Composition Photo Workshop

Chapter 6. WORKING WITH COLOR

COLOR THEORY

COLOR TEMPERATURE

THE COLOR OF SUNLIGHT

CONTROLLING COLORS BY USING FILTERS

Colors are a critical component of the human experience. Indeed, for eons, the recognition of color — for example, the ability to use color to determine when fruits are ripe or that certain plants might be poisonous — contributed to human survival.

Early photographers interested in harnessing the power of color in their work had to simply paint colors onto black-and-white prints. Their attempts to capture color on film were hampered by the fact that the emulsions they used to capture light could not perceive red, orange, or green light. Worse, those colors that were perceived by the emulsion could not be fixed onto photographic paper. That is, the colors that the emulsion managed to capture inevitably faded when exposed to photographic paper. In time, however, reliable methods for producing color images emerged, enabling photographers to express themselves in a new, beautiful way.

Color does more than accurately record the world; it serves to enhance an image's composition. For example, some colors contain physical properties that cause them to recede in the eye of the viewer, and other colors are known to press forward in the viewer's perception. In addition, certain colors tend to evoke specific emotional responses (although these responses might vary by culture). Combining specific colors can result in harmonious compositions, and mixing others can yield discordant ...