Color theory is a concept that applies to art at-large, and this will by no means be a comprehensive instruction on color theory, but knowledge of some basics can add a bit of spice to your photographs.
Color is used in strategically in marketing to motivate us to do certain things: to look, to feel, to buy. You can impact your viewer’s eye subliminally using some of the same approaches.
This may bring us back to grade school for a moment, but basics are necessary. Some color theory subjects, like primary and secondary colors, are not quite as essential to photography as they are to painting, for example, because they have to do with creating and mixing colors. It is more important for a photographer to know what colors mean and how they relate to one another because what we do is observe them and allow them in a frame, or even add or tweak them in our editing processes.
All colors are either warm or cool. Warm colors are closer to red, like orange and yellow, whereas cool colors are closer to blue like green and purple. In addressing the possible and multiple meanings of colors, we’ll go right down the visible spectrum. With all of these, the meanings are generally derived from associations we’ve learned to make from the world around us.
Red usually draws the eye because it tends to be used for things you’re supposed to see. A stop light, an exit sign, a laser pointer for an office presentation. We’re used to having our attention grabbed by red objects because it can be a warning of danger. Blood is red and if you see it, you usually have a reaction to it e.g. make it stop, clean it up, etc. Red can also be associated with the heart, or love, as it is on Valentine’s day. Pink, which is associated with the same, is a variation of red. The heart is also associated with courage – take the cowardly lion for example, heart is what he lacks. Darker reds connote courage, and even anger or leadership. Red tends to be a color that means excitement, frenzy, and activity.
Orange is a secondary color, which means it is a blend of red and yellow. As a result, it carries some of red’s intensity, as well as yellow’s uplifting, joyful qualities. Enthusiasm and endurance are represented by orange. As a citrus color, orange can represent health or youth. Conversely, a darker orange can have an ominous or distrusting look. Look at the tunnel on the previous page. For me, the darker orange and the emptiness make me wary of the location. Gold can also be a type of orange or yellow, which is why we’ll end with it before moving on to yellow, and as you might expect, it means prosperity, quality, prestige, or illumination.
Yellow is often indicative of energy, like a lightning bolt logo. Odd that lightning is white, but every electricity logo of a lightning bolt you’ve ever seen is yellow, isn’t it? The sun is also yellow, and gives us vitamin D which is associated with remedying depression, so happiness is often associated with sunshine, good weather, etc. Yellow can mean caution, as it appears on road signs and lights, as well as warning labels with black text. Yellow attracts attention as a highlighter or taxicab does, and a dull or dingy yellow can mean sickness, like jaundice or dying leaves.
Green can mean life and vitality because it is the color of nature and growth. Green, as in the stoplight, can also be indicative of safety. Like gold, green, especially darker greens, can be regal colors that signify wealth or stability. Green, a secondary color that is a blend of yellow and blue carries mild vibes of both.
Blue, color of ocean and sky can represent depth or loftiness. Spirituality is often associated with these concepts. Peace and tranquility are frequently correlated with blue, as well as trust or faith. Blue, as in running water, can also be used to indicate cleanliness or purity. Trustworthiness and reliability is commonly connoted by blue, like the police, air force, or superheroes. Intellectually, blue can represent power or knowledge as well.
Purple, the last of our secondary colors, maintains the trust of blue and the vigor of red. Historically, purple was the color of royalty. It was highly valued because it is rarely occurring in nature, which is how dyes were made back then. As a result, it maintains “kingly” associations, like power, luxury, wisdom, extravagance, and dignity. Purple is also the color associated with magic or mystery.
There are a couple more kinds of colors worth discussing: colors without hue, or achromatic colors.
White is often received as clean or pure. The color of hospital walls everywhere, white, like bright places, can mean safety. Also the color used for depicting angels or holy persons, white, like blue, can also speak to spirituality, innocence, and sight. White is a little bit of a wildcard in terms of meaning, because it is technically the reflection of all colors in the visible spectrum (by the way, this is why a proper white balance gets all other colors to be accurately represented), its meanings may not always be as apparent or strong.
Similarly, black is the reflection of none of the visible spectrum, in other words, the absorption of light. It is, opposite to white, indicative of darkness and things associated with it. Usually negatively connoted, black can represent fear, the unknown, or blindness. Black is also the commonly worn color for those who are grieving. It’s not all bad for black, though, black is often seen as a very formal, authoritative or powerful, and fashionable color as well.
Anything in between black and white is considered part of grayscale. Grayscale is neutral in the spectrum between black and white, and its associations tend to be as such. It it best used as a neutral or a baseline for the intention of accenting some other color. For the use of contrast, gray is the set-up man.
These associations that I’ve listed are a few of the many. Punch in a quick Google search and you’ll see the multitudes of articles and images that have been made on this topic.
There are also a handful of color relationships to learn so we can work them into our photography. We will be emphasizing the three I find to be most easy to spot and produce. Other more complex relationships (triadic, split complementary, and tetradic, if you want to look them up yourselves) are not as commonly naturally occurring and that’s why I think they might be better saved for self-study or a more advanced art course.
The first of our three relationships involve analogous colors. Analogous colors are colors that would be found next to one another in the color wheel, or the rainbow. Though there are thousands of shades that could qualify as analogous colors, the main solids that are analogous are red and orange, orange and yellow, yellow and green, green and blue, blue and purple, purple and red.
Analogous colors tend to match well and suggest harmony or coordination. It is not difficult or jarring for the eye to transition between analogous colors and as a result, they tend to make for good blending. The eye can view analogous colors without being distracted by them, or drawn too harshly to one over the other. They commonly occur in nature. Not coincidentally, the leaf on the prior page is an example of analogous colors being used together.
Complementary colors are the second relationship that happens to have a very different impact than that of analogous colors. Complimentary colors are opposite each other on the color wheel, the basics being red and green, orange and blue, yellow and purple.
Often not found in nature, complimentary colors are great for drawing attention, but can become overbearing if they draw attention to too many places. They’ll stand out, alright, but think about our prior subject of contrast. Catching the eye is most effective in a bland context because nothing is strongly competing for attention. It is similar to what we do in composition.
The third color relationship, if you can call it that, is really centered around just one main color. What sets monochrome colors apart is that they are are all variations of the same hue.
Seen above, blue is the only color represented in the image. There are some blues that are near- white, and some which might be slightly influenced by green, but that is not enough variation for me to want to declassify the image as monochrome. Also, the silhouette of the fisherman and his small watercraft don’t affect the scheme.
These color relationships, partnered with what you know about the meanings and implications of certain colors, will help you develop the sense of mood in your photography.
I would not say that I actively look for color relationships as I photograph, but often enough, colors do stand out to me that make me look at something a little longer. More often than not, and this may be a shortcoming of mine, I am considering colors more seriously during post production because they can be changed or shifted to produce more desirable results. Some niches of photography, like documentary or photojournalism, see that sort of editing as dishonest, whereas in a more artistic niche of the industry, there is a lot more tolerance for editing.
In my mind, this is a “frosting” technique. You’d still finish a piece of cake if you found out that it had a mediocre frosting after the taking the first bite, but you might not enjoy it as much as you would have if it had a great one. Color theory, when it’s right, can be the way to transform a decent photo into a very visually gripping one.
The best photographs are created when a number of skills all come together and play off of one another; when the exposure is “right,” when the colors match the mood of the image, when the composition directs the eye through the image in the intended way, or when motion is introduced. Some of these skills are more important than others (like exposure), and others are more about style. Once you’ve gotten your fill of the basics, branch out into the deeper water and focus on the frosting – it can be pretty sweet!
My last article in the stream: Here are my top tips for more powerful portraiture.
**If you’re interested in treating these posts as a self-study with assignments, you can get our Assignment Series 1 question pack to help you learn these ideas through real, targeted, hands-on practice. The Assignment Series 1 question pack is included with enrollment in our beginner’s course.**
