To understand how colors
affect the mood of your images and your viewer’s experience with your
photography it’s important to understand the psychology of color. Colors often
have different meanings in different cultures so I’m somewhat generalizing in
this post.
Colors also may have very different meanings depending on the context used. For example, black can be evil or sexy. By using color psychology, you can send a positive or negative
message in your image. Here are some basics.
Red is the real attention
getter. It is often where the eye looks first. It's associated with movement
and excitement - think fast cars and motorcycles. If your subject is wearing red clothes they will appear a bit
heavier so be careful! It is the color of romance – think red roses and Valentine’s
Day.
YELLOW:
Yellow is a cheerful
attention getter. It is considered an optimistic color associated with laughter and happiness.
PINK:
Pink, like red, is also
considered the color of romance. Pink is the color of love and gentle feelings
and is the most calming of all colors.
BLUE:
Blue is one of the most
popular colors. It is peaceful and tranquil. Maybe it’s because we see so much
blue in our world with our blue skies and oceans.
GREEN:
Green represents nature
and is the gentlest color on the eye. It’s a calming, refreshing color.
PURPLE:
Purple is feminine, romantic and mysterious. Use purple to lend an air of femininity, romance and mystery to your
images.
BLACK:
Black is the color of
power and sophistication. It can represent sexiness or evil. Depending on its use it can be a somber color that
can easily overwhelm people emotionally. Black clothes make people appear
thinner in photographs.
But sometimes black can be just darn cute:
But sometimes black can be just darn cute:
Please leave comments regarding your ideas on the use of color. What colors are you drawn to?
And, as always, please leave a photo in your comment box for all of us to share and enjoy. Click open your comment box, click on the + sign in the lower left corner and follow the directions. Click the uploaded thumbnail to view large.
Happy clicking!
And, as always, please leave a photo in your comment box for all of us to share and enjoy. Click open your comment box, click on the + sign in the lower left corner and follow the directions. Click the uploaded thumbnail to view large.
Happy clicking!