Introduction to Composing with Light and Color

Rembrandt lighting, also called chiaroscuro, is achieved by having the subject illuminated by two light sources with differing intensity, or with one light source and a reflector.

The prime light source is placed to one side of the subject at the front, with the other light source or reflector placed half-height to the opposite side. This technique is widely used in portrait photography due to its low cost equipment and intriguing results.

Photo by Diana Eftaiha

Photo by Diana Eftaiha

---

COLOR

Color adds a whole new dimension to photography, and the more it is saturated the greater role it plays in the overall feel of an image. The most important color characteristics are: hue, saturation, and brightness.

It is worth mentioning that there are two types of colors; subtractive and additive. Each type has two sets of its own; primary colors, and secondary colors. Painting, photography, and printing use subtractive colors, and this is our concern in this post. Primary subtractive colors are red, yellow, and blue.

Red is conceived as the strongest and most intense. It tends to advance, and this is why when placed in the foreground adds depth and dimension to a photo. It is perceived as passionate, dangerous, and sometimes hot.

Yellow is the brightest of all colors. It is perceived as dynamic, sharp, persistent, and sometimes cheerful.

Blue recedes more than yellow. It is often perceived as calm, cool, and even aerial due to its common association with the sky.

Photo by Diana Eftaiha

From these primary colors secondary ones emerge, which are: green, violet, and orange. Merging every two consecutive primary colors from the above color wheel produces the secondary color in between. So mixing red and yellow produces orange, mixing yellow and blue produces green, and mixing blue and red produces violet.

Pairs of colors that fall opposite to each other on the above color wheel are called complementary colors. These pairs complement and intensify one another when put together, through what is known as Simultaneous Contrast. Studying the color wheel can give you a better understanding as to how colors affect or complement each other, so that you can use this knowledge to better prevail the correct meanings and messages in your photography.

Pages: 1 2 3 4