The first part is prescriptive: take three shots demonstrating the opposing colours with the object colours in the proportions set out below:
red:green, 1:1,
blue:orange, 1:2;
yellow:violet, 1:3
Not an easy task.
For red:green, I was tempted to reuse an image taken for an exercise in Part two Elements of Design of apples in an inverted triangle:
I am interested in the idea that one can use an image to demonstrate more than one concept. Here we have an inverted triangle, but also it demonstrates a sound red:green colour relationship, with a good approximation to 1:1 proportions. To me, SEEING the opportunity of reusing material is as important as he taking of new images. It promotes one's imagination.
Nevertheless, I though as well that an original image should be used, so took the following image at the FA Cup Final between Manchester City and Stoke City:
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| f5; 1/250; ISO 64 |
This was taken with a point and shoot camera. On a close up of the crowd, the image is a little blurred but at this scale hardly seems to matter.
The proportions of red (the Stoke fans) and the green of the pitch are very much in line with the 1:1. As a colour relationship, it works well. There is a sense of harmony, assisted by the same level of relative brightness.
The orange:blue is demonstrated by an image of boat covers taken in Looe harbour. It was an opportunistic shot, although I had the camera that day with one eye on shots for this exercise.
I have to admit that I took the shot without checking settings. I generally use aperture priority as a general setting as advice is that most lenses optimise at f9-13, so try to use these where possible. Problem was that the light was very poor and consequently ended up with a shutter speed that is really too low for hand hold. The much maligned (by professionals) P setting would have been fine here, or else use shutter priority. Is it a lesson learnt? I doubt it as I do tend to forget settings occasionally - getting better but still happens.
Again, on this scale and for this purpose the error scarcely matters. I cropped the image to fit the blue:orange 1:2 proportions, leaving part of the aerial in for some interest. For this exercise, the image works: the colours do harmonise, and what comes out strikingly from this is the brightness of the orange - even at 2:1 it is the more dominant colour in the image, perhaps not helped by the somewhat dirty blue.
I took a still life for yellow and violet, arranging a yellow pepper on a violet background and setting up the camera on a tripod with Speedlite flash on the right, thus balancing the natural light from the left. Shutter speed is arguably low to use with a flash but I was happy with using f22 to get good depth of field and the Speedlite seems to adjust well to shutter speed. The big advantage of a still life is being able to get the proportions as required - 1:3 yellow:violet in this case.
I guess this works from the point of view of the exercise. Hardly a gallery shot but I am convinced of the greater harmony produced by having the colours in these proportions.
The second part of this exercise is much more of a free reign - produce three or four images featuring colour combinations that appeal to me.
I used the opportunity presented by the graduation of twin sons on two separate days in July to take shots of colour combinations. Graduation gowns are a perfect subject for this and I particularly liked this shot of the contrasting blue and red. The image is sharp yet the silky textures come out well and there is depth created by the lighter band of the hood in this image. These all help to add interest to the colour contrast.
I took this shot of the sign for a Chinese takeaway in Leicester as I think it demonstrates how contrasting colours (in this case red and yellow) do not work well together. There is a distinct lack of harmony, perhaps not helped by a lack of a dominant colour in the relationship.
Lavender is an obvious choice for a violet subject, here taken with some evening light enhancing the green stalks. Not original, but a pleasing image with the variation of light adding interest.
The last image is an arrangement of four of the primary colours. The shot is of flower pots above a Leicester pub. Credit here to the originator of the arrangement; perhaps he or she has seen that shrubs can be enhanced by placing them in a colourful arrangement of pots. I cropped a lot of the image, concentrating on the line of pots. For me, the image demonstrated the power of colour, primary colours in particular. There is little interest without the colour.
This was not an easy exercise - I found it challenging to take images meeting the brief of the first part in particular. It has helped to cement my knowledge of colour relationships and to think about their proportions when composing or cropping images. There was also the basic issue of checking settings discussed above that needs constant attention.
The proportions of red (the Stoke fans) and the green of the pitch are very much in line with the 1:1. As a colour relationship, it works well. There is a sense of harmony, assisted by the same level of relative brightness.
 |
| f13; 1/20; ISO 200 |
The orange:blue is demonstrated by an image of boat covers taken in Looe harbour. It was an opportunistic shot, although I had the camera that day with one eye on shots for this exercise.
I have to admit that I took the shot without checking settings. I generally use aperture priority as a general setting as advice is that most lenses optimise at f9-13, so try to use these where possible. Problem was that the light was very poor and consequently ended up with a shutter speed that is really too low for hand hold. The much maligned (by professionals) P setting would have been fine here, or else use shutter priority. Is it a lesson learnt? I doubt it as I do tend to forget settings occasionally - getting better but still happens.
Again, on this scale and for this purpose the error scarcely matters. I cropped the image to fit the blue:orange 1:2 proportions, leaving part of the aerial in for some interest. For this exercise, the image works: the colours do harmonise, and what comes out strikingly from this is the brightness of the orange - even at 2:1 it is the more dominant colour in the image, perhaps not helped by the somewhat dirty blue.
 |
| f22; 1/4, ISO 800 |
I took a still life for yellow and violet, arranging a yellow pepper on a violet background and setting up the camera on a tripod with Speedlite flash on the right, thus balancing the natural light from the left. Shutter speed is arguably low to use with a flash but I was happy with using f22 to get good depth of field and the Speedlite seems to adjust well to shutter speed. The big advantage of a still life is being able to get the proportions as required - 1:3 yellow:violet in this case.
I guess this works from the point of view of the exercise. Hardly a gallery shot but I am convinced of the greater harmony produced by having the colours in these proportions.
The second part of this exercise is much more of a free reign - produce three or four images featuring colour combinations that appeal to me.
 |
| f11; 1/125; ISO 640 |
I used the opportunity presented by the graduation of twin sons on two separate days in July to take shots of colour combinations. Graduation gowns are a perfect subject for this and I particularly liked this shot of the contrasting blue and red. The image is sharp yet the silky textures come out well and there is depth created by the lighter band of the hood in this image. These all help to add interest to the colour contrast.
 |
| f11; 1/500; ISO 200 |
I took this shot of the sign for a Chinese takeaway in Leicester as I think it demonstrates how contrasting colours (in this case red and yellow) do not work well together. There is a distinct lack of harmony, perhaps not helped by a lack of a dominant colour in the relationship.
 |
| f6.7; 1/180, ISO 200 |
Lavender is an obvious choice for a violet subject, here taken with some evening light enhancing the green stalks. Not original, but a pleasing image with the variation of light adding interest.
 |
| f16; 1/60, ISO 200 |
The last image is an arrangement of four of the primary colours. The shot is of flower pots above a Leicester pub. Credit here to the originator of the arrangement; perhaps he or she has seen that shrubs can be enhanced by placing them in a colourful arrangement of pots. I cropped a lot of the image, concentrating on the line of pots. For me, the image demonstrated the power of colour, primary colours in particular. There is little interest without the colour.
This was not an easy exercise - I found it challenging to take images meeting the brief of the first part in particular. It has helped to cement my knowledge of colour relationships and to think about their proportions when composing or cropping images. There was also the basic issue of checking settings discussed above that needs constant attention.
