COLOUR THEORY

Hi First name / everyone, I hope this newsletter finds you well? Rainy season really is in full swing in Botswana! While some people shy away from safaris at this time of year, I find it can provide some of the most dramatic imagery thanks to the building storm clouds and lush tones. Speaking of tones… this months newsletter is a continuation from the last colour themed newsletter. I want to delve a little deeper into colour and colour theory.

 

As I mentioned in #46 I am currently in Tanzania hosting a trip for Pangolin to the Serengeti, Ndutu, and Ngorongoro Crater, so expect a trip report from there soon! Don't worry a “rainy season” newsletter is already scheduled! For now, I hope you enjoy newsletter #47!

 

- William

Colour theory in short is a study of how colours combine, interact, and largely affect our perception. It encompasses principles like colour harmony, contrast, and the psychological and emotional impact of different colours. As colour theory is such a complicated subject and would take about 10 newsletters to cover, in this newsletter I want to look at the topic of colour harmony in images as well as the importance of colour temperature. I promise there are lots of pictures to keep it interesting!

Lets start worth colour harmony. Colour harmony is the arrangement of colours in a way that is not only visually balanced but also aesthetically pleasing to the viewer. It involves using, or in our case capturing, colour relationships. These can  be complementary, analogous, or triadic combinations to create a sense of cohesion and unity in the composition.

 

Below I want to share examples of these different colour harmonies, showing how they can apply to wildlife images. Whether through capturing colourful scenes, or editing them to create a feeling, I hope this inspires you to look at colourful images with new understanding. And maybe help explain why you may be drawn to some colourful images more than others!

Complementary colours are pairs or groups of colours located directly opposite each other on the colour wheel, like in this case pink/purple being opposite to the vibrant greens. When opposite colours are used together in this way, we are helping to create strong contrast and vibrancy. The contrasting nature of the opposing sides not only makes each other appear more vivid and enhance the visual interest of the image, it also achieves a colour balance. 

 

While in nature it is often hard to control the colour palette available, it is something to always be aware of. In this instance bird photographer Richard Flack and myself waited deliberately at these flowers for hours, in the hope to capture a subject within them. Patience thankfully paid off. 

Analogous colours. The term analogous refers to having analogy, or corresponding to something in particular. Analogous colours are hues that are situated next to each other on the colour wheel, and as a result share similar undertones. These colour combinations, like in this case with red, orange, and yellow, create a harmonious and pleasing visual effect by maintaining a sense of unity in the image, while providing a gradual transition in colour temperature and mood. 

 

A far easier colour palette to capture, whether it is a subject in the setting sun, or an environmental shot of the beautiful greens from the emerald season. This is also something to look at when editing an image, as you will see in the colour temperature (white balance) section. 

Triadic harmony involves three roughly equidistant colours spaced out on the colour wheel. This creates a visually balanced and vibrant combination, often it can produce contrast and diversity while still maintaining overall harmony. This provides a high contrast colour scheme, but often more calming than with just two opposing colours such as with the complimentary colours. 

A square colour scheme is exactly what you would expect it to be! It is a selecting of four colors evenly spaced around the colour wheel. This colour scheme often offers a mix of contrasting and harmonious colours, allowing for diversity while hopefully maintaining an overall sense of balance and cohesion (emphasis on hopefully). Square colour schemes are rich in colour and as a result can look busy and over complicated. With colour playing such a large role in the image it is often images with less complicated compositions, like this snail silhouette that give the eye enough space to calm down from the onslaught of tones. 

Finally, there is also a place for what I like to call chaotic harmony, which is certainly an oxymoron! That being said there is something important to be said about breaking the rules. Sometimes an image has so many colour elements that it doesn't fit into any of the above. Don't shy away from this, chaos can also be appealing! 

 

As mentioned earlier it is very hard to find scenes that perfectly fit colour themes. I am not saying you should only photograph images that fit these harmonies, but whether you like to photograph landscapes, portraits or wildlife, these colour harmonies certainly play a role in the viewers enjoyment of them. After all, don't we all want to take images that are aesthetically pleasing!? So next time you are looking through your images, or someone else's, think about how colour plays a role and whether they fit these rules. 

White balance determines the colour temperature of an image, and as a result influencing its mood and emotional impact. By setting the appropriate white balance, you can convey specific atmospheres. Cooler tones (lower Kelvin number) largely evoke a serene or melancholic mood, while warmer tones (higher Kelvin) create a cozy or vibrant feel. Often when either setting white balance in camera, or editing it in post, you are trying to capture or convey how colours appear naturally, but this shouldn't always the case though. At times telling a story or setting the mood needs an adjustment away from the natural warmth of a scene. 

 

I want to share some examples of how subtle changes in white balance can determine the feel of the image. Photography is so subjective, so I know each person viewing this will have a different opinion about which image is more aesthetically appealing. Creative adjustments, how small they may be, can either maintain the visual integrity of an image or work to deliver an emotional and striking story. I hope you enjoy this visual demonstration of the power of tones and white balance.

Thank you as always for reading and I cannot wait to hear what you think of this months newsletter! The next newsletter is coming soon, so make sure you have signed up!

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