Photography Fundamentals

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Photography

Fundamentals

Valencia Lakes Photography Club – P. Leggio

Basic Color Review

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Questions???

Photography Fundamentals - P. Leggio

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The Fundamentals - Color

In this section we will cover:

• The aspects and attributes of color

• Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colors

• The relationship between color and light

• The relationship between color and tone

• Complementary, Monochromatic and Analogous Colors, The Color Wheel

• The subtilties of color, how we perceive color

• The emotions of color

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The Fundamentals - Color

Primary Colors:

• Many here were taught that the primary colors are Red, Yellow and Blue as those colors can be mixed to create every other color

• However, RYB references paint or pigment color and not the color of light

• RYB is referred to as a subtractive color scheme

• When Red, Yellow and Blue are combined, they make Black

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The Fundamentals - Color

• As photographers we are concerned with light and not paint

• The primary colors of light are Red, Green and Blue, RGB is an additive color scheme

• All film, digital pixels, mixing channels in photo editing software operate on a RGB model

• When Red, Green and Blue are combined, they make White (the color of light)

• To confuse the issue further, color printers operate on a Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black motif (CYMK) which we will discuss later on

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©Color VoodooPublications

Colors can appear to change hue, tone, saturation or even size to our eyes depending on the background

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©Color Voodoo Publications

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The Fundamentals - Color

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https://www.colormatters.com/color-and- design/basic-color-theory

A full explanation of color theory is beyond the scope of this course, however, you can go to the following site for a deeper dive

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The Fundamentals - Color

• Why is understanding color important in photography?

• Aspects of color, hue, saturation, tone, brightness are all critical in not only capturing an image but in editing and understanding how it will look in

output…printed on paper, metal, acrylic, canvas, etc., on-line posting, calendars, books, slide shows and so on

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The Fundamentals - Color

• Each of these outputs may require tweaking the various color aspects of the image itself or, changing the output settings

• These changes can be accomplished thru trial and error or a better understanding of the various color gamuts and the output results

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The Fundamentals - Color

• Was your original image captured in Adobe RGB, sRGB, or another color space?

• Your computer monitor may not reveal the actual image colors. Has it been calibrated to the color space you are using?

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The Fundamentals - Color

• Will you be printing the image? If so, does your editing software match your printer’s color space? Has your printer been calibrated? Recall that most printers operate in a CYMK scheme

• If you are sending the image out for printing, do you know whether it will look darker, lighter or exactly the same as what you see on your monitor?

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Color gamut

The human eye recognizes many more colors than your camera’s sensor,

computer monitor or printer can

Notice the additional difference between your sensor capture (RGB) and your printer (CMYK)

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DSLR cameras typically allow options for shooting in either the Adobe RGB color gamut or sRGB

You can see Adobe RGB captures a much broader range of colors than sRGB (app. 35% more) and will

appear richer when printed

However, sRGB is more universal and can produce more consistent colors from camera to monitor to the web

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sRGB Adobe RGB

The differences can be apparent or

subtle…the image on the right was closer to the reality of the scene

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Adobe RGB sRGB

A more subtle difference is seen here – the sRGB colors are a little richer

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The Fundamentals - Color

• The color space you are operating in makes all the difference in how your results will appear on your monitor, on the Web and in Print

• You may need to tweak the output to match a different color space and/or calibrate your monitor

• Listed below are two reference sites you can go to for more detailed information

https://fstoppers.com/pictures/adobergb-vs-srgb3167

https://www.eizo.be/knowledge/monitor-expertise/understanding-color-gamut/

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The Fundamentals - Color

• If you typically print your images, Adobe RGB is a better option

• If you post more frequently to the web and other media sites, then sRGB better serves you

Note: you can shoot and edit in Adobe RGB and convert it to sRGB to post it but you can’t go the other way

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The Fundamentals - Color

Different colors can be described as vibrant, bold, muted, soft, deep, pastel, warm or cool

• The Color Wheel is a graphic depiction of the relationships among colors

• It organizes colors in perfect harmony allowing for easy categorization of complementary, secondary, tertiary, monochromatic and analogous

colors

• It provides a visual tool to assist us in composing our shots to make the most effective use of color

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There are many variations of color wheels, here are two examples

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The Fundamentals - Color

• In photography Complementary Colors create a natural contrast that is appealing to our eye

• Examples:

• Red and Green

• Yellow and Purple (Violet)

• Blue and Orange

Complementary colors reside opposite each other on the color wheel

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Complementary colors Green and red are used in this example

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Complementary colors can make an image pop

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The red barn stands out better against the

green grass

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Bright colors attract a viewer’s focus

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The Fundamentals - Color

• Analogous colors reside adjacent to each other on the wheel

• Finding colors that are analogous provide a sense of harmony and can smooth the transition throughout the image

• Examples are:

• Red and orange

• Yellow and orange

• Green and blue

• Blue and violet

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Uxplanet.org

Analogous colors smooth the transition through the shot

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The Fundamentals - Color

Secondary Colors:

• Primary colors are mixed to produce secondary colors

• Red and Blue are mixed to produce Magenta

• Red and Green produce Yellow

• Green and Blue produce Cyan

Recall most printers work in a CMYK color scheme?

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The Fundamentals - Color

Tertiary Colors:

• Tertiary colors are produced when adjacent primary and secondary color are combined

• An example is 50% red and 50% magenta produce orange

• Tertiary colors can be used to supplement either primary or secondary colors in an image

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Examples of tertiary colors

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The Fundamentals - Color

Monochromatic Colors:

• Monochromatic color scheme uses tonal lightness and saturation of one color

• This can produce a calming emotion

• Green and blue monochromatic images are very soothing

• This scheme is usually used for effect and does not generally highlight a subject, only a mood

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Examples of monochromatic images

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The Fundamentals - Color

• Colors can be utilized to help compose an image

• Look for colors that work with your subject and see how they can be incorporated in the scene

• Certain color combinations draw the eye of the viewer and interest to the shot

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The Fundamentals - Color

• Sometimes color can be the subject

• Understand, when it comes to color, what you see may not be what you get from camera, to monitor, to output

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The Fundamentals - Color

Color Quiz:

• What are the primary colors of light?

• Name two color gamuts

• Which gamut is better for printing?

• Give at least one example each of: complementary colors and analogous colors

• What are secondary colors?

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The Fundamentals - Color

Color Assignment:

1. Determine what color space you are shooting in with your camera and is it the appropriate one given your usual output mode

2. Shoot two images: one that displays complementary color and one that displays mainly monochromatic color

3. Take a shot that highlights a subject using color only Bring your images in to present