{"id":68712,"date":"2017-11-06T07:55:34","date_gmt":"2017-11-06T15:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=68712"},"modified":"2018-02-01T07:34:35","modified_gmt":"2018-02-01T15:34:35","slug":"color-theory-for-photographers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/06\/color-theory-for-photographers\/","title":{"rendered":"Color Theory For Photographers"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Color
Color wheel theory: Dynamic tension between opposing colors. Image from CREATIVE EVERY DAY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How to harness COLOR THEORY from art to make better color photographs:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

ETERNAL RETURN to CREATIVE EVERY DAY ><\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"\"
CREATIVE EVERYDAY<\/a> Spread<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Inspire your visual artistry with ETERNAL RETURN to CREATIVE EVERYDAY BOOK ><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Color Theory 101<\/h2>\n

Colors: there are no definitive \u00e2\u20ac\u0153rules\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to what makes a good color photograph or not. But, there are certain principles, guidelines, and theories on how to make better color pictures.<\/p>\n

COLOR WHEEL<\/h2>\n

For example, take the color wheel.<\/p>\n

1. Warm<\/b> vs Cool<\/b> Tones<\/h3>\n

According to this theory, you want to contrast \u00e2\u20ac\u0153warm\u00e2\u20ac\u009d tones from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cool\u00e2\u20ac\u009d tones.<\/p>\n

2. Complementary Colors<\/h3>\n

Also, colors on the opposite sides of the color wheel (red vs green, orange vs blue) are \u00e2\u20ac\u0153complementary colors\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d colors that complement, or balance each other well:<\/p>\n

\"Color
Color wheel theory: Dynamic tension between opposing colors. Image from CREATIVE EVERY DAY<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Warm vs Cool Tones<\/h3>\n

Examples of some of my photographs that illustrate \u00e2\u20ac\u0153warm\u00e2\u20ac\u009d vs \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cool\u00e2\u20ac\u009d tones:<\/p>\n

\"Warm
Warm tones of the orange-red textures, contrasted against the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cool\u00e2\u20ac\u009d blue background of this texture.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The \u00e2\u20ac\u0153warm\u00e2\u20ac\u009d tone of the woman\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s orange face, contrasted against the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cool\u00e2\u20ac\u009d tone of the blue background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
A red \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cloud\u00e2\u20ac\u009d against a mostly \u00e2\u20ac\u0153cool\u00e2\u20ac\u009d colored background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Complementary Colors<\/h3>\n

Blue and Orange\/Red<\/h3>\n
\"Man
Dynamic and aggressive composition, because shot from low angle, which emphasizes the diagonal lines pointing to this man. Orange of his face against blue background.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Orange,
Orange of the building complements the blue of the sky.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Blue
Blue triangle complements the red rectangle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Kyoto
Shot through the reflection of an aluminum espresso machine. Kyoto selfie with Cindy. Reflection, 2017. Orange and Blue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Orange and Blue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Red vs Green<\/h3>\n
\"High
High angle shot of red and green crosswalk. Shibuya, Tokyo 2017. Green on bottom of the frame, and red on top-right of the frame.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"IKKO
IKKO TANAKA x ERIC KIM. Green vs Red<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
Red vs Green \/\/ IKKO TANAKA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

PRIMARY COLORS<\/h2>\n
\"\u00e2\u20ac\u0153RYB\u00e2\u20ac\u009d-
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153RYB\u00e2\u20ac\u009d- red, yellow, and blue mixing to make other colors.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another theory in photography and color: that there are three \u00e2\u20ac\u0153primary\u00e2\u20ac\u009d colors:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Red<\/li>\n
  2. Yellow<\/li>\n
  3. Blue<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \"RYB
    RYB color chart from George Field’s 1841 Chromatography; or, A treatise on colours and pigments:<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The best artist to study primary colors (red, yellow, blue) is Piet Mondrian, who distilled artistic composition to the primal basics:<\/p>\n

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    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:<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

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    Anyways, we can learn to better integrate these primary colors into our photos, by focusing on one primary color at a time:<\/p>\n

    Red pictures<\/h2>\n
    \"Cindy
    Kyoto, 2017 #cindyproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"Red
    Red and yellow storefront. NYC, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"Red<\/p>\n

    \"Diagonals
    Off-center self portrait in red.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"Man
    Man with red tape. Venice, 2013. Leica MP + Leica Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH + Kodak Portra 400<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Yellow pictures<\/h2>\n

    \"Man<\/p>\n

    \"Woman
    Woman in airplane. Sunset over NYC. Pentax 645Z<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    \"Cindy<\/p>\n

    \"Lamp<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"Cindy<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Sunset in Istanbul, 2013.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Portrait
    Portrait of my sister, Annette Kim on Hasselblad 501c \/ Kodak Portra 400.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Blue pictures<\/h2>\n

    \"Blue<\/p>\n

    \"Blue<\/p>\n

    \"Cindy<\/p>\n

    \"Airplane.<\/p>\n

    \"Woman<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"Airplane
    Airplane and telephone wires. Downtown LA, 2013<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    Leica M6 + Leica Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH + Kodak Portra 400<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Red, Yellow, Blue<\/h2>\n

    \"Red,<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    HAPTIC INDUSTRIES<\/a> LOGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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    \"Red,
    Red, yellow, blue eggs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Uji
    Uji sunset, 2017. Red, yellow, blue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \n

    Practical tips to apply color theory to your photography<\/h2>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    1. To train your eyes, learn to shoot in color by only shooting JPEG.<\/h3>\n
    \"Kiss.
    Kiss. Cindy, Saigon, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    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 \u00e2\u20ac\u201d but shooting in JPEG will help train your eyes to see color in real life.<\/p>\n

    \"HAPTIC<\/p>\n

    2. Focus on one color at a time:<\/strong><\/h3>\n
    \"Color.\"
    Chroma.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    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.<\/p>\n

    \"Red
    Red texture. Kyoto, 2017.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"Stylish
    Stylish woman outside of department store. Kyoto, 2017. RICOH GR II with P mode and flash.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    3. Study colorful art<\/h3>\n
    \"\"
    Picasso rose period.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Look at a lot of colorful art when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not taking pictures, to better learn for yourself: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Which colors appeal to me the most?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Picasso. Azul period.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    4. Trace, analyze, colorful art<\/h2>\n

    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:<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Picasso x KIM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \"\"
    PICASSO x KIM<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    ETERNAL RETURN TO CREATIVE EVERYDAY<\/a><\/h2>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    To inspire yourself more, pick up a copy of Eternal Return to CREATIVE EVERYDAY ><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    How to harness COLOR THEORY from art to make better color photographs:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":69065,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Screen-Shot-2017-11-08-at-11.06.08-PM.png?fit=438%2C479&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68712"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77582,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68712\/revisions\/77582"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}