Assignment Three - Colours

Assignment Three was about learning to create harmony or contrast within a frame through the use of colour.  Colour relationships can be created by using complimentary, similar, or contrasting colours, or through the use of colour accents.  It was suggested in the course materials that certain proportions of complimentary colours used together create a harmonious balance; I am not convinced that this is always necessary - I found I liked many different proportions - and have commented on this where relevant.

Colour harmony through complimentary colours

Yellow and Violet: a couple of bees on a purple flower against a yellow background (this was in a cornfield shot in Norfolk).  The proportions of this image are around 1:1, which is not the recommended proportion of 1:3, but I think that colour harmony is in terms of ratio is still achieved.  However, I don't think the tones work - they are both mid-tones so there is not a lot of contrast in this image.

 




 

Movement was hard to decide in this image; I felt that the eye would be drawn towards the top bee first of all, would then move around the flower taking in the bottom bee, and then move around the yellow background to check out the surrounding context.  The eye therefore moves from warm (the bee) to cool around the flower and then back to warm (the background).

 Blue and Orange: a section of the Hindu temple in Alperton, West London shot on a stunning day in September.  The sky was so incredible this day, it provided a great opportunity for me to use is as the blue for this assignment.  The ratio here is again around 1:1, versus the recommended 2:1, although I feel that with this shot, a ratio of 1:2 might have worked well.  The composition is quite interesting with the two pillars framing the sky forcing the sky into the foreground.  The shadows on the pillars provide some tonal contrast to the orange.

I felt that the movement in this image would be from warm to cool: the eye would begin at the bottom of the vertical pillar, follow it up, along the top and down the other pillar, and would then take in the sky.

 Red and Green: corals shot at London Zoo using a macro lens providing great clarity and texture.  The colour ratio here is 2:1 as opposed to the standard 1:1, but I much prefer this more dynamic balance to the 1:1 shots I took for the course work.  I found 1:1 quite static for red and green.  I really like the neon colours produced by the corals, which are probably enhanced by the aquarium lighting.

I think the eye is drawn to the warm red first of all and then moves to look at the cool green.

 

Blue and Orange: a view of one of the bridges along the Thames in London taken at dusk in September; this was a handheld shot, so I am pleased with the clarity.  The colour harmony is achieved through the traditional 2:1 proportions, which I think in this case really work, particularly with the orange aligning with the composition of the bridge being placed along the bottom third.

I think that the eye in this case is drawn to the orange area on the left-hand side, and it then moves along the bridge into the cool areas of the river and sky.

Colour harmony through similar colours

Purple and Green: view of Haystacks in Cumbria overlooking Buttermere and Gatesgarth Farm.  I love the ever present Lake District combination of sap green and paynes grey but on this particular day, the light was spectacular lighting up the green fellside and making the part in the shade seem more mauve than grey.  In processing, I enhanced the mauve present in the grey to make the overall effect more purple than it is in real life.  I think the light and coolness of the purple and green create a really effective harmony.

I think that someone looking at the photo would be first drawn to the farm house (white accent) out of curiousity - maybe wondering what the small building is against the foreboding purple mountainside and would then look up the diagonal to the scallop edge of Haystacks ridge, following the ridge to the right and then down thorugh the copse towards the house. 

Yellow, Red/Pink and Brown: this image of some delicious macaroons, stacked up on my window sill and shot with a macro lens for increased texture, reminds me of a neopolitan ice-cream combination of vanilla, strawberry and chocolate.  The warm colours make them look very inviting!  I like the tight framing and the out of focus edges creating a slightly abstract feel, with simple composition along the thirds.  I think that balance is also achieved through the dark, medium and light hues presented.

It took me a while to decide where the movement lies with this shot.  My first thought was that the eye would be drawn to the chocolate macaroon first of all, but then I realised that that might just be me because I like chocolate!  I figured that in the end the starting point in the image would be the red/pink central macaroon, because of the brightness of the colour of the red and would then look up and down to the other two macaroons.

Yellow, Red/Pink and Brown: (disregarding the muted green in the background), another example of warm colours of an Atlas Moth being held up by the back of its wings shot at London Zoo.  The hues in this shot though are a much cooler than the ice cream colours above, but I think that colour balance is achieved in the body and wings of the moth.  The great tragedy is that these moths only live a week, so by the time I had processed this image, it was no longer alive.  The green background isn't very important in this image, and I felt that it in most cases it might not even be noticed.  This may be because the shade of green is quite similar to the brown in the moth's wings, and although technically is complimentary to the red, it almost just blends in.

I felt that movement in this image is quite clear and is created from the top of the fingers down through the moth and its wings.  I don't think the eye really ventures into the green.

Green and Blue: back to the Lake District and a fine view of Derwent Water with the "jaws of Borrowdale" opening up on the horizon and Castle Crag in between.  The cool green and blue are clearly harmonious and I really like the effect of the wide angle lens on the sky and exagarated perspective of the boats.

I think that movement in this image is more about the elements than the colours: the eye is drawn in by the lines of the boats and jetty posts towards the jaws and then back out across the background mountains.

Colour contrast through contrasting colours

Green/Blue vs Yellow: a parrot named Charlie snapped at Birdworld in Farnham.  The warm yellow contrasts with the cool blue on the wings and the cool green on the head and the green of the bushes and trees.  Whereas with the moth picture I felt that the green background didn't contribute to the overall image, in this case I think it does: it's a much stronger componenet in this image and it tells us something about the parrot's environment.  The proportion of warm vs cool in this image is about 1:1 which I think works well with the central/symmetrical composition.

With this image, I think the eye is naturally drawn to the face and then looks up towards the wings.  Movement is therefore from warm to cool.  The colour contrast in this image is strong.

Orange vs Purple/Green: an abstract view of a bird of paradise plant shot with a macro lens at Butterfly World Project in St. Albans.  The warm orange contrasts with the cool purple and green in an approximate ratio of 1:2.  I like the diagonal composition of the purple across the frame with the warm orange framing the green on the left-hand vertical and across the bottom.  I also like the way the lens has picked up the purple "staining" effect on the plant.

I think the eye would first of all be drawn to the intersection of purple and orange in the bottom left-hand corner (pagan orange and ecclesiastical purple is a classic combination) and would then follow the direction of the plant's components. I don't think the green plays a crucial role in this image, but it does provide a nice cool background against the orange.  The overall colour contrast in this image is strong, maybe because the colours are so vibrant.

Blue/Grey vs Brown/Pink: a delicate view of the building that once was Battersea Power Station shot from across the Thames (I walked a four-mile loop to try to find the best view!).  The cool blue of the sky and the cool grey of the water contrast against the warm brown of the building and the pink streaks in the sky in a ratio of 2:1.  I think the lighting at the time had an interesting effect on the shot making the staion look bizarrely delicate.  This is a handheld shot which is slightly blurred, but together with the blown-out highlights, has the effect of an old polaroid type picture.

It was hard to decide where the movement is in this image, as there is not really a strong focal point.  I think the eye probably goes to the exposed window opening on the building and then looks up to the sky, and follows the pink streaks along.  After that the eye probably goes down to the hint of reflections in the water.  Although this image represents a cool/warm contrast, I find that the brown has a very cool tone so the overall effect is cool and not a strong contrast.

Pink/Orange/Yellow vs Green: another macro view of a plant from the Butterfly World Project - I was really pleased to see the water droplets which I hadn't noticed at the time of shooting!  The warm shades of pink, orange and yellow contrast delicately with the green (in places the yellow and green blend) in an approximate ratio of 1:1.  The contrast is delicate because of the blending but I think the vibrancy of the orange against the green background make the contrast effective.

I think movement is clearly from the bottom left-hand corner along the diagonal towards the top-right corner and then into the pink patch (area of warmth) in line with the composition of the frame.  I am really pleased with this shot - I like the colour blending and the detail of the base of the flower.

Colour accent

 Yellow accent against black/white/grey: a cropped image from a portrait of an owl taken at Birdworld in Farnham.  The yellow eyes and beak are really striking against the neutral black/grey/white of the bird.  The cropping and then enlarging has made the feathers look fuzzy rather than crisp which provides an additional contrast of soft texture against the stark eyes.

Movement is from the eyes looking out of the frame.  I think the eye would be drawn directly to the owls face, but because the image is so tightly cropped there is not much else to look at.  The movement is therefore the owl looking back out of the picutre.

Red accent against blue/green: another view of the Thames, this time taken in the Sunbury area.  The red "danger" sign and red life ring provide an effect accent against the blue of the water and sky and green of the trees.  There are more subtle red accents in the roofs of the houses also, but the red is quite subdued compared with the sign and the ring.  I think the word "danger" also helps to reinforce the red accent.  I like the reflections of the accents in the water also.

Movement is from the red accents towards their reflections in the water; then I think the eye would move around the rest of the frame. Of course people familiar with the view would know that there is plenty of movement behind the bridge, but in this photo the weir is only just visible and doesn't really contribute towards movement in the image.

Purple accent against yellow: very subtle accent in this shot of part of the Hindu temple in Alperton.  The accent is clearer in the photo than it is in real life, because I enhanced the colour saturation in processing; it really his just a hint of purple in what I think is a building constructed of sandstone.  I think the contrast of the shadow against the bright stone work is the strongest feature of this photo.

I haven't shown any movement in this diagram; I don't think there is any apart following the design of the stone which is in multiple directions.  There isn't a strong focal point initially, so I think the eye can start at any point and look around the image in any direction.  The accent does not help draw the eye in - it's too subtle and almost risks being unnoticed.

Yellow accent against blue/white: a striking view of the O2 arean across the Thames on a fantastically sunny day.  The yellow accent is shown in yellow spokes of the arena and the boat moving towards the left-hand side of the frame.  I think the accent is very effective providing warmth against the cool sky, water and white structures.

Movement is in two places in this shot: initially from the arena up through the spkes and then following the direction the boat is travelling in.