colour: project 34
February 17, 2010
black-and-white and grey as colours
This project examines the importance of accurate exposure settings for the three neutral colours black, white and grey. The following photographs show the results of taking white, black and grey subjects at various exposures;-
White
As camera meter reading +0.3 stop
+0.7stop +1stop
+1.3 stop +1.7stop
+ 2 stop
The photograph of the white apple which was taken using the camera’s meter reading has a very strong grey colour. It is evident that as the exposure bias increases the grey dissipates. The photograph that was taken with a +2 stop bias has a purer white and has the truest representation of the white glass apple.
Black
As camera meter reading -0.3 stop
-0.7 stop -1 stop
- 1.3 stop - 1.7 stop
- 2 stop
In the above shots of the black pot, the reducing of the exposure increases the purity and the depth of the neutral colour black.
Grey
As camera meter reading + 1 stop
- 1 stop - 1.7 stop
+ 1.7 stop
The photograph above of the grey shell, shot with an exposure bias of + 1.7 , captures the purity of the white background and the various tones of grey and black in the shell. The smaller photographs of the shell shot at various exposures illustrate that when capturing objects of neutral colour it is important to consider exposure experimentation. For example, the picture shot using the camera exposure reading does not show the lighter tones of the grey in the shell, and the white background and foreground are too dark.
Notes
1. Both the black, grey and the white shots were taken in my kitchen using basic desk top spot lights.
2. A tripod was used for the shoot.
3. No consistent colour bias evident.
4. Experimentation using colour correction filters will be undertaken at a later date.( My current camera does not have the capacity to apply the successful use of filters).
5. A hand-held light meter to measure incident light was not available.
What I have learnt
The importance of exposure experimentation when shooting the neutral colours black, white and grey.
colour: project 31
February 11, 2010
colour library
white
Natural
yellow
orange
red
blue
green
Grey/Black
colour: project 35
December 1, 2009
colour relationships
Colours on opposing sides of the colour circle balance each other. These are the complementary pairs and they have a naturally harmonious relationship. However, to attain this harmonious connection one needs to take into account the relative brightness of the various hues. For example; yellow is about three times as bright as violet. For the twelve colours in the colour circle, there are 6 complementary pairs. Below is the brightness ratio for the three primary colours and their complementary opposite secondary colours :-
- Red – green 1:1
- Orange – blue 1:2
- Yellow – violet 1:3
The brief for this project is to take one photograph for each combination of primary and their secondary complementary opposites whilst taking into account the above brightness ratios.
I took this shot with the 1:3 ratio in mind. I also took into account the light hues of the colour violet and therefore increased its representation in order to attain colour balance. The various hues of the violet together with the small representation of black have a visually harmonious connection against the brightness of the yellow.
Even though the red of the door in this shot is not pure, I feel that the two colours together with a 1:1 ratio do have a complementary connection. The green of the leaf is brighter, yet there is a hint of the red in the stems and veins of the leaf which assists in uniting the two colours.
I took this photograph in a childrens’ playground in Estepona. Both the orange and the blue are impure representations. I do feel that harmony is not quite achieved here. Possibly a darker blue and an additional representation of orange to the left of the shot would have assisted in achieving the blue and orange complementary connection.
The second part of this project is to take photographs with multi – colour combinations of which at least one should be in the balanced proportions – the other images can be in a mixture of strong colours that are appealing to you:-
This image represents the 2:1 ratio of the blue and orange. The introduction of the cool green of the trees and the warm red of part of the fence helps to alleviate the imbalance between the light hue of the blue and the darker orange.
A mixture of strong colours that are appealing to me:-
I particularly like the cool colours of green and violet with the two accents of the brilliant yellow of this shot which I took in my garden in Spain. I feel that there is a pleasing colour balance within the image achieved by the subtle representation of the yellow and the brightness of the two hues of blue against the larger representation of the light hue of the green.
The pink and yellow tones of the water-lily are soft, yet together set against the strong hue of the green leaf they have a strong striking colour presence in this shot. The speckled representation of the dark maroon in the leaf set against the same, but lighter hue of the flower, assists in bringing colour harmony and charm to the image.
I feel that the striking presence of the red rope against the light hues of the blue and green gives this shot great energy.
A shot of similar colours green, yellow and orange was not in the brief of this project, but I thought that it was interesting to see the extreme contrast of colour relationships between similar colours and the images of the colour relationships that I took above.
What I have learnt
The diversities of complementary colours and colour relationships.
colour: project 37
November 25, 2009
filters with black-and-white film
Unfortunately, my Bridge camera does not have the capacity to enable the successful use of filters. In order to understand the use of filters for this project I did the following research:-
Photographers shooting in black-and-white are able to apply some selective control over tone value when using colour filters. Objects within an image of similar reflectance may have similar tone values in the resulting printed image. For example, if you had taken a shot of an apple tree and the red of the apple and the green of the tree had similar reflectance, they might be almost indistinguishable in tone in the resulting final composition. The table below illustrates the lightening and darkening effects of different colours that can be achieved when using various coloured filters in black-and-white photography:-
| Filters Commonly Used in B&W Photography* | |||||
| Filter** | Filter Factor |
f/stop Increase |
Filter Effects | Lightens | Darkens |
| Medium Yellow 8 (K2) |
2x | +1 | Probably the most widely used. Offers an accurate tone range in compensating for the blue sensitivity of panchromatic films. Will slightly darken sky and increase contrast between blue sky and clouds. Also may help reduce haze. | Yellow, Chartreuse, Olive, Red, Pink, Orange, Lime Green | Blue, Violet, Purple, Lilacs |
| Deep Yellow 15 (O) |
2.5x | +1 1/3 | Stronger effect than medium yellow. May darken sky considerably | Yellow, Chartreuse, Olive, Red, Pink, Orange, Lime Green | Blue, Violet, Purple |
| Red 25 (A) |
8x | +3 | Produces very dramatic skies. Effects may border on the surreal. Darkens foliage. Reduces haze. | Reds, pinks, magentas, some browns, yellow, orange | Blues, greens, cyan |
| Green 11*** | 4x | +2 | Lightens foliage and will darken skies somewhat. Sometimes used to produce pleasing skin tones in portraits | Yellow, yellow-green, olive, greens | Blue, violet, magenta, red, maroon |
| UV | 1x | 0 | Absorbs UV radiation and will reduce distant haze or fogginess | ||
| Polarizer | 2.5x | +1 1/3 | Helps remove reflections and glare. May cut pollution haze. Darkens sky. | ||
| Grad ND | n/a | n/a | Reduces the amount of light reaching a part of the image — usually used to darken the sky. | ||
filter table from www.fineart-photography.com/bwfilter.htm
The Filter Factor shown in the table is the exposure compensation required when light is absorbed which necessitates an increase in exposure.
Useful notes when using filters
- A filter may affect several of the objects in the image, not just the one that you are concentrating on.
- Filters come in different strengths and it is a good idea to use the least amount of filtration that will accomplish your goals – heavily filtered shots can be visually harsh.
- Experiment- shoot images with and without a filter, bracket exposures and try different filters.
Useful learning material
www.ephotozine.com/article/Using-coloured-filters-with-black–white-film-4828
Colour: project 33
November 8, 2009
secondary colours
Secondary colours, orange, violet and green are each a mixture of 2 primaries. Orange is a mixture of red and yellow and has some of the fiery, intense qualities of red as well as the brightness of yellow. Violet is between red and blue, a rich, deep and subtle colour. Green is a mixture of blue and yellow and has many variations. Below are the images that I took to capture the qualities of the secondary colours. I varied the exposure for each of the images representing the three colours and then selected one exposure ( the larger illustration) that I considered to have the correct strength of colour:-
” Bird of Paradise” exposure bias -0.3 step
exposure bias 0 step exposure bias +0.3 step
”Cushion” exposure bias 0 step
exposure bias -0.3step exposure bias +0.3 step
”Large Leaf” exposure bias 0 step
exposure bias -0.3 step exposure bias +0.3 step
what I have learnt
The appreciation of the strength and qualities of the secondary colours orange, violet and green.
Colour: project 36
November 8, 2009
warm and cool colours
The strongest division of the whole colour circle is that of the contrast between warm and cold. It is generally accepted that the coolest and warmest range of colours are, respectively, blue-green and orange-red. Below are the images that I captured to illustrate the qualities of warm and cool colours :-
I took this image of the beach huts at Estepona to illustrate the cooling effects that are emitted by the calm blue sea,which is highlighted by the blue of the beach hut. The green wooden walkway and the shadows also add a calm, cooling effect to the image.
The sunset at Estepona Harbour displays the unmistakable warming effects of the combination of orange and yellow.
The colourful door shows the cool-warm contrast – blue against orange and yellow.
What I have learnt
The appreciation of the indisputable qualities of warm and cool colours.
Colour:project 32
October 31, 2009
primary colours
Photographic primaries are the additive colours red, green and blue (RGB), yet the primary colours that are most commonly accepted in perception are red, yellow and blue ( known as painters’ primaries). In our perception these three colours seem to be the most distinct from each other. For this project I took a number of images of the colours which I felt were good representations of the three painters’ primaries at different exposures then ascertained which of the various exposures were the closest in strength to the OCA colour wheel guide.
Red
For the colour red I decided to experiment with all the exposures available to me on my camera. The pictures below of my red top were all taken on a tripod, the camera settings were, manual, iso 400, shutter speed 1/4 sec. My camera’s exposure recommendation with the above settings, was an aperture of f5/6.
f/3.6 f/4 f/4.5
f/5 f/5.6 f/6.3
f/7.1 f/8
Looking at the above pictures I was surprised to see that each exposure shows qualities of the strength of the vibrant red. Yet, the exposure at f/7.1 has the vigour and the level of strength that I was looking for and that is portrayed in the colour wheel.
Blue
The 3 pictures of the blue door were taken on a manual setting, iso 100, aperture f/5.6 and the exposure bias as indicated.
0 step -0.7 step +0.7 step
I feel that the centre picture of the blue door with a -0.7 exposure bias step is the true representation of the actual colour of the door and the colour blue that I wished to present as the painters’ primary blue.
Yellow
Finally, the images of the yellow painted door were taken on a manual setting, iso 100,aperture f/5.6 with the exposure bias steps as indicated.
0 step -0.7 step +0.7 step
The third picture with a + 0.7 exposure bias step is the strength of yellow that I have chosen to represent the painters’ primary colour wheel, yet I do feel that this representation of yellow is slightly degraded.
To summarise, the three images below are the strength of the colours red, blue and yellow that I have chosen for this project:-
NB. slightly degraded.
What I have learnt
The appreciation of the strength and qualities of the painters’ primaries red, blue and yellow.
4: colour. project 30.
October 18, 2009
colour control
Up until now whilst doing this course I have always used Aperture Priority Control on my bridge camera with the exceptions of projects 4 and 5 where I used Shutter Speed Priority. For this project I will have full manual aperture and shutter speed control in order to have ultimate control of the amount of light entering the camera. The brief for this project was to choose a strong definite colour and for the colour to fill the viewfinder frame. I chose my front door which is a strong colour of dark green. I shot a sequence of 8 photographs. The 1st shot was manually set at f/5, 1/20sec ( the exposure that my camera recommended), then I took 3 further shots in 1/3 stop increments enlarging the aperture, and finally, I took a further 4 shots starting at an 1/3 stop increments above f/5 decreasing the size of the aperture. Below is the result of the shoot:-
f/3.6, 1/20sec f/4, 1/20sec f/4.5, 1/20sec
f/5, 1/20sec f/5.6, 1/20sec f/6.3, 1/20sec
f/7.1, 1/20sec f/8, 1/20sec
What is self-evident in looking at the sequence of shots is the illustration of the over-exposure and the under-exposure variance. But it is more significant that the colour of green changes from bright to dark. I was very surprised to find that the shot which was taken at f/7.1 ( 3 third stop increments higher than f/5 ) was the nearest in terms of brightness to the actual colour of my front door. Also, I particularly like the strength and richness of the green that was set at an aperture of f/8. Often, photographers will deliberately under-expose by a third or half stop increment in order to make certain colours darker and so stronger.
Unfortunately, I do not have an image-editing program, so I was unable to note the difference between the darkest and the brightest of the images.
what I have learnt
Full manual exposure allows one to experiment with the strength of colour.
