x600.jpeg?resize=800%2C600)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/eric-kim-photography-color-chroma-14-800x531.jpg?resize=800%2C531)
![Portrait of my sister, Annette Kim on Hasselblad 501c / Kodak Portra 400.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/eric-kim-photography-color-chroma--800x794.jpg?resize=800%2C794)
Blue pictures
![Airplane and telephone wires. Downtown LA, 2013](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/eric-kim-color-chroma-airplane-downtown-la-poles-800x531.jpg?resize=800%2C531)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/eric-kim-street-photography-color-chroma-2-800x531.jpg?resize=800%2C531)
Red, Yellow, Blue
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/hapticwhitelogo_bkbrnd-800x800.png?resize=800%2C800)
![Red, yellow, blue eggs.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-KYOTO-0135424-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530)
![Uji sunset, 2017.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-KYOTO-0135029-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530)
Practical tips to apply color theory to your photography
1. To train your eyes, learn to shoot in color by only shooting JPEG.
![Kiss. Cindy, Saigon, 2017](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/eric-kim-saigon-cindy-project-black-and-white-1110532-800x535.jpg?resize=800%2C535)
The camera does a better job processing colors natively, as JPEG, in-camera when compared when you try to process RAW color pictures. It is true that shooting RAW will help you modify the colors of your pictures with more latitude, flexibility, and control — but shooting in JPEG will help train your eyes to see color in real life.
2. Focus on one color at a time:
![Color.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/16777216colors-800x800.png?resize=800%2C800)
Try to do a mini photo project on the primary colors of RED, YELLOW, and BLUE. For a day, only choose one of those primary colors. This will help your eyes build the SENSITIVITY of your retina to a specific color. So for one day, only shoot RED. Another day, only shoot BLUE. Another day, only shoot YELLOW. Try to simplify the scenes you photograph as much as possible.
![Red texture. Kyoto, 2017.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-KYOTO-COLOR-RICOH-GR-II-JPEG-0137148-800x1208.jpg?resize=800%2C1208)
![Stylish woman outside of department store. Kyoto, 2017.](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ERIC-KIM-PHOTOGRAPHY-KYOTO-v2-0135710-1-800x530.jpg?resize=800%2C530)
3. Study colorful art
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/F294359F-7280-4237-8795-50E301FC0789-800x1231.jpeg?resize=800%2C1231)
Look at a lot of colorful art when you’re not taking pictures, to better learn for yourself: “Which colors appeal to me the most?”
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/B8F704EB-0BC6-473E-BF24-E4253F7E9F5B-800x1235.jpeg?resize=800%2C1235)
4. Trace, analyze, colorful art
The best way to understand color: deconstruct the work of your favorite color painters or artists. I made these with my iPad and Procreate app:
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/B6DB3577-8212-4DAB-8F3C-DA70672FA99C-800x1067.jpeg?resize=800%2C1067)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/50E28110-AEF9-4724-A581-F5B61069ABA9-800x1067.jpeg?resize=800%2C1067)
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