It wasn't until the 1970s that color photography, long used in advertising and television, finally broke through the barriers and was acknowledged as art. However, whether it's the fine art of museums or the "low" art used in advertising or packaging, descriptive color can make a difference in your photographs. Colors have meaning, and by using that implied meaning, which often comes with subtle psychology, you can enhance the impact of your photos.
Instructions
1. Decide on a subject for your photograph. The subject could be almost anything, from a woman painting a picture to a couple walking down the beach in swimsuits. Whatever you're going to be taking a picture of, you should have an idea of the subject before you start dressing it with color, lighting and other details that evoke description and imagery.
2. Choose the emotions you want to convey in the image. For instance, you could take the same image of a young woman standing on the beach looking out at the water. By making her bathing suit, perhaps the flower in her hair, pink, then that color elicits warm, romantic and feminine emotions. The same woman in a true red swimsuit will elicit sex appeal, strength and confidence. The color wheel lists all of the colors and the feelings they evoke in a viewer, along with the colors that contrast and enhance each other (a full color wheel description can be found in References).
3. Dress and light the scene. While color is important, you need to contrast and light the scene properly. For instance, white is the color of purity and represents an untouched surface. Leaving the white shadowed makes it look softer, hazier. If you then contrast it with black in the foreground, well lit, then the black is going to stand out among the white. If you leave the black figure hazy and light the white background, it will create a silhouette that is more akin to looking at the background with the subject in the foreground.
4. Take your pictures. Use various angles and alter the way you view the subject. Experiment with the lighting to get the best views. Additionally, try to alter the color scheme if you find that your original setup isn't conveying the imagery that you wanted. Mix and match the colors and lighting until you are happy with the results.
Tags: color wheel, light scene, that color, used advertising