6 Most Effective Colour Theories & Color Meaning in Photography
Research indicates that up to 90% of a viewer's first impression is influenced by color, and applying the right color strategies can boost image engagement by up to 80%.
Colors have the power to evoke emotions, set moods, and drive viewer engagement.
In this article, we explore the 8 most effective colour theories in photography. You will master techniques like color harmony, contrast, and balance to create compelling images.
The Meaning of Colors in Photography
Colors carry specific messages. They help evoke emotional responses within each person. Accordingly, using colors as a means to convey messages effectively. If you understand the emotional implications of colors, you can use them to tell your story.
That is why modern photographers often pay attention to colors to highlight the frame on their camera. Here are some of the meanings of colors on the color wheel that you need to know:
Red: anger, passion, desire, excitement, strength, power, passionate love, danger, blood, fire, war, violence.
Pink: pure love, innocence, sweetness, romance, softness, playfulness, empathy, beauty, femininity, sophistication.
Yellow: wisdom, knowledge, joy, happiness, optimism, idealism, hope, sunshine, summer, cowardice, betrayal, deception, greed.
Orange: warmth, humor, energy, enthusiasm, vibrancy, generosity, brilliance.
Green: soothing, perseverance, endurance, self-awareness, pride, environment, innovation, luck, strength, youth, spring, generosity, envy, jealousy.
Blue: faith, spirituality, contentment, loyalty, calmness, stability, harmony, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, boredom, cold, sky, water, depression.
Purple/violet: mystical, royal, aristocratic, spiritual, mysterious, transformational, evil, arrogant, sensitive, intimate.
The Three Components of Color You Need To Understand
There are three components of color, including hue, saturation, value.
Hue
Hue is one of the main characteristics of color that represents the different levels of color. Hue acts as a primary color, usually a combination of 12 light and dark colors on the color wheel.
Saturation
Saturation is the brightness of the color or the saturation of the color. It refers to the intensity of the color in the image. As saturation increases, the color is pushed more strongly, giving it a vibrant, rich, and bright color. Conversely, as saturation decreases, the color appears paler.
Value/Brightness
Value/Brightness also known as color value, refers to the lightness or darkness of a color. It can also be a measure of light in color. Accordingly, the value of a color is changed by adding white or black to the color. Adding black to a color will reduce the value and create a shadow while adding white to a color will create a different shade of the color.
Benefits of Colour Theories in Photography
In terms of color-matching rules, they are not only used in the fields of fine arts and design but also in photography. They play a decisive role in the emotions, visual effects, and quality of the image.
Therefore, if you can clearly understand how to use color and how to match colors well, the photographer can proactively grasp how to create more unique color combinations. The photo looks more attractive and can convey the message better.
Basic Colour Theories Principles
For most color theory principles, users will need a color wheel to decide on the corresponding color according to each basic principle. Using these color theory methods helps harmonize colors, actively creating meaning and liveliness for the image.
Accordingly, the 6 basic color-matching principles below will help you conquer colors in photography.
Monochromatic color
Monochromatic color matching can be simply understood as a color-matching method with only one color. With this color matching method, when using light-dark variations and color saturation, it helps to create interesting images, increasing eye-catching with good visual effects. Thereby making the frameless boring and monotonous.
Monochromatic color schemes are often used in the genre of minimalism photography. This color scheme will help viewers focus more on the subject, reducing details and elements that distract the viewer's view. At the same time, it also creates simple images with sharp and impressive lines.
Complementary color
The complementary color scheme (also known as the contrasting color scheme) can be understood on the color wheel, these are two colors located on opposite sides. Choosing this complementary color scheme will allow you to better select colors, thereby highlighting the main subject or creating effective neutral colors.
On the other hand, complementary color pairs also help bring impressive color contrast and attract the viewer's attention better. So this is also the color scheme applied by many photographers to create images with high contrast.
Analogous Color Scheme
Similar to the monochrome color scheme, the analogous color scheme is a concept that describes the color scheme that gives a monochrome look but is actually richer. This is a method of using groups of colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. This creates a seamless and smooth feeling, more pleasing to the overall color of a frame.
The combination of adjacent colors will give your photo a sense of harmony and balance. In addition to nature, these adjacent colors help bring a pleasant and comfortable feeling to the viewer's eyes. This is also a color scheme in photography that is used quite a lot in fashion photography, culinary photography and has a variety of applications in many other fields.
However, many beginners may have difficulty practicing combining adjacent colors to make their photos more wonderful. Because it is not easy to find objects or backgrounds with colors that are close to each other on the color wheel. However, practicing persistently and being sensitive to the way of perceiving colors in the shooting context will help you improve your skills.
An example you can imagine to better understand this color scheme is the color tones in the adjacent blue set. It can be the main blue color combined with two complementary colors, green and cyan. This color scheme can help bring a photo with a harmonious, pleasant feeling to the viewer.
On the contrary, if you want to create a more dynamic and powerful feeling, you can use warm colors such as red, yellow, and orange for your photo.
Triadic
A triadic color scheme is a color scheme that uses three colors at three different angles on the color circle to form an isosceles triangle on the color wheel. This color scheme is quite safe and simple, it combines and complements each other to help create a color balance for the image.
Although sometimes, the triadic color scheme can look quite monotonous, it is not really suitable if the photographer wants to create an accent on the product.
This triadic color scheme method is created by combining three colors evenly spaced on the color wheel. For example, red - yellow - blue or orange - green - purple are considered a trio.
In this color scheme, use one color as the main color and the other two colors to complement each other so that the color of the photo looks more harmonious and balanced. You can try using a variety of background arrangements for the photo to turn one color into the main color. In addition, you can also choose different camera angles or change the position of the details in the frame to create the most satisfactory photo.
Tetradic Complementary Color Scheme
The Tetradic complementary color scheme is the most difficult color scheme in the color scheme principles. With the harmony of Tetradic colors when combining four colors including any two complementary color sets.
Accordingly, this type of color scheme can be mixed with two pairs of complementary colors adjacent to each other or separated to create a pair of tetradic colors on the color wheel. The difference in this type of color scheme is that it is very difficult to apply accurately and requires a lot of time to select hot and cold color gamuts.
Square Color Scheme
Similar to the Tetradic complementary color scheme, the square color scheme includes four colors. However, instead of combining into a cylinder, the color scheme uses two pairs of complementary colors opposite each other to form a square box on the color wheel.
Practice applying colour theories in photography
In the process of choosing a background to shoot, try to practice always looking at things and backgrounds in a new, creative, and imaginative way. Thanks to that, you can create many unique and impressive color schemes, helping your photos become more prominent.
Not always in the process of practicing, you will get beautiful photos right away. However, this persistent practice will help you gradually improve your ability to perceive colors in photography. Once you become proficient and skilled, you can use colors more accurately. Besides, you also know how to feel and combine colors more naturally.
Conclusion
Thus, colors and colour theories are not only used in the fields of fine arts but also by photographers and filmmakers. They play a decisive role in the emotions of the image. Therefore, understanding the color of the photo will help the photographer proactively grasp how to create more unique color schemes. Hopefully, the above article can provide the necessary information to help you perfect your photos.