More About Colour

The Colour Wheel

As you begin to delve further into photographic techniques, sooner or later you'll hear more about colour, the colour wheel and complementary versus analogous colours. It can tend to be confusing at first, but as you put the theories into practice it will soon become second nature. So, just what is the colour wheel and all those other terms? Let's figure it out.

The basic idea of the colour wheel is to match colour in a way that is pleasing to the eye and creates a strong picture that "pops." It can create a mood, add vibrancy or make a statement.

Complementary Colours

Complementary colours are those opposite one another in the
wheel. Red and green or purple and yellow are examples. They are high contrast and create that vibrant look. Use the combinations with care, so as not to create a look that jars or is so predominant in the frame that nothing else is seen.

Analogous Colours

Analogous colours are those that are next to each other. The three shades of blue are an example.  Usually when using analogous colours, one of the three will be used as the predominant shade.  The others can be used as a support colour and an accent.  Analogous colour schemes tend to be harmonious and creates a calm and serene scene.

Triadic Colours



Triadic colours are those that are spaced equally around the wheel.  In this scheme, red, yellow and blue would form the triad.  Orange, the light green and the dark blue could be a comination and so on and so forth.  This creates a vibrant shot, even if you use the paler hues.  Be careful when using the triad; it can easily overwhelm.  Ideally, one coloour is the dominant and the other two as accents.

Split Complementary

Although there are several other basic techniques, the final scheme to be discussed here is the split-complementary.  This is similar to the complementary style, but instead of using the two colours directly oppposite one another, a triangle is formed using the two colours immediately beside the complementary colour of choice and the third as being directly oppositie your choice of complementary.  That sounds confusing and is best described by the example to the right.  This scheme is a strong visual, but creates less tension.

Assignment

Go find colour!  Try and locate examples of each type of colour scheme and take a few shots of each.  As usual, view full screen, then evaluate each critically, using the guidelines in the "Evaluate Your Work" post.