Assignment 3 - Colour

In this assignment I will try and show my command of colour in my photography by finding and using different colours in deliberate relationships.

Along with the coursework I used some advice from my tutor to have a look at the work of Martin Parr in particular for this assignment. I was already aware of his work, especially his controversial The Last Resort series and various examples in Magnum. I have to admit that after working through the course work and hopefully now having a better understanding of colours and their relationships, I looked at his images completely differently from when I first saw them.

Martin Parr - Magnum (1997)

In the above image Martin Parr manages to give an example of the three primary colours which all naturally contrast each other. But he has managed to put them together harmoniously, with the rich highly saturated red being flooded by the lesser saturated yellow of the fantastic Mohican and the pale blue sky in the background. You would think that with such an interesting foreground the mid and background would be irrelevant, but by cropping out the face of the punk and then with such an eye catching red you find yourself exploring the mid ground followed then by pale blue sky in the background finishing back at the bright golden yellow of the hair. With so little in the way of subjects in the frame it is now apparent to me why this image has always caught my attention, and that is the wonderful manipulation of colour that brings harmony to what would generally be classed as far balanced if it were based on its subject alone.

Along with the course notes and exercises I stumbled across an excellent youtube tutorial that really helped me to understand better how to think about harmony in colours in an image. The practical explanation of weights on a spin top like colour wheel trying to balance on its central pivot, really helped my understanding of their relationship so much better than before. So, many thanks to Artist Scott Naismith for this and his other online tutorials;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOVXP6ILtrM&feature=share&list=FL2XfsFEQ5SJVEdryLsTBdEA

Although Scott is an artist and his example is of a CMY colour wheel the principal of the harmony and balance are universal and helped me enormously in understanding that it was not always about just finding a wall of colour next to another colour with nothing more in the shot to get harmony and balance in an image.

So in order to try and show my command in colours and their relationships I have to present 16 photographs of both found and arranged situation, 4 for each relationship.


Colour Harmony Through Complimentary Colours


Complimentary Colours - Colours that face each other across the circle of the colour wheel

Martin Parr - Life's a Beach

This an example I found of Martin Parr, where he managed to harmonise blue and orange almost textbook in ratio 1:2, (even the suggested triangles made by each arm reinforce the multiple), but as he does so brilliantly in such a different way, having a very saturated and overly tanned orange lady lie on her bright blue towel. I really like how the deeper blue of the lady's eye covers which are so central, makes them the original focal point before the background of the towel pulls everything in the image towards you including the lady herself.

Man Walking Away

Diagram of colour

Here I found similar colours but in a totally different situation to Martin Parr above. I tried to use the correct suggested ratio of 1:2 but with the blue being slightly greater I feel it took the similar colour of yellow in the fencing to just push this towards harmony. The dead colours of black and grey help to create that little bit of separation to create a balanced relationship. For the image as a whole, I like how the man walking away is unconventionally on the left and walking out of the frame along with the blue slats going in that direction whereas the slats of the orange wall are pulling in the opposite direction. So in a strange sort of way with the central subjects being very stationary the image seems to be trying to pull apart but inadvertently bringing it all together in harmony (Or maybe thats just me).

Working Progress

Diagram of colour

This is one of my arranged (still-life) creations. With having very little time just now in my family and work life it only seemed appropriate to take my studying to work and use the surrounding environment to try and produce some images. As a freight train driver, I used the abundant wild flowers that litter the lineside to arrange this small still life in my cab, on the circuit board drop down shelf while I was stopped for a few minutes. I tried to arrange the flowers in such a way to have the the recommended 1:3 ratio of purple to yellow. The neutral colours of black and grey in the background assist in highlighting the interesting combination of the mechanical/electrical equipment and the natural floral arrangement of wild flowers. I consciously tried to centralise the top yellow flower by using a f2.8 small depth of field and cropping to a square. I felt this was the most prominent and glorious flower that deserved its place in an otherwise confusing bunch of flowers.

Brushes

Diagram of colour

Red and green should never be seen but when in ratio of 1:1 they can be quite complimentary and harmonious. Here I placed my kids tooth brushes together and captured them side by side in front of a window letting in bright daylight. They compliment each other well and create a unique spot of colour in an otherwise unsaturated background. Their similar brightness helps to balance their relationship in a satisfying and harmonious way.

Sunset in Reverse

Diagram of colour

I managed to capture a section of one of the many beautiful sunsets we have been lucky to witness this year, in the wing mirror of my locomotive. The rich blue of the evening sky has the wonderfully warm golden orange/yellow sunlit clouds speckled across it. By focusing in the mirror the background is thrown out of focus but still carries the same colours in a harmonious relationship.

Harmony Through Similar Colours

Similar Colours - Colours near to each other in the colour wheel, as in cool or warm range of colours.

Martin Parr - The Last Resort

I have to say, I don't think Martin Parr does harmony with similar colours. If it's not contrasting/complimentary then he doesn't seem too interested. But, here I feel there is little contrast or complimentary colours, just harmony in their similarity. This image feels much more neutral in colour compared to anything else he is renowned for producing but his content is fascinating. We are left with no distractions to explore the intensity in the faces and actions of the costumers of this Brighton chip shop.

 Blue Umbrella

Diagram of colour

For me this scene of the umbrella and the pier building was almost enough of an example of harmony of blues and greens, but when the passing gentleman with his similar blue t-shirt and hat came into shot it immediately became a definite for one of my illustrations of harmony through similar colours. With all  representations of the blues and green being so alike it seemed I just had to find a way to put them all together in some sort of harmonious image. I managed to get behind the vendors umbrella of many colours of the rainbow and fortunately positioned myself in such a way as to show the colours I desired to correspond with the pier building and crystal clear Santa Monica blue sky. The man just happened to come into shot, which I was initially peeved at until I quickly realised he was dressed in similar colours to my initial subjects. Bingo! I cropped the image to square ratio in an attempt to try and emphasise the structured triangles within the frame which helps rotate the viewer around the image.

Yellow Shade

Diagram of colour

I like this photo but just wish there could have been some guests sitting at the tables of this californian ranch to make it far more interesting, but beggars can't be choosers. There are the similar colours of green and yellow, which are almost 50/50 in this image apart from the slightly more neutral slate greys at the bottom of the image to break it up. The curve of the tables and pergola help to enchant the eye around the corner to ponder what lies beyond. Upside down umbrellas will always create question and as I stated I only wish I was there at the time of it being busier and more vibrant.

Working Lunch

Diagram of colour

It might be possible to start to realise the running theme of content. If it's not family event orientated then it will most definitely be work related. This is the situation I find myself in with 2 children under 5 where usually my wife an I pass on the door step between work and being a parent. Although for clarity I wouldn't have it any other way. So here again I have an arranged situation set up during some down time at my place of work. This time being the remainder of my lunch and the required work clotting as a backdrop. There is harmony in the similar colours but I also tried to maintain some structure by framing the banana and orange within the reflectors of the clothing and the gloves along the top.

Connected

Diagram of colour

This is the interior of a small shunting locomotive which has been used for over 50 years with its electrical and circuit boxes all connected by thick cables. These connections are balanced with the diagonal relationship of the similar colours of the orange box and the red fire extinguisher, which I feel creates a well balanced image.

Colour Contrast Through Contrasting Colours

Contrasting Colours - Colours spaced about a third of the way round the colour wheel.

Martin Parr - The Last Resort

For me finding and capturing contrasting colours in a fantastically eye-catching way is what Martin Parr does extremely well. Here he has the rich red paint of the bench and post contrasting with the blue of the clear sky. The blue area has the women in the shot wearing similar coloured clothes to the sky blue whereas in the shelter with the red paint, there is an orange glow from a late evening summer sun bringing that area all together. It creates two distinct sections to the image separated by their contrasting main colours but with red-blue being so contrasting their is also the faint orange of the sun which helps bring the whole image together by being similar to the red and a complimentary colour to the blue.

Garden Party

Diagram of colour

For my first image I used this scene of a garden restaurant which had yellow and red contrasting umbrellas. I cropped to a wider more panoramic view to highlight the horizontal stripes effect of the colours. Although contrasting colours as these are, I felt the image did have an element of harmony brought about with the greenery between the lines of colour from the umbrellas. There is also more red in this image than yellow but with the green being similar to yellow in the colour wheel I felt they both helped to balance the amount of red that dominates the fore and middle ground of the scene.

Yellow Brick Wall

Diagram of colour

This second image show the contrasting colours yellow and blue. Blue being from the much colder range than the warm yellow adds to the stark contrast of this shot. The hard rugged texture of the wall with its jarring edges to the individual bricks heightens the sense of contrast when we look up into the smooth clear blue sky. This was taken at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles and these majestic walls make up the entire structure of the museum becoming somewhat of a large piece of art in them selves, a wonderful place to visit.

Purple Line

Diagram of colour

Here again I am back to the railway and this time a line side scene where those wonderful purple wild flowers line the verges. I used the natural perspective of the railway line to try and create some movement in this image. I find that the purple dominates this scene with my eye constantly being pulled back towards it as it stands out from it's contrasting green surroundings, overall an eye-catching though unsettled image.

Red Lamps

Diagram of colour

This photo of continental tail lamps lined up show the clear contrast between red and yellow. The surrounding greys help to emphasise this and with there being so many straight horizontal lines the circular red discs aid this further. I feel it has a harmonious side to it though, perhaps with the single vertical line acting like a balance scale.

Colour Accent Using Any Of The Above

Colour Accent - One small area of colour that sits against a much larger background of another colour as a spot or accent.

Martin Parr - China (Magnum Photos)

Here Martin parr uses the cold white/greys and a very pale blue to suggest one pale colour with a spot or accent of highly saturated red. the accent demands attention as your eye works its way around the image exploring the miniature Manhattan skyline in China. To me it helps give the feeling of the lady in red being a tour guide to the other less vibrantly dressed tourists.

Short Straw

Diagram of colour

This image is an accent of purple on green, two contrasting colours. Smothered by green wooden panels the purple straw takes your attention especially its bright highlights. The detail of the wood gives  interest to the shot and the relationship of green and purple gives a strong contrast that allows the straw to be very prominent.

Hot Purple

Diagram of colour

Again using my work environment, I made a small bunch of flowers for this still-life from some more wild flowers and placed them on my cabs hot plate. I liked the circular frame and chose a square crop to highlight it, with the randomness of the flowers contrasting these standard shapes. The spot of colour here is purple again but this time surrounded by a complimentary yellow. Obviously the ratio of harmony in their relationship is all wrong but with the neutrality of the background isolates the flowers and the central position of the purple accent demands attention before the remainder of the yellow flowers are explored.

Two Spots of Red

Diagram of colour

Using the blue of the sky I positioned this signal to give two small accents of red. Although there are two spots and not the usual one for this accent, I feel their close proximity means it acts as one. As with the Short Straw image the relationship between blue and red creates contrast that makes both colours stand out and make this an eye-catchig image.

Over and Above

Diagram of colour

This was taken from a high vantage point, looking down on a family. I was attracted to the strong red of the boys t-shirt against the green grass that surrounded him. The should never be seen red and green means their relationship serves to intensify each colour.

Conclusion

A truly eye opening assignment and the whole section of Colour was something I had never studied or understood in any way. I feel I have learned a lot, I hope to continue learning and I know I will constantly be conscious of colour relationships in my every day life and particular my photography. It has become apparent that my whole perspective of what I see has changed dramatically since beginning this course. As with The Frame and Elements of Design I look at situations totally differently now and see a little more each time, hopefully over time this will become apparent in my photography and be better for it because I can rarely just look at something without trying to find shapes or a viewpoint and now how the colours work with each other.

I printed these cards to carry with me for this assignment along with the colour wheel just to help remind we what to look for and also just to reinforce there relationship groups. I will continue to carry these in my bag so that I will continue to try and learn to look for the balance and harmony they can bring to my images. I feel this is something I need to continue to work on until it becomes second nature.

I have tried to show my command of colour in my photography, being able to find and use colours in deliberate relationships. I hope this has come across in these images of both arranged and found situations taken around my day to day life.