The colours relationships that I try to shoe are

• Complementary (colours that face each other across the colour circle)
• Similar colours (colours that are near each other in the colour circle)
• Contrasting colous (colours that are about one third apart each other in colour circle)
• Colour accent (a small spot of colour that sits agains a much larger background colour)

The following photographs illustrate the following colour relationships. After each photograph I have included a drawing that simplifies the photograph to only show the colour as a shape.

Complementary

The complementary colours face each other across the colour circle and they make a good combination. The colours are different enough to make some contrast but still the colours work very well together.

Complement: Yellow on violet

This is a violet shirt and a yellow tie. Natural materials but kind of artificial

The second photograph is of a red brick wall and green lawn

The third photograph is again green and red. This time it is green lettuce and tomatoes.

The fourth is a photograph of two flowers, violet and yellow.

Similar

Similar colours are near each other. They may be different shades of same colour or otherwise next to each other in the colour circle.

My first example is of green. Green is the first colour we get in spring and during the last few days the lawns had turned green again. There is always different greens in nature so this was an easy example.

The second example is a picture of slides in a water park. The kind of tubes people slide to a pool. I photographed these against blue sky and the colours were quite near each other.

The third one is a photograph of blue and violet flowers. This a colour combinatin I like.

And the last example of similar colours is again the same violet flower but this time i chose colour from the other side of the colour circle. Violet is a combination of red and blue so because the previous photograph was violet and blue, this one is of violet and red. They seem to go very well together.

Contrasting

Contrasting colours are separated about one third of each other in colour circle. Sometimes the combination can look took strong and contrasting but it can also create a very strong and vivid effect and it works well to get peoples attention.

This first example is of blue an yellow. Strong but still beautiful.

The second example is again blue and yellow. Sorry for that. This time the colours are not that strong. I photographed yellow orange juice in a light blue glass.

The third one is violet (again but I like it) and orange. The orange colour is of buckthorn juice in a bottle. The violet flower seems to be my favorite model but it works well with this orange colour.

The last example of contrasting colours is a very natural combination. Violet flower and green leaves.

Colour Accent

Colour accent is a relationship where one smalla area of colour sits against a much larger background of another colour as a spot or accent. I had plans for these types of photographs but I just could not find nor arrange the set up. I had to settle for the places and subjects that I found.

Here the red decoration frame is against yellow wall.

In this picture the yellow flowers are agains green lawn.

In this picture the white (and grey) birch trunk is against green lawn.

Again yellow colour! This time the yellow machine is against brownish soil and blue sky. There is a line of green in the middle which I think is good to balance the image.

Conclusion

Colours can create mood and feeling in the pictures maybe more that anything else. By using colours, the photographer can emphasize a subject in a frame. Selecting correct colours one can plan and create best possible photographs for intended use. I have learned a lot of combining colours and I can now plan my photo sessions better. If for example photographing people, I can advice them to wear certain colour or I can select a better background for my models. I have thought that Finnish winter has no colour (as it does not) but I already have plans for the next winter. Colour can be used very effectively in the otherwise black and white environment.

In modern photo editing software it is easy to create different variations of BW photographs. Digital images are easily processed in Photoshop or similar application. I’m using Adobe Lightroom for my RAW development and archiving my photographs. Some photographs I do post process in Photoshop but not really that many. For this exercise I chose a photograph of balloons of different colours.This was a good example to play with BW adjustment. Above you can see the original picture in colours. Below are the different BW versions. I did these by using the Photoshop presets for different colour filters. The end result is maybe not exactly what I would create myself but I used these only to show what real coloured filters would do.

BW version with yellow filter

BW with yellow filter

BW with red filter

BW with green filter

BW with blue filter

Conclusion

These filters are handy but to be honest, I rarely use any ready made filters or presets in post processing. I like to control the end result and create what I really want and like. As we can see, the result is very different with different filters. Red and yellow provide almost similar results and totally different compared to blue filter. Green filter create something which would be close to what I would create myself. The most important thing to know about these filter is to understand how different filters affect different colours.

The first part of this exercise is to produce one photograph of each combination of primary and secondary colours. The second part is to produce a few pictures of colour combinations that appeal to me. This is easy; no rules. I tried to find or create photographs that I can show primary colour and the secondary colour just on the opposite side of the colourwheel. These are the pictures that I provided to this exercise.

Red and green

Blue and orange

Yellow and violet

From these pictures I like the last (yellow and violet) the best. The colours are strong and vivid and I even like the composition. The red and green works well together. The blue sky and orange (quite faded colour) work also very well together but in this example the colours are not that vivid.

Part 2

This part show three photographs that feature colour combinations that appeal to me. After choosing these photographs I must notice that I seem to like violet and similar colours at the moment. Violet combined with other colours looks nice in my opinion. These are the photographs that I chose.

Violet and blueish colours

Violet and yellow

Red and violet

The Primary and secondary colours

The to simplify the theory: The primary colours are the colours that can create secondary colours by mixing them together. In an old painters colourwheel the primary colours are

• blue
• yellow
• red

Mixing blue and yellow you can create green. Mixing yellow and red you make orange and by mixing red and blue you can make violet. The colours that were created by mixing the primary colours are secondary colours.

I have tried to find the colours in nature and as such I had to settle for some colours that are not as vivid or strong as I would have liked to. But remember, pink is still red even though the colour is not that strong.

These are the pictures I took

 Yellow

Yellow, +1 stop exposure

Yellow, +-0 stop exposure

Yellow, -1 stop exposure

orange

Orange, +1 stop exposure

Orange, exposed as metered

Orange, -1 stop exposure

Red

Red, +1 stop exposure

Red, exposed as metered

Red, -1 stop exposure

Violet

Violet, +1 stop exposure

Violet, exposed as metered

Violet, -1 stop exposure

Blue

Blue, +1 stop exposure

Blue, exposed as metered

Blue, -1 stop exposure

Green

Green, +1 stop exposure

Green, exposed as metered

Green, -1 stop exposure

Conclusion and some thoughts

This exercise is basically easy. Yet it was not at all that easy to do. I needed to find the colours that do not exist in nature this time of year. And I tried to avoid repeating myself by photographing only similar objects. The good thing is that I have started to recognize colours around me and notice how they interact and work together. The not so good thing is that I’m not that satisfied to the results I got. I have learned a lot about colours and one of the most important in photography is that now I know how much ‘correct’ exposure can affect the output.

Colour have three qualities that define it; hue, saturation and brightness. Hue is the essential quality which decide how we name a colour. In digital photography we can easily affect the colours at the time of shooting by selecting the right or wrong white balance. Or to be precise in artistic way of thinking there is no right or wrong. There are physics that define the wavelength of the light but that is physics, not photography.

In the time of shooting we can affect the colour by varying exposure. Below is a series of six pictures. The first five are different exposures of same subject, an orange wall. The exercise assignment says that I should take five photographs. One with correct metered exposure and then one underexposing by half a stop. Then one stop and then doing the same over exposing the frame. The camera I used in this exercise had no half steps in means of aperture stops. So I under and over exposed the four frames by 2/3 of an aperture stop and 1 1/3 stops.

Underexposed -1 1/3 stop

Underexposed - 2/3 stop

Exposed as metered

Overexposed by 2/3 stop

Overexposed by 1 1/3 stop

This sixth picture is a combination of all these above photographs. This show how the colour change with exposure.

All exposures in one picture

In terms of colour, I think that the intensity (saturation) of colour did not change much. The colour itself changed quite a bit; from brownish to yellow. So my conclusion is that exposure actually controls hue and of course the obvious brightness. This is something I have not recognized before and is really worth investigating more. If exposure really change hue, it is really an important factor to pay attention to. Shooting RAW and using modern software has made me not to think about this. I have always thought that (almost) everything can be corrected in post processing.

I just realized that I did take these photographs under artificial light which may not have a continuous spectrum of wavelengths! This affect the colour and may affect the final outcome more than expected. So, I will do this exercise again but shooting under daylight.

Updated with daylight and new colour

OK, I did the exercise again. This time I photographed a red blanket in overcast daylight. I chose a stronger colour, even though this blanket is not very bright red. Strong colour anyway. This time I used a little smaller steps in aperture stops. So the difference is not as great asn in my first try with this exercise. These are the photographs.

-1 stop exposure

-1/2 stop exposure

exposure as metered

+1/2 stop exposure

+1 stop exposure

And again. All the exposures in one picture. It’s much easier to see the differences when the colours are shown side by side.

All exposures of red colour in one picture

Conclusion

This time the colour change was not as strong as in my first attempt. Comparing the darkest and the lightest exposure it is obvious that underexposing photographs make colours stronger. And vice versa, overexposing photographse makes colours kind of ‘faded’. Even though most of this kind of alterations in colours can be corrected in post processing images, it is best to get the exposure right in the first place. If photographer has not reference (grey card or something to compare the colours), it is not possible to fix the colours reliably.

I just started the part three of my course. This is all about colour. Some exercises expect me to take colourful photographs from the nature but that is not going to happen. Why, well, look at the above photograph. That’s how the nature looks like. And that’s how the nature will look like still for some weeks. So, for me it is a trip to a flower shop and to a food store to look for colourful fruits.

Before the funeral day

It’s important to prepare your cameras before the funeral day. Be sure that your batteries are fully loaded. Check that you have enough memory cards and if possible, a back up camera. Choose your lenses according to the location. Have your flashes with you and check that the settings are correct. I mean that everything must be ready to use just by pulling them out of your bag. Prepare your suit and check the weather forecast for the time and location. If possible, try to find out all info about the location beforehand. It helps preparations.

Before and during the ceremony

There are cultural differences so I can’t talk for everyone but these instructions should be valid for typical christian funerals. If you are going to photograph the funeral, you must be prepared. You really do not want to miss the important moments in or disturb the ceremony. So, before the funeral make questions. Ask how many people will attend the ceremony. If you do not know the deceased and his or hers family, get to know the widow and the closest family. Explain them how you are going to act during the ceremony so that they are not disturbed by your actions. Express your condolences before the ceremony and act politely. Be properly dressed. This is important even for yourself. You are much more confident to move around the church if you do not have to be ashamed of yourself.

And remember – be there in time!

Talk to the priest and ask how the ceremony goes. You must know when to be in which part of the church to get the best photographs. It’s always good to explain the priest also what you are doing and ask for instructions. Co-operation is the key.

prepare your gear

Be there in time. So early that you have time to check the locations beforehand. Take some pictures to find out the needed ISO values (I recommend not to use flash in the curch). Try to find the places you are going to shoot from and find out the route you are going to move to the other shooting positions. Take test shots from every place. This is good time to take also some general photographs about the church because the photographs make a nice addition to the photographs of the ceremony.

When you are ready, make yourself a plan how you are going to move and when to be in which point.

During the ceremony, the actual shoot

Don’t be ashamed or too shy. You are there to photograph and document the day. Be bold but discrete. Take enough photographs. Remember to follow the plan you made. This is important because you can not pause the ceremony to get into better position. Take photographs of the relatives. People are grieving and it can be visible in the pictures. Funerals just are that kind of days.

I have not included pictures of the members of the family in this post. But I have their permission to publish these pictures where people can not be recognized (other than the priest).

Try to find the best positions to shoot. This above photograph is taken from the loft of the church. This picture is taken a higher position which I found quite good. You only have to bee quick to chance positions during the ceremony. It’s also good to take some pictures of details such as the flowers, a hymnal and details from the church.

I climbed up there to take some photographs. In my opinion the angle was good and nicely different than shooting from the floor level.

Final advice

I could (or maybe should) write about this subject much more. But one important thing to be prepared. Make sure you have shoes with soft rubber sole. Shoes that do not squeak or make any other noise when you move around the church!

PS. If you look at these pictures and think that I have got all the walls slanted and the pictures are not horizontally leveled, you are just wrong. The church is an old wooden church and the walls are really slanted and the floor is not really horizontal. That’s just the way it is.

The idea of this assignment is to incorporate the insights I have learned so far. In this assignment I have used the same elements of design that I have demonstrated in the recent exercises. 

I was supposed to take at least 10 photographs, all of similar subject, to show the following effects:

• single point dominatig the composition
• two points dominating the composition
• several points in a shape
• a combination of vertical and horizontal lines
• diagonals
• curves
• distinct, even irregular shapes
• two kinds of implied triangle
• rhythm
• pattern

As my subject I chose my favourite – architecture and man made structures (and landscapes, even though this set has no such photographs). I find the man made structures, buildings, bridges, towers etc. an endless source of inspiration and details to use in photography. Maybe this is just the reason I chose this subject. I know that some, if not all, of these photographs could have been created with composing different subjects in the frame but I looked for details that represent the subjects I needed to photograph. I don’t think that looking for the details is a short cut to this assignment but it is a way to explore our world.

These are my candidates for this assignment

Single point dominating composition

Two points in composition

Several points in a shape

Combination of horizontal and vertical lines

Diagonals

Curves

Distinct shapes

Implied triangle 1

Implied triangle 2

Rhythm

Pattern

Some thoughts and conclusion

I found doing this assignment fun and inspiring. Anywhere I went, I tried to remember all the effects I should use in photography and that made me look for my surroundings carefully. I think that I learned to see and notice details much better than before. Also, I tried to follow my own instincts and create my own style.

I’m not happy with all my results, but under the circumstances and time I had for this project, I must say that I maybe learned much more than these photographs show. I hope that I can provide better examples of my own style in the future.

Rhythm

This task may sound easy but it is not. At least for me the way the book explain these terms. I’m not quite sure if I have managed to create images that represent rhythm and pattern as they should. Again I tried to avoid the typical elements that would easily represent rhythm i.e. structures in buildings and architecture. Although my picture is of a building. But it’s not the most typical like series of windows or balconies etc. This picture is from an old restaurant and motel that was closed a few years ago when a new high way was build nearby.

Pattern

I have been collecting pictures representing some kind of  patterns. I have used these patterns in photoshop as backgrounds creating different effects in pictures. But in this exercise the term pattern should be handled differently. The picture should have a series of subjects so that they fill the frame and making an illusion of continuing beyond the frame. I decided to create my own pattern using coins. I could have arranged the coins in rows and columns but I chose to place them randomly in the frame. This way the pattern does not look too artificial.

Making this pattern I tried to maintain certain balance in the frame. The placement of different kind of coins can easily make one side of the picture to be more dominant and kind of unbalanced. I think that I succeeded in this quite well.

Conclusion

Our world is full on patterns and rhythm. Almost all man made structures, landscape etc. include some sort of rhythm and pattern. I suppose we have a tendency to make things like that. As humans we try to avoid randomness and because of this our world is full of examples of rhythm and patterns. You just need to keep your eyes open to see them. As an example I add here two extra pictures which may represent rhythm and pattern.

Rhythm

Pattern

Real triangles

Triangular subject

The first task was to find a subject which itself is triangular (or a part of something bigger). I chose a ‘three wheeler’ which looks triangular if looked in right direction.

Triangle by perspective 1

The second task was to create a triangle by using perspective. As such I chose a picture of corner of a building. I could have made the corner a perfect triangle but I chose not to. I think this way the image is more powerful and interesting.

Triangle by perspective 2

The third ‘real’ triangle was to use perspective to create a triangle inverted. For this I chose a picture I took of roofs of two small cabins by a lake. In this picture the triangle is the background (or a part of it) and the roofs are just used to create the shape.

Implied triangles

The next three pictures are of ‘implied’ triangles. Two of still-life arrangement of six objects to create a shape and one arranging three persons so that their faces or the lines of their bodies make a triangle.

Implied triangle 1 & 2

I used small chinese cups to create a triangular shape. the first with the apex at the top and the second with the apex at the bottom

And as the last one using three persons I chose this picture of my mother, sister and the newest member of our family – Noa.

Conclusion

Finding triangles is quite easy but using them in pictures is not that easy at all. Triangles can have a strong effect in the picture; it can balance it but it can also unbalance the picture and thus make it not that pleasant to look at.  If used correctly and trying not to make the triangle too strong, this can be very effective.