"

5 Color in your images

Using colors effectively in your photographs

Understanding Color Theory

The vibrant colors of a wisteria vine contrast beautifully against the brightly painted wooden fence. This image was created using a High Dynamic Range (HDR) process, with further color enhancement in Photoshop to emphasize the vivid hues as the focal point of the image. Photo by Eric Demattos CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution Non Commercial ShareAlike)

Color theory is a fundamental aspect of photography that involves the use of colors to create aesthetically pleasing and impactful images. Understanding how colors interact and how they can be combined is essential for creating visually engaging photographs. In this chapter, we will explore three main color relationships: analogous colors, complementary colors, and monochromatic colors. By mastering these concepts, you will enhance your ability to use color effectively in your photography.

This color wheel illustrates how complementary colors are positioned directly across from each other, analogous colors are adjacent to one another, and monochromatic colors consist of varying shades, and tones of a single hue. Stock illustration modified by Eric Demattos CC BY-NC-SA (Attribution Non Commercial ShareAlike)

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

Learning Digital Photography Copyright © by Eric Demattos is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book