Adjacent Colours

Although it is difficult to generalize about what are essentially subjective reactions to the inclusion of particular colours, as a general rule if you include combinations of adjacent colours in an image you invariably create more of a harmonious effect. This is especially true if the colours are approximately equivalent to each other in brightness and saturation. As well as being pleasing to the eye, colour harmony also helps to bind together what could perhaps be disparate subject elements within a composition.

There is much to be said for learning to work with a carefully conceived and restrained palette of colours. A favourite trick of landscape photographers at some times of the year, for example, is to select a camera viewpoint that creates a colour scheme that is composed predominantly of browns and reds - the hues redolent of autumn. Thus, not only does a harmonious colour composition result, all of the mood and atmosphere associated with the seasonal change from summer to winter are brought to bear within the image.

Depending on just how the photographer wants a picture to communicate with its intended audience, images that feature gardens as the principal subject might be dominated by colours such as various shades of green or blues and purples.

Another type of picture harmony results when the colours are all of a similar hue. When most of the colours in an image are variants of each other, the picture rewards you with tonal subtleties. Duotone or sepia-toned effects are highly monochromatic, as are views of the sea and sky containing a range of different blues. Sunsets can comprise mainly oranges and reds, while flower close-ups are often rewarding due to their narrow, subtle shifts in colour.

By: Shirley M. Duran

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Willis J. Watson is a freelance writer since 2006, living in United States and he writes about his great passion...digital photography for about 4 years. If you are interested in some Digital Photography Classes, wait no more and click the link.