Assignment 3: Colour

Assignment 3: Colour

The object of this assignment is to make 4 sets of photographs each covering different colour relationships. These are:

• Colour harmony through similar colours
• Colour contrast through contrasting colours
• Colour harmony through complimentary colours
• Colour accent using any of the above

Vary the subject matter and use a combination as found and deliberate adjustment through filtering.

I elected to challenge myself by looking only for as found or naturally occurring colour combinations. I do this for two reasons, firstly to develop my way of seeing and secondly if fits my approach to photography as I have little interest in placed still life work. This approach was more difficult I feel and took me longer but I certainly feel that my sensitivity to noticing colour and ability to look for it has improved this way.

Observations

• One significant observation is just how common Blue is as a naturally occurring colour, Its everywhere!
• Once I made the effort to study colour in composition rather than simply accept it, tonal range also became more apparent.
• Finding naturally occurring colour relationships is no easy task, especially in the wettest month on record.
• How important the available light tis in governing the strength, luminosity and actual colours we see.
• With digital photography in particular, the difference between colour recorded in RAW to that actually seen with the eye can be quite apparent and even more so with differing sensors. 
• The distribution in colour within the composition is important, stronger or heavier colours need to be balanced with the lighter perhaps occupying more of the frame to prevent them being dominated.

1. Similar colours

Blue/Violet 

Dawn on Derwent Water. The Branch washed up to shore emerges front he lake like excalibur. I loved the way the inward curve of the branch mirrors the inverted curve in the reflection right of centre. Also I deliberately positioned the intersection of the vertical part of the branch to meet at the lowest point on the horizon. Anywhere else and I feel it would look awkward.

ISO 400, 28mm, f11, 1/250 (multiple exposure 8 frames combined)

Blue/Green

Blue again but sat proud atop a lush green field. This shot is an abstract event which suggests that the power line hangers dominate the skyline in the same way that trees can. The composition see's the power lines appear to be supported by the trees to the right of the frame.

ISO 400, 62mm, f8, 1/1500

Green/Yellow

This was captured during a visit to a disused quarry in the Lake District. The small crop of Silver Birches interested me as representing the long since gone slate miners who would have had such a hard time. Long and spindly but proud, no doubt like those workers once were. The fresh leaf growing on the trees in the back ground work well with other greens and the greens of the birches. 

ISO 800, 56mm, f8, 1/2000

Blue/Green

Ok, its a combination already shown, and similar subject to that previous but I felt for one it was a worthy addition through composition and also it uses the colours it flips the colours over to be used in a different way. The line of placed rocks directs us to the tight bunch of birches. The frame topped with the green crest of the trees finishes the piece nicely. Square crop also concentrates the eye to the opposing curves of the rock line and white verticals of the tree trunks. 

ISO 800, 50mm, f8, 1/1500

2. Contrasting Colours

Red/Blue

Three of this set came from a stroll along Weston Super Mare front in search of shots for this very assignment. Firstly here we have the contrasting eating benches I spotted outside a beach cafe. I decided on this composition after searching for a neat and clean angle and anything else seemed just too awkward.  I think the space to the centre invites the viewer to think about whats either side of it.

ISO 200, 60mm, f4, 1/2000

Red/Yellow

Again on WSM front. A common site that we often over look, this dedicated coach lane struck me with its deep red aggregate and the bright yellow painting. I chose a tight crop to make the viewer think, I didn't want it so obvious and for the viewer to notice the colour ands shape rather than simply read and move on. 

ISO 200, 70mm, f4, 1/2000

Red/Blue

One of the supporting Iron pillars fro WSM Grand Pier. These rusting hulks display beautiful colour when you get close. Here red and blue dominate, the blue from original paint and the red of course from the rust. There are flashes of green from micro seaweed which I think adds nicely as an accent. I got in close to concentrate on the macro, any background would simply distract and confuse.

ISO 200, 50mm, f4, 1/350

Yellow/Blue

I picked this in retrospect from a modelling shoot I did for a young models portfolio. We used a reed field in Kilve, North Somerset and on the day the light was amazing and as it cut through the reeds it got even better. Here I crop through just to pick out the blue demin shorts against the array of pale yellows. 

ISO 100, 85mm, f2, 1/1500

3. Complimentary Colours

Yellow/Violet/Blue

The shores of Derwent Water, Lake District. Late evening low sun backlights the trees popping out the yellow virgin leaves. This sits against a background of blues from  the mountain haze and violet of the dead vegetation, both colours quite false as created by the setting sun. The key here was to get the backlit leaves and a long wait for the sun to pop out of the cloud proved this shot to be quite an event for patience. 

ISO 100, 65mm, f22, 1/10

Blue/Orange

A spring evening walk at Beer beach in Dorset. As you walk down onto the beach there is a row of fisherman's stores to the left. The bright blue doors caught me eye at first and a little more study allowed me to see the bright orange brickwork that surrounded them. I took some time framing this shot to try and get a balance, there war many other windows and doors along the row but this cluster of 3 proved most interesting. 

ISO 141, 52mm, f5.6, 1/1500

Red/Green

A woodland walk in South Somerset, I stumbled over this old pump house in the centre of a wooded area. The red brickwork had a strange washed surface to it which presented an array of reds throughout. The deep green Ivy that covered almost all of the upper of the walls which I felt made an interesting and slightly mysterious composition. 

ISO 800, 80mm, f2.8, 1/350

Blue/Orange

Another WSM walk shot. A wood barrier was being erected and painted for a new sand sculpture exhibition. This chap, a volunteer I would imagine was happily painting the wall blue and his orange high viability jacket just popped against it. I waiting a few seconds to get him rolling a line of paint to add a sense of story here. 

ISO 200, 50mm, f1.4, 1/8000

4. Colour Accent

Red/Orange accent

Im not sure sunsets count as accents? but I couldn't resist showing this one off. The deep reds with the whisp of cloud above the setting sun was just wonderful. This is a very deliberate shot after noticing the hazy setting sun from home I dashed out camera and tripod in hand a mile up the road and spent just 15 minutes getting the last of this sun. I set the camera to shoot a frame every 2 minutes with a graduated (1stop) filter to the top of the frame. I have the full series of shots for the 15 minute period the sun took to set. This being the strongest composition with the sun at the third/third point. 

ISO 200, 200mm, f11, 1/30

Blue/Yellow with Green Accent

Colour accent shots are harder to find that one would expect, this set was quite a challenge and I am not totally satisfied with these submissions. Is the next shot a cop out? maybe. However the small, alien tuft of green grass does have a nice placement and certainly does catch the eye. The overall effect however may be too boring as it does little to inspire. Its inclusion was really a matter related to the relationship of the grass to the curves of the wall base and the tyre mark in the sand. There are textures a plenty too.

ISO 200, 50mm, f8, 1/180

Green with Orange Accent

The first element that caught my eye for this was actually the spiders web that covered the key hole. It tells us that it has been some time since anyone has passed through the door. Second, as I was of course looking for examples for this assignment I noted the opportunity for create an accent by framing to pick out the orange rust against the green paint. Im not convinced that this works as well as I would have liked as the galvanised lock plate breaks the orange accent and diminishes its effect. 

ISO 200, 70mm, f4, 1/2000

Blue with Red accent

Here is another shot from my visit to the old slate quarry in the Lake District. I don't know what species of plant this is but there were many sprouting up between the tons of slate chippings. These were very much  in mind for this assignment when I noticed and made a few shots of various plant poses. This being the most pleasing. I have been doing more more square crop work of late and wanted to include a couple at least here. 

ISO 200, 50mm, f5.6, 1/350