Photzy

CREATING RICH & VIBRANT COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY

VO LU M E O N E
Written by Kent DuFault

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 CONTENTS

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 03 - Color Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

04 - Color Post-Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
01 – Color Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
White Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
The Relationship of Light and Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Adjusting Color Inside Photoshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
BONUS TUTORIAL: How to Change the Color of Anything
The Building Blocks of Color: Hue, Tint (Shade),
in Photoshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
Saturation, and Brightness (Value) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Color Adjustments in Lightroom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Color Adjustments in Adobe Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
The Angle of Light and Its Relationship to Color . . . . . . . . 12
Color Models – One of the Most Confusing Aspects of 05 - Color and Mood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
‘Color Understanding’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 06 - Using Color to Control Eye Movement . . . . . . 120
Guide the Eyes through Visual Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
02 - Color and Composition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 The Triangle Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
The S Path and the Z Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Leading Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 The C Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 The Converging Line Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
The Gradation Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Color Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Color Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 07 - Using Color to Establish Location
and Time of Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Color Juxtaposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Color Repetition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 FURTHER RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162

Spot Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

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 INTRODUCTION

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 I hope that you found the introduction
video informative as to my motivations
and ideals about color photography.

I believe that each and every one of us

has the ability to create stunning color
photographs that absolutely no one else
can match.

We are all individuals; we all see the

world differently.

All we need to do is learn how to harness

our own vision in a way that successfully
communicates to others.

Let’s get to it!

Image 001 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

I shot this colorful photograph in my local Target store. Loud color? Maybe a little... But in this case, it helps to tell
my story as the woman with the bright, outlandishly colored hair stares at additional hair dye options.

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 01 – COLOR BASICS

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 In a way, color is sort of an abstract element. Some of course a person has a form of color blindness.
scientific folk believe that we don’t all see color in the It’s rare for a colorblind person to have complete
same way. Part of that would be due to each of our monochromatic vision. More often than not, their
minds “interpreting” what we believe a color is, and color perception is just askew.
secondly, we may have physical differences in
the cones and rods within our eyes that You can read a fascinating article on color
transfer the information to our brain. blindness here.

At some moment in time, after we Does the idea that we don’t all
are born, someone pointed at a red We don’t all see color see color the same way affect our
apple and said, “This is red.” Our in the same way. Each photography? It’s a possibility.
brain then stored that information as of us interpret a shade However, I wouldn’t place too much
red. However, your interpretation of of color differently. emphasis on it.
red could be far different from mine It does make me wonder at times,
or anyone else’s. though. If I have a color photograph
The one thing that scientists do agree on that I love, and others don’t really care
is that we all see some shade of red, unless for it, is it because I’m seeing the color
differently? Food for thought!

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 Image 002 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 THE RELATIONSHIP OF
LIGHT AND COLOR

Without light, there is no color.

When light illuminates an object, this is

what happens: There are “properties,”
or “elements,” contained within the
object that is being illuminated by the
light. These properties cause the object
to either absorb or reflect the different
wavelengths of light.

It’s the wavelengths of light that have

color. Think of a rainbow.

Then, when the light is reflected back

from the object, the cones and rods in
our eyes pick up those wavelengths of
light and send that message to our brain,
which interprets the color.

If you like scientific stuff, this is a cool

article on the relationship between color
and light.

Light illuminates the hand holding

the apple. The apple skin reflects the
wavelengths of red and yellow while
Image 003 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 absorbing the other colors of light. Where
the skin of the apple has been removed,
we don’t see the colors red and yellow.
Why is that? The properties that reflect
the colors red and yellow are located
within the skin of the fruit and not the
meat of the fruit (inside). The properties
inside the apple are different.

Here is a question: If no light were

illuminating the apple, is it still red?
The answer is no. The properties that
create the perception of the red color
are still there, but without light they are
just properties of an object not doing
anything. Light is necessary, as is a set of
eyes and a brain to interpret the reflected
light waves as the color red.

Image 004 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

Did you know that cats do not see color the way humans do?

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 Here is another question: If I were holding
the apple in a dark room and I then
illuminated the apple with a light source
that had a blue gel over the light source,
would the apple appear red? No, because
the light source isn’t sending any light
in the red wavelength. It is only sending
light in the blue wavelength.

What does that do to our apple? Is it

invisible? Of course not; our eyes will
still perceive the apple and the brain
will assign some color value to the
interpretation of the image. It would likely
be some shade of blackish blue. It takes
white light that carries the entire spectrum
of light to illuminate an object to what
we would perceive as “normal color.”
Now you know why a lot of photographic
lighting equipment is made of pure white
material!

This brings us to the next basic discussion

about color.

Image 005 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

This is what the apple would look like to a cat. A cat can perceive blue
and green similar to a human. However, the structure of their eyes does
not allow them to perceive red and yellow with any clarity.

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 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF COLOR: HUE, TINT (SHADE),
SATURATION, AND BRIGHTNESS (VALUE)

All perceived color is some variation of hue, tint, Brightness – This is the relative lightness, or
saturation, and brightness (sometimes referred to as darkness, of a particular color (hue), from black
‘value’). When the blue light was shined upon the red (no brightness) to white (full brightness).
apple in a dark room, hue and saturation were pretty much
removed from the visual mix – the eyes mostly perceived Think about these four terms in relation to the apple in
tint and brightness. That’s why the apple would take on a Image 003.
blackish-blue appearance. The hue of the apple skin is red. The tint is yellow because
Let’s define each of these four building blocks of color. the apple is completely red, but it also displays some
yellow. The saturation is low. The apple isn’t a deep pure
Definition: red, it is a light red. The brightness is high. The red in the
apple is closer to white than it is to black.
Hue – This is the correct word to use to refer to just
the pure spectrum colors: red, orange, yellow, green, This might seem like a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo.
blue, and violet. A pure spectral color is one that has However, the truth is that the better you understand
no overlap with the colors that lie on either side of it exactly what color is, and how it’s perceived, the better you
in the full spectrum. will utilize it in your photography!

Tint – This describes how a color varies from its Plus, if you have aspirations of turning professional, you
original hue. must have a full and complete understanding of how color
works in the physical world, the digital world, and the
Saturation – This refers to the intensity of a color. In psychological world.
technical terms, it is the expression of the bandwidth
of light from a source. The term hue refers to
the color itself, while saturation describes the intensity
(or purity) of that particular hue.

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 Image 006

THE ANGLE OF LIGHT AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO COLOR

There is really just one concept that I want viewing source. In our case, that would be here on earth, the color of that object can
you to grab onto under this heading. our eyes, brain, and camera. change radically (see Image 006).

From a light source, even if the spectrum The easiest example of this (to help with This is important to your photography
of light emitted from that light source our understanding) is a sunset. because, as you become more aware of
remains constant, the light emitted color and its influence on your images,
can change the perceived color of an The light emitted from our sun remains you may wish to select an angle of light to
object through a change of angle from a constant. However, as the angle of the subject and finally to the camera that
light source to subject and finally to the the light emitted from our sun changes provides a certain color.
relative to an object that it illuminates

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COLOR MODELS – ONE OF THE MOST CONFUSING ASPECTS OF ‘COLOR UNDERSTANDING’

Color models are derived from color theory. I’m not going to go on here at length about the technical
aspects of color management. There is plenty of information
Color theory began with artists in the earliest years of mankind. already out there in the world on that subject. However, I do
Artist painters primarily led this development. The artist painter’s believe it’s important for you to have a basic understanding of
color model is called the RYB Color Model. It is also referred to what these three terms mean and how they relate to each other
as the Painter’s Model or the Additive Model. Red, yellow, and when creating color photography.
blue are the primary colors of this model. It is called the Additive
Model because mixing various amounts of red, yellow, and blue In the digital world, the color models are RGB, CIE, HSL/HSV,
paint creates all the different colored hues that are used in an YUV, and CMYK.
artwork that is painted.
A color space is a sub-division of a color model; for example:
The next color model to come along was the CMYK Color
Model. This model was developed by the printing industry. It is ❖ RGB
also referred to as the Printer’s Model or the Subtractive Model. · sRGB
The primary colors of this model are cyan, magenta, yellow, and · Adobe RGB
black. The reason that this model is subtractive is because as the · Adobe Wide Gamut RGB
inks are laid down on paper by the printing press, they reduce · ProPhoto RGB
the reflectance of the original brightness of the paper. ❖ CIE
Next, along comes the digital world, and this is where the idea · CIELAB
of color models really goes bonkers. · CIELUV

You’ll see these terms thrown around liberally when talking And there are others, but you get the picture.
about color in the digital realm: color model, color space, and A color profile is clarification of how a digital device is going to
color profile. interpret color using a given color model and the color space as
its parameters.

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Let me give you a real-world example of how this ties together Key Lesson: If the idea of reproducing accurate color
as a digital photographer. is important to you, then as your image travels around to
different devices, use the sRGB color space. It is (currently)
You’re a photographer. You created portraits for a client and
the most widely used color space on the planet.
are going to edit those portraits before sending them off to a
professional photo lab to create your prints.
The reason that all of the above was an important lesson is
Your monitor is a device that displays the RGB color model. because you’re going to hear folks talking about color wheels.

Your editing software allows you to set up a color space in which Color wheels are important to a photographer. They help us to
to work. For example, you set it to sRGB, which is the most visualize how colors work together in our photographs.
common.
But a color wheel will change based upon the color model that it
Your photo lab has sent you a color profile, also referred to as represents.
an ICC profile, which is matched to their digital color printing
equipment.

You install that color profile into your editing software.

Now your color model is working in conjunction with your color

space and the photo lab’s color profile to produce accurate color
from your end of the process all the way through to their end of
the process.

I’m sure the technical stuff covered in this color model section
has got your head spinning.

The truth is that most of this will never really affect you, unless
of course you have aspirations of becoming a professional
photographer.
Image 007 – Illustration by Kent DuFault

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 Many industries use color wheels to make
decisions on how to use various colors
together; that should include you as a
photographer.

There are different ‘color combinations’

(sometimes referred to as ‘color schemes’
or ‘color harmonies’) that working
professionals such as graphic designers,
home builders, interior decorators,
fashion designers, car engineers, and
many others (including photographers)
will look to when combining colors.

Key Lesson: By studying the

color combinations used in other
industries, you will train your mind
to recognize appealing color within
a scene. A resource for these
observations is advertising. Not
Image 008
only do trained experts pick every
color that you will see in an
advertisement, but they also are on
the leading edge of color trends.

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 We will start with an easy color
combination that you’ve probably already
heard of.

Monochromatic

Image 009 – Illustration by Kent DuFault

Monochromatic color is a term that

most photographers are likely aware of.
Monochromatic color is when all of the
color within a photograph falls within the
same color hue on the color wheel.

In Image 009, the color hue is red. Can

you tell me what is happening to the hue
within the pie shape from the exterior
to the interior? The ‘saturation’ level
is diminishing as the ‘brightness’ level
(value) is increasing.

Image 010 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

This is an example of a monochromatic color photograph.

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Complementary

Image 011 – Illustration by Kent DuFault

The next most commonly recognized color harmony, among

Image 012 - Photograph by Kent DuFault
photographers, is called ‘complementary colors.’
This image makes use of the complementary colors of orange and blue as taken from
Complementary colors are those that appear directly across the RGB color model. By creating tension, it draws visual interest to the product.

from each other on a color wheel, and this color combination is

known to create tension in a person that is viewing it. other digital color models, such as CIE or HSL, they become
so complicated that they can’t be accurately displayed using a
This is where a lot of confusion happens, and I see
simple color wheel.
photographers arguing about this all the time online. The
complementary colors of the RGB model are not the same as Now we will get into some of the lesser-known color
the RYB or the CMYK model. When you get into some of the combinations.

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 Split-complementary

Image 013 – Illustration by Kent DuFault

Split-complementary colors form a

triangle on the color wheel versus a
straight line. This color scheme has
Image 014 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
the same strong visual contrast as the
This is an example of a split-complementary color scheme in the RGB
complementary color scheme, but has
color model. It has orange, purple, and blue color tones. less tension. The adjacent hues help
balance out the opposing color to the
point of the triangle.

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 Triadic

Image 015 – Illustration by Kent DuFault

A triadic color scheme uses colors that

are evenly spaced around the color
wheel. Triadic color harmonies tend to
be quite vibrant, even if you use pale, or
unsaturated, versions of your hues. To use
a triadic color scheme successfully, the
colors should be carefully balanced. Let
one color be dominant throughout your
photograph, and use the other two colors
as accent colors.
Image 016 - Photograph by Kent DuFault

This image makes use of the triadic color harmony. Red is the dominant
color and purple plus green form the accent colors.

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 Tetradic (double-complementary)

Image 017 – Illustration by Kent DuFault

The tetradic color scheme, sometimes

referred to as the ‘rectangle’ scheme,
uses four colors arranged into two
complementary pairs. This color scheme
offers plenty of possibilities for variation.
It tends to work best if you let one color
be dominant. Also pay attention to the
Image 018 – Photograph by Kent DuFault balance between warm and cool colors.
This image makes use of the tetradic color harmony: red, yellow, blue, and
purple. Take notice of the balance between the warm and cool colors.

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 Image 019 – Courtesy of Wikipedia

Look at these four examples of famous artworks. Take note that each has a color scheme.

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 Here is a tool that is fun to use when you are interested in
learning about color harmony.

The tool that I want to tell you about is called “Color Name.”

What’s awesome about Color Name is that it’s a mobile app for
your smartphone. Color Name allows you to identify specific
colors in a photograph that reside on your phone, or you can
take a photograph of something using the camera and check the
colors.

Image 020 – Illustration by Kent DuFault

The Color Name app resides on your smartphone or tablet.

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 This is a very cool feature To help illustrate Color
of Color Name. If you Name, I used the “Take
select the “Take a photo” a photo” option and
option, the app doesn’t photographed a watercolor
automatically save that painting created by my
photograph to your wife.
camera roll or gallery,
so you’re not wasting To check the colors on the
precious storage space screen, press your finger
on a bunch of photos on the screen. A reticle
where you just wanted to appears. I highlighted the
learn about a color. If you grayish band on the bee’s
wish to analyze a color body.
from a photograph in At the top of the screen,
your photo library, simply you can see that the app
click “Select a photo.” If has identified the color
you wish to simply study as “Quartz” with an RGB
different colors in general, setting of 85, 72, 72.
select “Color library.”
However, you can take it a
step further by pressing the
right-facing arrow in the
color identification window.
Image 021 – Illustration by Kent DuFault Image 022 – Illustration by Kent DuFault

When you open the app, this is the homepage.

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 The next window gives Key Lesson: If you’re interested in
you further information becoming a professional photographer, or you
about your chosen color. already are but wish to streamline your
Even more importantly, communication with your team, this app is
by pressing on the small quite the little wonder. Let’s say you’re putting
box (with the up-facing together a fashion shoot and you’re working
arrow) in the upper-right with a makeup artist, a costumer, and a prop
corner, you can save this specialist. You have a vision of what you want
information, email it to your photograph to look like. You can collect
yourself, print it out, or colors and share them with the entire team.
post it to social media. It’s This is valuable even if you’re working alone,
very handy. as you can collect color samples to develop a
color scheme, which you can then review later
at your leisure!

Image 023 – Illustration by Kent DuFault

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 Self Check Quiz

1) Color can be used to establish what seven aesthetic 10) True or False: Color models are derived from color
concepts that can create beauty in a photograph? theory.
2) What two words does Kent like to use to describe 11) Which color model is used by digital devices including
outlandish unrealistic color? your DSLR camera? RYB or RGB.
3) Name two of the seven world-renowned photographers 12) Which color model is the “subtractive” color model?
listed in this premium guide that are known for their use
13) A color space is a ______________of a color model.
of bold color.
14) What is the most widely used digital color space on the
4) True or False: If you super-saturate the colors in
planet?
your photograph, that will be enough to make that
photograph awesome and professional. 15) True or False: A “color scheme” is NOT the same as a
“color harmony.”
5) True or False: If you over-saturate the colors in a
photograph, they can literally overtake the subject as 16) True or False: Monochromatic color is when all of the
the ‘point’ of the photograph. color within a photograph falls within the same color
hue on the color wheel.
6) True or False: It’s really impossible to create
unforgettable color photography right in your own 17) True or False: Complementary colors are always the
neighborhood. same no matter what color model is in use.
7) True or False: One of the goals of this premium guide is 18) The split-complementary color harmony forms what
to help you to learn to see color in a scene. shape?
8) Without ________, there is no color. 19) True or False: With a triadic color scheme, it is
important to make sure all of the colors are equally
9) Define the term ‘hue.’
represented in the photograph.

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 Shooting Assignment:

This assignment has two parts:

1) Create a photograph where you first research the current

trending colors and then create your photograph around
those colors. You can use makeup, props, location, paint,
art supplies, or whatever else you can dream up.

2) Design a portrait photograph in your mind. Fully develop

your ideas about the color scheme. Once you have your
plan, research those colors using an app such as Color
Name, or by simply taking pictures of objects that have
your color harmony. Print out those photographs. Develop
a work folder that includes your plan and your color
harmony photos. Use your work folder plan to help you find
your model, your props, your makeup, etc. Work this like
you’re a professional photographer on assignment.

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 02 - COLOR AND COMPOSITION

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 Much has been written far and wide on the subject of Key Lesson: The use of color can enhance
composition, including several books and articles by most of the tools of composition. It’s like
myself. ‘doubling down’ in playing cards. The use of a
color in a tool of composition is increasing the
However, you rarely see any connection made
strength of the cards in your hand (the
between the use of color and composition.
composition in your photo, if you will). If you
There are a few composition tools that you may have have a strong leading line, and that leading
heard of, including spot color, selective color, and line also has a strong color component (in a
color wash. color photograph obviously), then the visual
strength of that leading is dramatically
But if I was to say to you, “Tell me what a leading line increased.
is.” Does the concept of color even enter into the
equation? Are you likely to tell me it’s something like Let’s take a look at some examples and how they
a road, or a fence, or a river that leads the viewer’s work.
eyes into a photograph? Probably!

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 Image 024 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 LEADING LINES

Image 024 demonstrates the power of a strong color in a I looked up, and we were standing right at an alleyway, and to
leading line. The fire escape, in actuality, was a very bright red my happy surprise there was this bright red fire escape at the far
color. For the purposes of this demonstration, I selected the red end of the alley.
fire escape in Photoshop and reduced the color saturation and
brightness to remove the strength of the color. I got my camera ready and prayed that the helicopter would fly
into to view. It did, and it was visible for about 1/2 a second. I
Let me give you the background of what occurred here, because got one shot. This photograph has sold numerous times as a
this situation is a valuable lesson. stock photograph. It’s made me a pretty little handsome sum of
cash.
I was in a downtown city environment, at a farmer’s market, with
my wife. I tell this story because the image is completely reliant on a
“color leading line.” If the fire escape isn’t depicted in the bright
The area is surrounded by these very interesting old brick red color, the line is still there, but it isn’t nearly as powerful. That
buildings. Most of these buildings were constructed in the very bright red fire escape is essential to bring enough visual weight
early 1900s. to the helicopter and give it the status of being the subject.
I noticed a helicopter circling overhead. It looked like a news
team shooting video footage. Key Lesson: When looking for compositions to
photograph, keep an eye open for the tools of
I thought to myself that it would be a cool photo to capture this composition that you’re familiar with, but also look to the
modern helicopter against the backdrop of these old buildings. use of color to strengthen any tool of composition.
That idea proved difficult to accomplish as the helicopter was
small in the sky, and the buildings were large and close together
with little to no room to see above them.

The helicopter was circling the area above, and as we were

walking back to our car I heard the helicopter off to my left.

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 Color doesn’t always have to be “BLAM”
in your face to be effective. The overall
color of Image 025 is quite muted
and plain. There are three tools of
composition at work in this photograph,
and the use of color is playing an
important role in each one of them.

Key Lesson: Throughout the

rest of this premium guide,
wherever it seems pertinent, and
perhaps interesting, I’m going to
give you some background on
how and why I created a particular
photograph, especially in regard
to the use of color. As I
mentioned earlier, not all of us will
find ourselves on a mountaintop
in Nepal photographing monks
wearing colorful garments. I want
you to see and experience how an
average guy is making use of
color in his photographs in a way
that has helped him make a living
from photography for the past
Image 025 – Photograph by Kent DuFault forty years. If I can do it, you can
do it too!

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 Here is what happened in the creation of Image 025. Look at Image 025. Can’t you almost imagine the
two ghostly children from The Shining standing at
My wife and I were on a mini-vacation in Las Vegas. the other end of the hallway? Or imagine the clean
We were staying on the 17th floor of the MGM Grand interior of the intergalactic spaceship, Discover One,
Hotel & Casino. as viewed through HAL 9000’s searching eyeball
We were headed toward the elevators when I noticed camera.
the scene that you see in Image 025. My imagination Okay… That was what went through my mind.
was fired up by how austere it looked (despite their
efforts to do otherwise). I asked my wife to go perch on the bench in profile
and to pretend to be a ghost.
The color in the carpet was an immediate eye-
catcher, as was the pale blue contrast of the rainy day She did, and this photograph has garnered me some
that was happening outside. good attention and brought in a client or two.

Immediately my mind went to Stanley Kubrick, the It wouldn’t have worked without the creative use of
famous movie director of such blockbusters as The color.
Shining and 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Can you guess the three primary tools of
Kubrick is known for a visionary style that often composition used in this photograph?
depicts scenes down long corridors or hallways.
They are leading lines, shape, and juxtaposition.

Let me show you the photograph after removing

some color components.

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 Using Photoshop, I removed the blue tint
in the window and its reflections. I also
removed all the color from the rugs. I
left some shapes in the rugs to alleviate
anyone’s argument that it was the shapes
that were creating the strength in the
leading lines of the rugs.

Let’s look at the two images side by

side:

Image 026 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Image 027 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

The color in the rugs brings your eyes faster, and more directly, Look at both images carefully. The one on the right lacks impact.
to my wife’s ghostly figure than the version that doesn’t have It’s the use of color that “creates” the impact with the version on
the color in the rugs. The blue tint creates a color juxtaposition the left.
that draws the eye and makes her pop out from the background.
The shapes in the rugs still work somewhat; however, it’s the red Key Lesson: Color does not have to be bright and
color in the shapes on the left that adds strength and a sense of over-saturated to have a significant impact. Even the
mystery to the composition. subtlest of colors, which are well placed in a composition,
can create an award-winning and thought-provoking shot!

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 The use of color can actually define a leading line that
otherwise wouldn’t even be recognized. Image 028
makes use of “power colors” that serve two functions in
the photograph. (More on power colors later.) The subject
of the photograph was the seagull, hovering above,
waiting for someone to drop some food.

The seagull, by itself, wouldn’t make much of a picture.

The surroundings were colorful and pretty, but not much
was happening. So there really wasn’t much of a picture
there either.

Putting the two elements together, the colorful rides and the
bird create a more dynamic image that tells a better story.

However, it only works because of the use of color. To

understand why, you need to know the following key
lesson:

Key Lesson: Warm colors advance and

cool colors recede, and that fact affects the
perception of depth. This theory is based upon that
fact that the eye adjusts when focusing on colors of
different wavelengths. Red light waves have a
longer wavelength than blue ones. In a nutshell, by
studying color combinations and then becoming
aware of them when you’re out taking pictures, you
can use color to create a path (a composition)
toward your subject.
Image 028 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 In Image 028, the orange color of the rollercoaster track
at the bottom, the alternating red and yellow colors
of the Ferris Wheel cars, and the bright yellow vertical
stripes on the girder of the Ferris Wheel all take a viewer’s
eyes right up toward the subject, which is the bird.

The blue sky, while bright and vibrant, is a receding color.

So it becomes a frame.

As you can imagine, the scene depicted in this

photograph developed and was captured in a matter
of seconds. As you study color and color combinations,
your subconscious will take over and you won’t even
think about it anymore; it will just happen. Your mind will
automatically “organize” the color combinations. This is
the trait of an experienced color photographer.

In Image 029, I have laid out the composition. You can see
the Rule of Thirds grid. A viewer’s eyes will tend to focus in
on a foreground object and then move into the photograph.
In this case, the foreground object is strengthened by the
fact that it is orange in color. The repetition of the Ferris
Wheel cars leading upward is another tool of composition
that is strengthened by the fact that they have the
alternating colors of red and yellow. The bright yellow line
leading up the girder and ending at the bright yellow box
shape is likely to be considered the strongest (and most
recognizable) leading line in the photograph. However,
all three of them working together unmistakably brings a
viewer’s eyes right to the bird.
Image 029 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 FRAMES

If you have done any studying about

composition, you are likely familiar with
the term “frame” or using a frame in a
photograph.

Much like leading lines, a frame is a tool

of composition that works to push a
viewer’s eyes in a certain direction within a
photograph.

Now, if you’re scratching your

head and are unsure about these
terms, I would suggest checking out
the resource section found at the end
of this guide for recommended
readings to help you with composition
fundamentals.

Image 030 – Photograph by Kent DuFault Just as in leading lines, the use of color can
bolster the visual weight of a frame within a
composition.

Again, it’s probably easier to explain through

the use of case studies.

The use of red and green is a common color

scheme that we are probably familiar with.

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They are complementary colors in the RYB color wheel. In fact,
when the interior decorators were planning this game area at
The Mall of America, they were likely thinking exactly about that
color scheme.

Key Lesson: When you’re out hunting for color

photographs, keep your eyes open for work that has
already been done for you. Look at interior design, color
schemes in the paint of a building, or color combinations
in clothing that stand out. It’s likely that a professional has
already made color decisions that will work for you in your
photograph!

I took this photograph from the second floor of the Mall of

America while looking down on to the first floor, just outside
Image 031 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
Lego Land.
You probably would say that the red couch is the frame. That
It was the color combination of red and green that attracted me answer would be somewhat correct. This is actually a pretty
to this scene to begin with. sophisticated use of frames and color.
Color is acting heavily upon three tools of composition. Can you There is a lot going on in Image 031. What is the subject?
name them?

They are: Key Lesson: The photographic process should always

begin by identifying what the subject is. Every photograph
1) The use of a frame (two frames to be exact) should have a primary subject – that is a place within the
2) Repetition image area where you want your viewer’s eyes to come to
3) Focal point rest. By looking at Image 031, can you guess what my
intended subject was? It’s the little boy that is placed in
the crosshairs of the Rule of Thirds.

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Knowing what my subject was, I could then arrange my frame, or Now, the success of this photograph comes down to two color-
frames (in this case), to suit my subject. related issues:

The first frame is the white area indicated by the yellow arrows. · The complementary green color of the game boards (RYB
This is a weak frame, and works as a gentle push inward. Color Model) is a strong visual draw inward as opposed to
all of the surrounding red color.
Key Lesson: How you compose an image will often
· The multi-colored shapes found in the Lego game
depend on what the end use of that image will be. Many of
piece bin on the left table serves as a strong focal point.
my images are sold as stock photographs. Because of that, I
This is especially true because other non-color-related
often compose with areas that are open for copy to be
composition elements are pointing toward that bin. The
placed over the image. These are known as copy blocks. The
blue arrows indicate those areas, and they are primarily
white area, where the yellow arrows are positioned in Image
human gesture.
031, serves as a gentle frame; however, it also serves as a
copy block for graphic designers or web designers to work Here is a question for you: Could a change in color of one single
with when they need to drop copy. element within this photograph have improved it? I think so.
The second frame is the red couch. Most of the visual power of If the floor had been some other contrasting color, I think it
this frame lies in the upper left corner, where the strong right may have improved the composition. However, that’s being nit-
angle of red contrasts deeply against the white outer frame. This picky. The image has been very successful for the reasons that I
heavily weighs the composition to the group of people on the created it.
left versus the group of people on the right.

The third frame – yes, there is a third frame –is the two round Key Lesson: Using different color schemes can help
tables. They frame the activity. create different frames within your photograph. These
frames can be hard frames or soft frames, depending on
The tool of repetition is pretty straightforward. We have the the color combinations.
repetition of shape with the two tables, we have the repetition
of human bodies, and we have the repetition of the green game
boards.

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 Image 032 has been a very successful
photograph for me. It was shot in San
Francisco’s Chinatown District.

There are a number of reasons why the

picture is successful. However, one thing
is an absolute surety: without the use of
a color frame, it would completely fall
apart.

It was not an accident that the walking

businessman was in the middle of the
yellow rectangle painted on the street. I
waited for him to get to that point before
snapping the shutter release on my
camera.

In fact, if he were positioned virtually

anywhere else within this photograph,
it would have lost the power of a great
composition.

In an earlier Key Lesson, we talked about

identifying the subject first. What was the
subject of this photograph?

While you’re considering that, here is how

the moment played out…
Image 032 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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I was out photographing key scenes around San Francisco for Key Lesson: While first identifying your subject is very
my stock photo library. important, because you need to know what the message
of your photo will be, sometimes you can find the location
I liked this scene very much. The rolling hill, with the trolley
based on colors that are presented, and then wait for a
tracks, the surrounding architecture, and the “Pacific” street sign
subject to appear! Develop a plan based on the location,
not only helped to identify this area as San Francisco, but it also
the colors, and the light.
pinpointed the location as Chinatown.

I quickly identified the “power color” yellow and its repetition in Recommended Study: A master at this technique of
the scene. However, I needed something to anchor the shot and using color in photography is Vasco Trancoso from
give it some meaning. I saw this businessman walking briskly in Portugal. I had the opportunity to interview Vasco a few
my direction. years ago. You can read that here: Interview – Vasco
Trancoso Street Photography: Making the Invisible Visible.
I walked out into the street and put my camera up to my eye. I Since the time of that interview, Vasco has been working
waited for him to enter the yellow rectangle, because I knew it the technique that I just described above in the Key Lesson.
would immediately direct a viewer’s attention toward him in this In fact, he has become a master at it – he is winning awards
‘somewhat busy’ composition. left and right. He identifies the colors in a scene and then
waits for the right subject to enter the frame. Sometimes,
It was a stroke of luck that he turned his head to see what I was
he has to return to that location over and over again before
taking a picture of! He had no idea it was of him!
the right moment happens. You can check out examples of
this photographic technique at work here.

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 So far, all of my examples of “color used
in a frame” have been pretty specific
and planned. Image 033 is an example
of something quite ordinary that wasn’t
planned at all in the use of color.

In fact, that’s my car. I was standing in

the car wash watching it go through the
washing process, when I noted how the
bright colors were providing a perfect
frame to interesting patterns on the car. I
raised my iPhone 6+ and took the picture.
This photograph has sold six times for a
total of over $400 USD.

Going back to introductory statements

about today’s photographer relying on
loud garish color…

I believe that most new photographers

(those that came to photography in the
last 17 years or so – the digital age) are
Image 033 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
not really looking at the color in a scene.
They aren’t evaluating it for the final
purposes of their photograph. This was
a core skill for a photographer in the
days of film, as there was no easy way to
change the color of a photograph once it
was taken.

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 I think that today’s photographers are
taking photographs that interest them
without giving consideration to the colors
that are present, and then using post-
production to try and turn the colors into
something that they think works.

Image 033 is a great example of “seeing

color” and then “working with it for a
purpose” – no over-saturation is needed.

On that note, let’s look at an example

where post-production manipulation of
color created the necessary frame to
enhance a shot.

Image 034 was taken while I was on a

photo assignment. However, I took this
particular shot just for myself.

I had a real interest in this worker. He

looked tough as nails. He said very little,
and he had that cigar stuck in his mouth
the entire day.

The location was a mega-sized

construction site. There was a lot going
on. It was a dangerous place, and nobody
was going to stop and pose for me.
Image 034 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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I kept my eye on this guy. I wanted a shot that highlighted his I do want you to notice several things. The colors that I painted
looks while eliminating much of the background. in the foreground were warmer advancing colors and the colors
that I painted in the background were cooler receding colors.
He started doing something around this piece of machinery, and Plus, while I was making no attempt to make the colorization
I saw a great angle with a frame. appear real, I did not over-saturate the colors.
The problem was, it lacked any color whatsoever, and the image If I had oversaturated the colors, what would have happened?
lost power as a monochrome shot as well. They would become too dominant and the viewer focus of this
I had full creative control, since it was simply for me, so I used photograph would no longer rest completely on the man.
Photoshop and “painted” in color. Essentially, all of the color in
this image was painted in, other than the man’s face, hair, and Key Lesson: It’s okay to manipulate colors in post-
shirt. production. However, keep asking yourself the following
questions: Is the color taking over as the primary focus of
This shot went into my commercial portfolio, and it got me a the shot? Am I diminishing my subject’s power in the
surprising amount of work because it was different. composition by pointing a viewer’s eyes away from the
subject through my use of post-production color?
I wish that I could show you the original. However, I no longer
have it. This was taken many years ago.

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 COLOR SHAPE

The use of shape plays a huge factor in

the success of photographs.

Identifying shape is a core human skill

that we develop the moment we pop out
of the womb.

Here’s an interesting fact: After many

psychological studies that were
performed over many decades, scientists
believe that the most pleasing shape to
the human mind is a “curve.”

However, we “photographic artists”

already knew that. Right? Think of the
Golden Spiral.

While the proportion known as “The

Golden Ratio” or “The Golden Mean” has
always existed in mathematics and in the
Image 035 physical universe, it is unknown exactly
when it was first discovered and applied
by mankind to artwork.

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Leonardo Fibonacci, an Italian born in 1175 AD, is credited Squares bring a sense of logic, order, containment, and security.
with having discovered the unusual properties of the numerical
series that now bears his name, but it’s not certain that he even Circles are often associated with warmth, family, comfort,
realized its connection to phi and the Golden Mean (Golden sensuality, and love.
Ratio). Triangles represent balance, strength, energy, and science.
That’s about as deep as I would like to get into the history of the Any type of unusual shape garners immediate attention in
human mind and shape. a scene because the mind wants to identify the shape as
Just keep this in your mind: dangerous or not.

Now that you have a better understanding of the importance of

Key Lesson: If you want viewers to be interested in shape in your photographs, what do you believe the use of color
your photographs, use curves! brings to the table?

One other important note about shape is that many scientists That’s right! It adds visual strength to a shape. Think about stop
believe that shape is important to the human mind because it signs for automotive vehicles. They have an unusual shape, and
is a survival instinct. It helps us to identify good things and bad they are red. Why? It maximizes attention. The design of a stop
things. sign was primarily meant to demand driver attention.

Shapes play a major factor in web design, advertising, and You can put that same visual power to work in your photographs!
marketing (including photography). They also play heavily into
Let’s look at some examples…
our psychology.

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 In Image 036, color and shape provide
a two-punch knockout to a viewer. It’s a
fact; the photograph wouldn’t be awful
if one of the two factors was missing.
However, together, they create an extra
impact that is undeniable.

Key Lesson: You can approach

the use of color with shape in two
different ways. 1. You can train your
creative mind to “see” them
together, when they coexist, and
take advantage of it. Image 036 is
an example of this technique. 2. Or,
you can plan out a shot by
discovering one of the two factors
(color or shape) and then adding
the other one into the equation.
Vasco Trancoso’s recent work is a
perfect example of that technique.
He scouts out colors in a scene and
then adds a shape through the use
of a silhouette.

Image 036 – Photograph by Kent DuFault What we are trying to learn here is how to
create rich and vibrant color photography.

Right?

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 There are some really important lessons
to be learned in these last few pages.

The descriptive terms ‘unforgettable,’

‘memorable,’ ‘notable,’ ‘remarkable,’
‘haunting,’ ‘exceptional,’ ‘impressive,’ etc.
all describe an action of brain activity.

I know many photographers don’t give

this consideration much thought because
it’s not fun. But…

Key Lesson: A photograph is

essentially just a tool of
communication to the mind that is
viewing it.

Photographs of mountaintops at sunrise,

or monks dancing around in robes, easily
communicate a strong message, because
it is a new sight or experience to a huge
percentage of the world’s population.
Most of us have never seen such a thing.
Image 037 – Photographs by Kent DuFault

However, you want to garner attention to

your color photography no matter where
you’re located, and there are tools that
will help you get there.

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 We’ve discussed the use of shape, and how color can
bolster the “viewing power” of a shape. Let’s learn
something really important.

Look at Image 037. These two photographs are very

similar. The subject is similar. The setup is similar. The
lighting is similar. The color is similar. Yet, the image
on the left consistently outperforms the image on the
right, both in the attention that it garners and, even
more importantly, in the number of stock photo sales
that it has generated.

The reason? The shape was interrupted.

Key Lesson: Train yourself to see shape and

see color within the shape. Even more
importantly, train yourself to see color within a
shape that has been interrupted. This maximizes
viewer attention.

Color, much like leading lines or shape, is a tool of

composition.

Seriously! In your quest to become a great

photographer, it really boils down to becoming a
master of composition.

Image 038 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Color plays an important role in a composition.
Believe it or not, it even plays an important role
in digital black and white photography.

Rarely does one element of composition make a

great photograph. Color, on its own, isn’t going
to deliver you an awesome photograph most of
the time. Other elements need to come into play
to deliver a strong and complete visual message.

I like to think of my role, as the photographer,

being similar to the conductor of an orchestra.

Each instrument has a beautiful sound of its

own. However, to combine all of the instruments
into one coherent awesome package called a
symphony, it takes a conductor.

Look at Image 038. There are many elements at

work in this photograph (different instruments, if
you will). A scene like this happens momentarily.
You don’t really have time to think about it. As it
develops in front of you, you must react.

That’s why you study guides like this one, and

then you practice, practice, practice!

The arrows and circles on Image 039 show you

what my mind registered in a millisecond.

Image 039 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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What first attracted me to this scene was the color harmony. Can Key Lesson: If “color” (such as in Image 039) is what
you tell me what color scheme we have here in the RYB color first attracts you to photograph a scene, ask yourself this
model? It’s a complementary color scheme: blue and orange. question: Is the color going to change rapidly? If not, then
turn your attention to other composition tools (that are
I was about 100 meters away from the spot where I took the
available) and work with them together. Think of yourself
photograph when I first noticed the scene.
as a conductor. The color may be your star – your first
As I walked closer, I readied my camera. Everything was in chair or concertmaster – but you must look for the rhythm
motion. in the scene. Everything must work together to create rich
and vibrant color photography. What other elements
The color was set; it wasn’t going to change radically in the could you be considering?
seconds that I was going to take the shot.
· Leading lines
Everything else was being analyzed (subconsciously) by my
· Shapes
mind, which has studied photographic composition for decades.
· Timing
· The use of planes

Check out the resource section found at the end of

this guide for recommended readings and to help you
understand composition better.

Let’s embed one last concept into your mind before we move
on.

Pay special attention because this is a key concept!

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 Color, and its use in shape, is often more
effective when it is a small element within
the frame rather than a large element
within the frame. Why is that? Because
it now becomes an added tool of
composition.

It becomes a focal point.

The color provides the visual weight that

can turn a small object within a frame
into a primary element in a composition,
known as a focal point.

Key Lesson: Controlled color,

my friends. If you study the book
that I mentioned in the introductory
video – the one published by
National Geographic (or the
alternative website) – you will see
nothing in there except controlled
color.

Image 040 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 COLOR DIVISION

Color division is a concept that I don’t

see discussed online often. Whereas
color in a leading line helps to direct
viewer eyes toward something, and color
shape creates a strong visual weight into
a certain portion of a photograph, color
division is a tool where the use of color
separates one part of the photograph
from the rest of it. In general, it diminishes
visual weight usually through juxtaposition
or placement within the frame.

Image 041 makes use of color division as

well as several other tools of composition,
all of which are incorporating color.
However, it’s the color division that makes
or breaks this shot.

Let’s examine what’s happening in this

photograph.

The subjects of the photograph are the

two women in intimate conversation.
Image 041 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
They are dead center in the frame.

They were interesting, and I felt that the

red and black checkered shirt would work

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 as a focal point, and that it would help
draw a viewer’s eyes toward them.

However, that alone wasn’t visually strong

enough.

This was taken during the Holiday Season

in December, and there were other
red elements moving in and out of the
scene constantly. These elements were
distracting and took visual weight away
from the subject.

I observed the green couch. The shape

and color of the couch provided an
excellent frame to the two women.
However, it still wasn’t visually strong
enough. There were huge crowds of
people moving all around this couch; the
two women still did not carry enough
visual weight to be a strong subject.

What did I need to make this work? I

needed a “color division,” and I saw it
in the flooring material that surrounded
them. The neutral color of the flooring
Image 042 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
provided a visual break, separating the
women from everything else around
them.

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 I simply waited until I got the right spacing, and then I took scene to develop or take a moment to analyze their
the picture. message. Yes, sometimes you have to work quickly.
A key skill toward becoming a great photographer is
The purple arrows indicate the color division. Imagine if knowing when to act quickly and when to take your
the flooring had a different tile pattern where a colored tile time. As a side note, not only was I waiting for my
was placed every so often. This shot simply would not have color division to appear (Image 042), but I was also
worked. The color division is the key element that pulls keeping an eye on the colors surrounding it (i.e. the
viewer attention toward the two women, and its strength various jackets and apparel on the shoppers). In my
lies in the neutrality of the off-white colored floor. mind, only the right color combination would
provide the second tier frame (the yellow oval)
Key Lesson: In our discussion of Image 038, I where it wouldn’t overpower my composition. I also
talked about developing the skill to analyze and to want you to note the size of the color division. It’s
react to a developing scene quickly. There is another almost perfectly spaced. If the crowd was closer to
side to that story. In Image 042, I probably stood my subject, and the color division was smaller, the
there a good 10 minutes before I got the shot that I women wouldn’t hold enough visual weight
wanted. When you have the time, take the time to compared to their surroundings. On the other side,
analyze what is happening with the color. Can you if the crowd were further out, they wouldn’t help
make the shot stronger by using the color in a provide that second tier frame (the yellow oval) that
different way? It would have been very easy to pushes the eyes inward toward the women (my
notice the two women on the green couch and subject)! As you can see, color played an integral
simply snap a picture. I see a lot of street part of this complicated and flowing photographic
photographers that do this. They don’t wait for a composition.

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 Image 043 is a completely different use of color division, as well
as a completely different process toward the final photograph.

In Image 041, the color division was first recognized and then
utilized through patience.

In Image 043, color division was a definitive choice, and it was

used to make the toy robot stand out in a way that was surreal
(and maybe a bit menacing).

I created the color division by my placement of the subject

against a background. I then enhanced the color division by
recreating the color scheme of the robot into the background
area on the left. I did this using post-production techniques. The
color divisions, white and purple, are of massive importance to
the success of this shot.

Take your hand and cover the “color division” (purplish

background) on the left (leaving only the toy and creamy off-
white background behind it). It really loses its perspective. That
color division (on the left) is needed to give the toy a sense of
size, depth, and an emotional context.

By the way, this toy is only about 4 inches (10 cm) tall.

Image 043 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Color division is often employed by Mother
Nature to attract attention (just like we want to
accomplish in our photographs).

Image 044 employs a three-part color division.

The disk flowers are red; red is a power color that
demands immediate attention. The ray flowers
are a purple-violet color; purple is generally
considered a warm color, unless the color hue is
on the violet end of things, which in this case it is.
That makes it a “cooler-warmer color.” Green is
considered a colder hue.

We learned earlier that warm tones advance

and cool tones recede. Do you see what Mother
Nature has accomplished here? Through the
use of color division, she has literally created a
bullseye for any passing insects to pollinate.

Let’s put this knowledge to work in a real-world

photography example.

Imagine you are going to create a portrait of a

young woman for her modeling portfolio. You
want to direct viewer focus toward her face while
still creating a 3/4 body view.

Image 044 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 1. Have her wear red lipstick and a warm
tone eye shadow

2. Put her in a violet-colored dress

3. Pose her in front of a green wall

4. Bingo! You’ve just used your knowledge

of Mother Nature, color schemes, and
color division to help you create an
unforgettable color photograph.

Key Lesson: Study the use of color

in nature. It’s vastly entertaining as well
as extremely informative.

Image 045 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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Color division often works best when you use opposing The warm light was added to the interior to provide a sense of a
colors from the color wheel – warm and cold. Image 049 is a “comfortable” experience.
commercial example of careful color selection to meet a client’s
objective. The blue light was positioned in the background to separate the
fuselage from the background.
Let me give you the background.
Here is where color division came into play.
I had a client for many years that was an airplane charter service.
Whenever they added a new plane to their fleet, they would The warm interior light provides a color division from the
bring me in to photograph the interior, the exterior, and to larger fuselage area. Warm colors advance. The eye is drawn
create one, what we called, “hero shot”. The hero shot was to immediately to that window and establishes a sense of comfort.
be a creative viewpoint that provided mood. The second color division is the background. Cool colors recede.
Image 045 was one of those “hero” types of photographs – the Even white light on the background would have drawn too much
mood shot. The angle was chosen to show the jet engine, which attention away from the foreground (where all of the important
indicated to a potential client that this plane was fast. details are located). The blue color provides a color division
while maintaining a low visual profile in the overall composition.

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 COLOR JUXTAPOSITION

Where color division is used primarily to

reduce the visual weight of some aspect
of a composition, color juxtaposition is
meant to do just the opposite.

Color juxtaposition is meant to provide

your viewer with clearly defined stopping
points in a photograph through color
combinations.

In a way, they work similarly to a focal

point.

Image 046 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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The difference is that a focal point is a small part of a stopping point. The cross is a focal point that solidifies the
composition that attracts a lot of attention, while color red dome’s power in the shot. The blue sky, while quite
juxtaposition might cross the entire composition! It’s not limited saturated and beautiful, is a receding color. It falls back
to a particular point. into being a frame. Do you see how color juxtaposition
leads the way? This photograph was taken for a
The color juxtapositions (sometimes referred to as ‘color commercial client, and it was meticulously planned out in
contrast’) located in Image 046 are so dominant that they literally every detail, even the color juxtaposition! For example, the
cause your eyes to jump across the image like a checkerboard: dome in the background was not red in the original scene.
yellow, pink, red, and blue! It was converted to red in post-production, so that it would
be the strongest visual element in the photograph.
Key Lesson: Color juxtapositions work because they Whenever you’re creating images, you need to keep in
create “breaks” in a photograph. These breaks can take a mind not only your photographic training (especially
viewer’s eyes right through a photograph to the final composition), but also the end use for the photograph.
destination. You will notice that Image 046 has high color This photograph was created for a magazine
saturation. However, it isn’t over-saturated (this is a very advertisement for the Puerto Rican Convention Bureau.
important point). The color hasn’t taken over as the The overall message had to convey a sense of warmth and
strongest visual aspect of the image. In the end, a viewer’s an inviting atmosphere while also being eye-catching and,
eyes are going to come to rest on the red dome with the ultimately, providing a clear sense of composition, design,
cross in the rear central part of the image. Why is this? The and location within the photo to “drop copy” over the
color juxtaposition grabs the eyes and leads them in. The photograph.
red “power color” of the dome is a strong draw for a

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 Image 047 is a completely different use of color
juxtaposition than Image 046. Whereas Image 046
was completely organized, Image 047 is chaotic. The
color juxtaposition still leads the eyes through the shot.
However, it is less defined.

While you may agree, or disagree, this is how I see the

composition of Image 047:

Image 047 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Image 047 was created to be a generic stock
travel photograph of Las Vegas. It’s actually a fairly
sophisticated composition that relies on color hue, tone
value, and shape to be successful.

The composition begins at the starred overhead light,

because it is by far the largest brightest tonal value.
However, color value comes into play as well. In post-
production, I made the color of that light source (the star
at the top) much warmer than it originally was.

Next, color juxtaposition completely takes over the eye

movement through the photograph. It does this through
the repeated use of warm versus cool colors, as well
as the repetition of the power color red against a dark
background.

This juxtaposition of color firms up the placement of the

subject through the additional use of color shape (within
the yellow oval).

Key Lesson: I’m sure, there are a number of

you out there that are thinking, “What a bunch of
baloney. It was a colorful scene, you saw it, and
you snapped a picture.” That couldn’t be any
further from the truth. The composition of this shot,
and in particular the placement of colors within the
frame, was completely analyzed before the shutter
release button was pressed. This is your challenge
Image 048 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 to becoming a photographer who
creates unforgettable color
photography. You must learn to
appreciate color beyond its initial
impact, and to think about its
placement within your frame. Do
you have potential color
juxtaposition? Do you have a
potential color division? Would a
few steps in one direction, or the
other, give you one of these tools
that will power up your shot? It
would have been very easy to just
see a scene like this and say, “Wow!
Look at that color! I’m snapping a
picture.” That type of response
won’t take you to a professional
level. I took this photograph fairly
recently, and it has already sold
several times.

I wanted to touch upon one more

example of how color juxtaposition
can help move a viewer’s eyes across
your photographic compositions. In the
previous examples, the eyes were moved
Image 049 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
into the photograph. In Image 049, the
eyes are moved laterally.

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 Before I lay out that composition for
you, let me say that this image is one
that I took just for myself. I was curious
about this group of people at an outdoor
concert who were standing in front of me.

Though quite disparate in personality

and appearance, they were obviously
together. The colors represented in the
clothing were a big reason that I was
attracted to taking a shot.

The woman on the right immediately

attracts the eyes due to her shape,
activity, and the color of her shirt.
However, she’s not visually strong enough
to hold on to that attention. The color
juxtaposition is pulling the viewer to the
left.

I waited until someone of interest entered

the shot on the left. The pull to the left
brings the viewer’s eyes to an even more
interesting woman, with even more
interesting body language.

Image 050 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Key Lesson: Many photographers tend to evaluate a
scene in somewhat of a generic way. Something catches
their eye, and they take a picture. Would this shot have
been as interesting if all of the men were wearing white
t-shirts? How about if the woman on the right had been
wearing a dark navy-blue top? What if the woman on the
left had been wearing bright red shorts and a pink top?
When evaluating scenes to photograph, yes, you’re
looking for interesting subject matter. However, you
should also be looking at tone value (light to dark) and
color hues. The world is in constant motion, and colors are
constantly changing. Train your eyes to see the colors in
motion, and to anticipate how to use them in an organized
form in your photographic composition (even as they are
moving). For example, I was already looking at the group
in front of me for a shot based on shape, action, and color
juxtaposition. (Did you notice the terms that I just used to
describe what I was looking at?) I was already quite
specific in designing the shot in my mind when the woman
on the left danced into the picture and solidified the shot.

By the way…

Image 051 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

Because I was already evaluating the scene, Image 050 led to

me taking Image 051, and that photograph has sold several
times!

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 COLOR REPETITION

Color repetition works much like leading lines or shape; a

proper use of color strengthens the use of repetition in a
photograph.

The top photograph in Image 052 was taken at the Mall

of America during dance competition week. (See! No
mountaintops here!)

Repetition plays an important role in this photograph. In fact,

it was the first element of composition that attracted my eye
to the scene.

In the bottom half of Image 052, I removed the blue and cyan
hues from the uniforms. Granted, the photograph isn’t awful
without those colors. However, wouldn’t you agree that the
subtle use of color is what takes it a notch above ordinary?

Key Lesson: Just as I removed the color from these

uniforms, one could also change the color (remember
the dome in the shot from Puerto Rico), or even add a
color. If you have a shot with the use of repetition that
just didn’t quite get there, consider adding a color
element.

Image 052 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 This was a very interesting scene (Image
053), and there were numerous ways that
it could have been composed.

After looking all around the area, I

decided to use color repetition to
establish depth in the photograph.

Go ahead and cover that top flag with

your thumb. The image immediately
flattens out and loses the triangular
aspect of the composition.

Key Lesson: Be aware of all of

your surroundings. Go ahead and
take that first shot that grabs you.
However, then look around. Be
aware of color combinations and
changing colors. Color repetition
happens more often than you
probably realize. Simply open your
awareness to it. If you review the
National Geographic book
discussed in the introductory video
(or the alternative website), you will
see all kinds of “spotted” and
“created” color combinations.

Image 053 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 SPOT COLOR

Spot color is a very effective tool to get

your color photographs noticed. Don’t
confuse spot color with selective color.

Selective color was invented as a result

of the advent of digital post-production.
Then, the camera manufacturers
grabbed onto it and made it available
as a shooting option on some cameras.
Selective color is when a particular color
hue is left pronounced, and the rest of
the image is reduced to monochrome
tones. It’s not my favorite technique, and I
think it looks phony. Many people love it,
though, it seems.

You won’t find National Geographic

photographers using selective color.
However, you will often find them using
‘spot color’ or a ‘color wash.’
Image 054 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
The left photo in Image 054 is how
the original scene was perceived and
photographed. The right photo is the
same photograph after post-processing.

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 Key Lesson: The use of spot color often needs a
helpful nudge in post-processing to bring out its full
potential. To make good use of spot color, you have
to first “see” it and then nurture it along without
going too far. The photo on the right looks natural.
No one would suspect that post-processing was
responsible for the final composition. There is no
denying that the spot color was needed to create a
focal point that took this photo from being ordinary to
memorable.

Before you look at the next image, I want you to break down
the composition in the photograph used in Image 054. Pay
particular attention to use of color.

How close were you? Here is a question: What is the subject

of this photograph? Is it the umbrella? The subject is the
location and the people. The umbrella is a strong visual
cue that relates to this location and situation. Large colorful
umbrellas are a commonplace sight in beach settings.
However, it doesn’t hold enough visual information to be a
strong subject.

The repetition of the heads and the pylons are the strongest
visual subject and represent the most visual interest.
However, they aren’t strong enough on their own. The bright
colors of the umbrella (the use of spot color) provide the
starting point for defining the subject.

Image 055 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 The red arrows indicate a triangular path through the
photograph as defined by color and tone (Image 055).
Go back and look at the original (left side) of Image 054.

You’ll see that in post-production I added a warm

color wash to the sky and water. Knowing what
you’ve learned so far, why did I do that?

Warm colors advance and dominate.

I also lightened the brightness value of the wave at

the bottom of the shot, but I left it as a cool tone.
Why?

I lightened it to make it more prominent in the

overall composition, and I left it as a cool tone to
cause it to recede visually.

It brings just enough visual energy to that part of the

photograph to create a triangular composition, while
not drawing any attention away from the subject.

Key Lesson: Creating rich and vibrant

color photography relies heavily on color
placement, hue, and brightness. This does not
mean going into the garish over-saturated
look. It means carefully controlling each of
these values in every color in your scene. Your
goal is to have every color working together
to support the subject.
Image 056 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Image 056 makes use of a spot color in a split-
complementary color scheme. In this case, the spot
color is the subject.

You might argue, “Wait a minute! Isn’t the man in the

blue shirt a spot color too?” And you would be right!
He is. However, blue is a receding color and red is a
warm advancing power color. Now, it was astute of you
to notice that the blue shirt was a spot color as well,
because it plays importantly in the overall composition.

Before looking at the next photograph, break down

the composition of Image 056 while keeping in mind
color hue, brightness value, lines, and shape. Also,
what are the three colors represented in the split-
complementary color scheme?

The yellow circle represents the subject area. The

blue lines are all leading lines pushing the viewer’s
eyes to the lower left quadrant of the Rule of
Thirds. The red arrows indicate the triangulated
composition. The split-complementary colors (RYB
Color Wheel) are blue, red, and yellow.

Key Lesson: Spot color doesn’t

necessarily have to be the subject, or carry the
full weight of a focal point. It can be used to
help fulfill a composition plan (such as the
man in the blue shirt).
Image 057 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Self-Check Quiz:

1) The use of color can enhance most tools of ____________. 12) Is the color taking over as the _______ focus of the shot?
2) True or False: A color must have a high brightness value in Am I ____________ my subject’s power in the composition
a photograph to attract visual attention. by pointing a _______ eyes away from the ________ through
3) Is green an advancing or a receding color? my use of post-production color technique?
4) A trait of an experienced color photographer is that 13) True or False: Shapes play heavily into our psychology.
they will automatically, and subconsciously, organize 14) Any type of ______ garners immediate attention in a
___________. scene, because the mind wants to identify the ______ as
5) True or False: Color cannot be used to enhance a frame in a dangerous or not.
composition. 15) You can approach the use of color with shape in two
6) True or False: It’s important that you only use one color different ways. Name them.
frame in any particular photograph. 16) Train yourself to see shape, color within shape, and, even
7) True or False: If you are using a color-enhanced leading more importantly, color within a shape that has been
line, you should not combine any other color-enhanced ___________.
composition tools in the same photograph as the visual 17) A key concept to becoming a great color photographer is
power of the leading line will be lost. controlled __________.
8) Changing the color scheme in a photograph can create a 18) True or False: Color division works just like a color frame
hard frame or a ___________ frame. except it only uses neutral colors.
9) When preparing to shoot an unforgettable color 19) True or False: If you’re learning to become a great color
photograph, what would you generally identify first as an photographer, you should never work fast. Always take
element within your frame? your time.
10) Which color technique does Vasco Trancoso use to make 20) True or False: Color juxtaposition works just like a focal
his photographs unforgettable? Does he identify colors first point, only better!
and then add a shape? Or does he pick a shape and then 21) True or False: The use of color can only lead a viewer’s eyes
add colors? into a photograph, and never across it.
11) True or False: It’s never a good idea to change colors in a 22) True or False: Spot color is when one color is highlighted
photograph, as this will look obviously phony. and the rest of the image is reduced to monochrome tones.

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 Shooting Assignment:

1) Create a photograph using a color-

enhanced leading line.

2) Create a photograph where you

identify colors in a scene and then
add a shape for increased interest.

3) Create a photograph where you

have at least two color frames in the
same image.

4) Find a scene that you can

photograph that makes use of a
color division.

5) I’m your client. I want you to create a

food photograph for my magazine in
a vertical format that feels warm and
inviting. I want you to leave room for
copy. I want the food to really stand
out. Create this photograph using
color juxtaposition.

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 03 - COLOR STRATEGIES

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As an artist, you probably find the idea of a “color strategy” · Colors can also indicate geographical location (the colors
somewhat confusing. After all, isn’t an artist simply supposed to of Caribbean Islands are not the same as those found
go with what his or her gut tells him or her to do? commonly in China)
· If you want your photograph to win, go “red”
Having a color strategy can help you in many ways. First and
foremost, if you aspire to become a professional photographer, These are just a few of the commonly accepted dynamics of
it can help you gain clients. Even if you simply want to sell stock color strategy
photographs or shoot weddings on the side, color strategies can
help you get noticed, sell photos, and leave your competition in
your dusty trail.

What are color strategies? They are known concepts like the
following:

· A single dominate color attracts globally (monochromatic

color)
· Analogous colors create a sense of harmony (colors
grouped together on the color wheel)
· Complementary colors create energy (they cause the eyes
to move rapidly)
· Colors that clash are like a visual slap to the face (they can
create immediate drama in the mind)
· Understated power colors look more professional
· Power colors, in general, attract attention first
· Double color (a dominate color with an accent color)
creates a sense of placement and well-being
· Colors can indicate historical periods of time

Image 058 – Infographic courtesy of The Logo Company

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 Image 059 – Photographs by Kent DuFault

Color strategies are used in everything from television Colors influence the mood and feelings of human beings. That
advertising to car engineering to food packaging. influence can be positive or negative. Given that mood and
feelings are unstable, and that colors play a role in forming
If you get nothing else out of this guide, simply training your attitude, it is important for photographers to understand the
photographer self to begin thinking in color strategies will put importance of colors in their images, especially professional
you miles ahead of your competition. photographers.
In a study titled The Impact of Color on Marketing, researchers You may be thinking, “Oh my goodness! Does he expect me to
found that up to 90% of snap judgments made about products have a color strategy every time I pick up my camera and take a
(your photos) can be based upon color alone. picture?”
Regarding the role that color can play in branding, results No. I’m not saying that at all. Let me share three of my
from another study show that the relationship between a brand photographs with you. All three were selected for the Flickr
(you – the photographer) and the use of a color (in your Explore page. All three have a color strategy, and in all three
photograph) hinges on the perceived appropriateness (by a the strategy was implemented in different ways. I believe that
viewer of your photograph) that the color being used for that the color strategy was key to the success of them having been
particular brand or product (i.e. does the color fit the message?). selected for the Flickr Explore feature.
(In other words, are you making good color strategy choices
for your photographs to be noticed and/or liked?)

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 When I created Image 060, I was at
this location for a completely different
reason. I was shooting long exposure
photography of Multnomah Falls in the
Columbia River Gorge area of Oregon in
the United States.

In fact, I had finished up with the long

exposure photography and was heading
back to my car when I looked up and saw
the sunshine peeking through a rather
large dark wall of trees.

Image 060 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 The first thought that entered my mind was that it looked There are many ways that this photograph could
somewhat menacing but perhaps with a ray of hope at the have been played out. It could have been warmed up
end of the proverbial tunnel. substantially, and I bet most photographers would likely
have done that. Other photographers would probably
I certainly did not have a color strategy rolling around in have lightened up the trees as well.
my mind in the moments before taking this shot.
In my mind, those actions would have wiped out the mood
However, in the seconds that it took to decide that there – the “theme” of my photograph.
was a shot here, and I was going to take it, a color strategy
was already forming. My color strategy was to leave the majority of the
photograph in the blue-green hue and only warm up the
Bear in mind that much of my photography is created with area surrounding the sunshine poking through the trees.
the purpose of trying to sell it and make a living. I tend to
think in terms of themes for stock photos. I’m also a strong This created a minimalistic composition that immediately
artist type, so I don’t do the typical “people sitting at a drives a viewer’s eyes right to that spot, and also creates a
café” type of stock photography. mood.

When I saw this, the immediate theme was “hope,” or

Key Lesson: The first way to use color strategy
“the light at the end of the tunnel,” or “new beginnings.”
is to form that strategy after identifying a subject
As such, my color strategy was already formed. that you wish to photograph. This may involve some
in-camera decisions as well as post-production
decisions.

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 I was working on a collection of food
photography for my stock library
collections.

There is a grocery store chain in my area,

which is known for their wonderful bread
products.

They also display their bread products

very nicely.

I headed over there to see what kind of

food photographs that I could get without
showing any brand names.

This shot ended up being the best one of

the day. Not only was it selected for Flickr
Explore, but it has also sold a number of
times.

Where was the color strategy here?

The color strategy was tied to the subject

being presented. The color scheme of
food photography is huge. Food must
look appetizing. If you start looking
around on Flickr at food photographs,
Image 061 – Photograph by Kent DuFault you will see a lot of horrible images, and
most of that is tied to the color.

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 I had my strategy: the bread needed to
look warm and tasty. I also suspected
that the lighting was not going to be
cooperative, and it wasn’t.

Despite my best effort to obtain good

white balance, the images were still
skewed quite to the blue-cyan color
spectrum.

They were close enough, though, that I

could easily fix them in post-production.

Key Lesson: A second type of

color strategy is to form a strategy
based on a known subject, with
unpredictable lighting, and then
technically solve the problem in-
camera as well as in post-
production.

Image 062 was a completely different

scenario from the first two examples.
The color strategy was defined well in
advance. It was not only defined, it was
demanded. If the color strategy weren’t
present in the final shot, the client would
not be happy.

Image 062 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 What was the defined strategy? The fourth step resulted because Mother Nature was
not cooperative. The sun rose that day. However, it
This woman wanted her portrait taken at sunrise. She did not cast a particularly warm color scheme across
wanted the warm glow to be visible not only in the the landscape.
landscape, but also on her skin tone. She wanted
the sunrise to be visible. She wanted to look sweet, So, the final step in the color strategy was to balance
pretty, and healthy. out the warm color that had been introduced to the
front of the subject with the much cooler colors that
A day was picked, and the shoot was planned. were captured in the background.
The first step in the color strategy was to be there at In the end, it turned out perfectly, and my client was
the right time of day. very happy.
The second step was instructing her what to wear.
If she wore clothing in the wrong color scheme, it Key Lesson: The third type of color
would totally have blown the effect. strategy is to form a strategy in which you are
required to perform certain results. This means
The third step was to provide enough warm light planning before the shoot, during the shoot,
onto her, while also having the rising sun illuminating and after the shoot.
the background behind her. This was accomplished
by placing a warming gel over an electronic flash that
was used to illuminate her from the front. I then had If you’re not sure how to manipulate colors
to balance out the exposure between the ambient in post-production, check out the resource
light (on the background) and the electronic flash (on section found at the end of this guide for
the subject). recommended readings on post-production.

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 Self-Check Quiz: Assignments:

1) True or False: An artist photographer really doesn’t I’m going to provide you with a list of color strategy
need to concern themselves with color strategies. assignments. Challenge yourself to complete them all.

2) Name three color strategies that were listed in the 1) Shoot a food photograph that represents the theme
11-point bullet list. “Fresh and Bright” through the use of a color strategy
and lighting.
3) Name one company that uses the color strategy “red”
in their logo. 2) Plan and execute a male portrait which through
the use of a color strategy could be described as
4) True or False: As a photographer, your brand is you. “Outdoorsy and Natural.”
5) Colors influence the ____ and ________of human 3) Create a macro photograph of whatever subject you
beings. wish. Create a color scheme for the photograph that
6) True or False: You should have a color strategy in mind could described as “Crisp and Dramatic.”
every time you pick up a camera to take a picture. 4) I am an interior decorator who is working on a project
7) True or False: Your color strategy can help you to that needs a color scheme that I have described to
establish a theme in your photograph. you as “an urban blend.” I want to hang large-framed
architectural photographs that match my vision.
8) Describe the second type of color strategy discussed Research online as to what I might mean by an “urban
in Chapter Three. blend.” Decide on a color strategy. Go out and create
three architectural photographs that you believe you
9) Can a color strategy be implemented later, in post- could sell me for my project as an “urban blend.”
production, long after the original photograph was
created?

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 04 - COLOR POST-PROCESSING

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 This premium guide is not intended to be a color WHITE BALANCE
post-processing manual. I am not going to go into
great detail as to the physical steps of adjusting,
changing, or manipulating the color in your The white balance tool is generally used to correct
photographs. color problems versus creative use of color. It’s not
to say that you couldn’t use it for that purpose; it just
However, it does occur to me that some readers may generally isn’t. You will find a white balance tool in all
not have an understanding of even the most basic three programs.
color tools located in Photoshop, Lightroom, and
Adobe Elements.

Let’s talk about a few of those options. This will help

you to research those areas more thoroughly.

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 Where to find the white balance
adjustment tool in Photoshop

The white balance tool is located in the

Camera Raw ACR window. You can open
RAW files or .JPG files in this window.
You can pick a preset from the drop-
down menu to change the color. You can
also simply slide the “temperature” and
“tint” sliders to change the color. A final
alternative is to select the white balance
tool in the upper-left corner.

Image 063 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Once you have selected the white
balance tool, you will move the cursor
around the preview window. Wherever
you left-click your mouse, it will change
the color of your photograph. The nice
aspect of making changes in the ACR
window is that they are non-destructive.
You can always revert back to your
original image file. Look at the second
arrow from the right – the one pointing
at the RGB symbols. If you are simply
trying to “correct the color,” move the
cursor over a mid-tone area where the
RGB numbers read as close to the same
as possible. In this case, I put my cursor
where the second arrow from the left is
pointing. You can see the RGB numbers
are fairly close.

Image 064 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 I left-clicked on that spot in the sky, and
now you can see that two things have
changed. Firstly, the image warmed up
significantly. Secondly, the RGB numbers
are now exactly the same.

Image 065 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 ADJUSTING COLOR
INSIDE PHOTOSHOP

Select the “Image” drop-down menu.

Select “Adjustments.” Select “Color
Balance.” With this tool you can adjust
the RGB levels in the Shadows, Midtones,
and Highlights. If you wish to preserve the
original file, make a duplicate layer of the
background first and then work on that
layer.

Image 066 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Another option is to select the “Image”
drop-down menu. Select “Adjustments.”
Select “Hue/Saturation.” This tool allows
you to make changes to the individual
color channels. The changes will affect
all the color values in that channel,
unless you narrow the selection by using
the eyedroppers at the bottom of the
window.

Image 067 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 A final option is to select the “Image”
drop-down menu. Select “Adjustments.”
Select “Channel Mixer.” With the channel
mixer you can make broad, sweeping
(and creatively funky) changes to the color
of an image.

Key Lesson: The Color

Balance, Hue/Saturation, and the
Channel Mixer tools are also
available as Adjustment Layers
within the Layers Palette. By using
an Adjustment Layer, the change
becomes non-destructive to the
original as long as you don’t flatten
the layers.

Image 068 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 BONUS TUTORIAL: HOW TO
CHANGE THE COLOR OF
ANYTHING IN PHOTOSHOP

Step One

Open the image that you wish to work on

in Photoshop. Have the “Layers” palette
selected. Click on the “new adjustment
layer” icon at the bottom of the
palette. Select a new “Hue/Saturation”
adjustment layer. In my example, we are
going to change the color of the blue wall
without changing the color of the door,
the white house, or the sidewalk.

Image 069 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Step Two

Make sure that you have the left icon

in the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer
selected. In the second drop-down menu,
select the color channel that is closest to
the color that you want to change. In the
case of my wall, it is in the cyan/blue color
spectrum. I selected cyan. Move the Hue,
Saturation, and Lightness sliders around
until you achieve a color that you like. At
this point your adjustment is affecting the
entire image.

There are two ways to limit the changes

to the area that you wish. The first way is
to use the + and - eyedroppers to limit
Image 070 – Photograph by Kent DuFault the color range. I find this method to be
haphazard. I prefer to mask out the areas
that I don’t wish to be affected.

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 Step Three

Make sure that you have the right icon

in the Hue/Saturation adjustment layer
selected. This is the layer mask. Make
sure that the color “black” is selected on
the left. Select the paintbrush tool. Paint
over the Preview Image on the areas that
you don’t want to be affected by the color
change. If you look at the right icon in the
Hue/Saturation adjustment layer, you will
see that a black area has appeared. This
is where I painted my mask to remove the
effect from those areas.

Image 071 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Image 072 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

A before-and-after view of the wall.

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 COLOR ADJUSTMENTS
IN LIGHTROOM

The color adjustment tools in Lightroom

are quite easy to use. However, they
are a bit simplistic. Photoshop definitely
provides more options when it comes to
manipulating color in post-production.

There are four locations where you can

make color adjustments in Lightroom. The
first one that we are going to discuss is in
the “Develop” module.

In the toolbar on the right, locate the

“Basic” tab. There are three color
adjustment tools located here. These
tools are similar to the Photoshop tools.

Image 073 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 One advantage that Lightroom has over
Photoshop, or Adobe Elements, is that
all editing is non-destructive. Whereas in
Photoshop (and Elements), work done in
the ACR window is non-destructive, work
done within Photoshop (and Elements) is
destructive, unless you work in layers and
save the file in layers.

Once you’re in the Basic tab, you will

see an eyedropper tool that is called the
“White Balance Selector.”

Select the White Balance Selector tool

and move your cursor over the Preview
Image. You will see a “target selector”
Image 074 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
appear. The target selector provides the
RGB numbers and an array of color chips.
Again, just like in Photoshop, look for a
target area that is close to even across the
three RGB numbers.

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If you have gray areas in your photograph, it’s helpful to use the Key Lesson: If color accuracy is important to you,
color gray as your target area. If you don’t have any gray areas, a calibrating your monitor is very easy with a low-cost
white area can work as well. investment.
If you click and then do not like the color change, you can click
the tool again and give it another try. Recommended Gear: This is the unit that I use for
monitor calibration: Spyder5Pro.
There is also a preset drop-down menu with three options: As
Shot, Auto, and Custom. The second place that you can adjust color in Lightroom is in the
same toolbox. Scroll down until you see HSL/Color/B&W (see
As in Photoshop, you can also slide the “Temp” and “Tint” Image 075).
sliders around until you’re happy with the color.
In this section, you can adjust the colors in your photograph
If you’re trying to achieve accurate color and you don’t calibrate using either the “Color” tab or the “HSL” tab.
your computer monitor, you are better off going with the “White
Balance Selector” tool than trying to judge it visually. The difference between the two options is this: In the Color
section the slider tools are divided by color. In the HSL section,
the slider tools are divided by Hue, Saturation, and Luminance.
Plus, the HSL section gives you the use of the “Targeted
Adjustment Tool.”

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 Image 075 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 I recommend using the HSL section.

In Image 075, look at the three smaller

arrows. These are the Targeted
Adjustment Tool buttons.

When you select one of the Target

Adjustment Tool buttons (see Image 076),
it will turn from a circle icon into a circle
with up and down arrows. Move your
cursor to the Preview Window and place
it over the area that you wish to adjust.

Image 076 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Once you have placed the cursor over
the area that you wish to adjust (in my
example I placed the cursor over the
water, and I’m adjusting the Hue), hold
down the left button of your mouse. The
software will automatically detect which
color regions you are in. While holding
the left button down, drag up or down to
cause the appropriate sliders to move left
or right.

Image 077 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 The final place that you can adjust color in
Lightroom appears in the Library Module.

It’s located in the “Quick Develop” tab.

Adjustments made here are quite limited.
I would only use it if you simply don’t
have the time to do a proper edit in HSL.

Image 078 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 COLOR ADJUSTMENTS
IN ADOBE ELEMENTS

Adobe Elements operates very similarly

to Photoshop. It just has fewer options,
and doesn’t provide the same tools for
precision.

As I previously discussed in the

Photoshop section, it’s recommended
to open your image in the camera RAW
processing window (ACR).

Here you have the White Balance Tool,

the White Balance Preset drop-down
menu, and the Temperature/Tint sliders
Image 079 – Photograph by Kent DuFault just as we discussed in the Photoshop
section.

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 Once you’re inside the program, the
majority of the color adjustment tools
are located in the “Enhance” drop-down
menu.

“Auto Color Correction” allows the

software to evaluate your image and
balance out the color. Sometimes this
works, and oftentimes it doesn’t.

All the other tools are located in the

“Adjust Color” pop-up menu.

Image 080 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 The final place to adjust color in Adobe
Elements is in the “Layer” drop-down
menu. Select “Adjustment Layer” and
then select Hue/Saturation.

Image 081 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Self-Check Quiz:

1) What color adjustment tool is located in all three of the 11) In Lightroom, which additional (and helpful) tool does the
Adobe editing programs? HSL tab have that the Color tab does not?
2) When you use the white balance tool, what two sliders 12) In Adobe Elements, does the camera RAW processing
are going to readjust based on where you click within the window (ACR) work exactly the same as Photoshop?
image? 13) Within Adobe Elements, name the drop-down menu and
3) When you click on the image Preview Window with the pop-up menu where the majority of the color correction
white balance tool, which three color channels will now and enhancement tools are located.
display equal numbers? 14) True or False: Adobe Elements has no color adjustment
4) Name two tools located inside Photoshop that can adjust layers.
color in an image. 15) True or False: The “Auto Color Correction” tool in Adobe
5) True or False: The “Color Balance” tool within Photoshop Elements always provides the best color correction.
only allows the user to adjust color globally. It is not
possible to adjust color separately within the shadows and
highlights. Editing Assignment:
6) Name the three color adjustment tools that are available
I want you to select two of your photographs. Select one that
as adjustment layers within Photoshop.
you believe has good accurate color. Select another one that
7) In order to change the color of an object within you believe has bad color. Using your editing program, do the
Photoshop, which adjustment layer would you use? following:
8) True or False: The only place that you can adjust color in
Lightroom is in the Develop Module. 1) Change the color of the good version in a manner that
completely changes the mood of the photograph.
9) How is the cursor for the white balance tool different in
Lightroom versus Photoshop or Elements? 2) Change the color of the bad version to reflect good color
10) What tool would you have to acquire in order to ensure that also presents a mood.
completely accurate color on your monitor?

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 05 - COLOR AND MOOD

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How many moods do humans have? Restless, Rushed, Sad, Satisfied, Shocked, Sick, Silly, Sleepy,
Smart, Stressed, Surprised, Sympathetic, Thankful, Tired,
Interestingly enough, many experts can’t quite agree on this. Touched, Uncomfortable, Weird.
Some say there are two moods: positive and negative. They say
everything else is defined as a feeling. Now, whether you (or I) believe that these are moods or feelings
doesn’t really matter. What matters is that these words – this
Other experts feel that the category of mood structure should partial list – embodies the human experience.
be broken down into more diverse and clear categories.
There likely isn’t a single one of us that hasn’t experienced
Here is a list of some of those categories: everything described in that list at some point in our lives.
Accepted, Accomplished, Aggravated, Alone, Amused,
Angry, Annoyed, Anxious, Apathetic, Apologetic, Ashamed, Key Lesson: In your efforts to create rich and vibrant
Awake, Bewildered, Bitchy, Bittersweet, Blah, Blank, Blissful, color photography, instilling a mood (or a feeling, if you
Bored, Bouncy, Brooding, Calm, Cautious, Chaotic, Cheerful, prefer) is a key component toward that effort. Color plays
Chilled, Chipper, Cold, Complacent, Confused, Content, a major role in the photographer’s toolbox when they are
Cranky, Crappy, Crazy, Crushed, Curious, Cynical, Dark, trying to transfer “feelings” to an individual viewer that
Defensive, Delusional, Demented, Depressed, Determined, they don’t know, and will never have the opportunity to
Devious, Dirty, Disappointed, Discontent, Ditzy, Dorky, physically “tell that person” what the intent of the
Drained, Drunk, Ecstatic, Energetic, Enraged, Enthralled, photograph was. When creating color photography, you
Envious, Exanimate, Excited, Exhausted, Fearful, Flirty, should be thinking: composition, light (tonal value from
Forgetful, Frustrated, Full, Geeky, Giddy, Giggly, Gloomy, highlight to shadows), and color (placement, intensity,
Good, Grateful, Groggy, Grumpy, Guilty, Happy, Heartbroken, hue, spectrum, scheme).
High, Hopeful, Hot, Hungry, Hyper, Impressed, Indescribable,
Indifferent, Infuriated, Irate, Irritated, Jealous, Joyful, Jubilant, Mood is an internal, subjective state, but it often can be inferred.
Lazy, Lethargic, Listless, Lonely, Loved, Mad, Melancholy, We can be sent into a mood by an unexpected event (such as
Mellow, Mischievous, Moody, Morose, Naughty, Nerdy, looking at your unforgettable color photograph)!
Numb, Okay, Optimistic, Peaceful, Pessimistic, Pissed
The human brain digests a certain set of details and then
Off, Pleased, Predatory, Quixotic, Rapturous, Recumbent,
perceives something in a certain way, depending on the
Refreshed, Rejected, Rejuvenated, Relaxed, Relieved,

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current mood that the body is in. Mood is dependent on How do you use color to help establish a mood? That’s a tricky
external settings, emotions, surrounding stimuli, and internal question, as we don’t all see the world the same way.
expectations. When any of those factors change, mood can
change as well. Researchers have studied the effect of colors on the human mind
extensively. Here is a short list of some colors and how they will
Consider this: I’m having a bad day, and I’m in a bad mood. I likely affect you and me:
see your unforgettable color photograph and that stimuli creates
a change in me. I feel better: happier, lighter, and less anxious. Red – Physical
That’s power, my friend. You, as a photographer, can harness Positive: courage, strength, warmth, energy, survival,
that power. excitement

Your use of color is your superpower when attempting to reach Negative: defiance, aggression, danger, strain
others. They likely will not even realize that you did that to them, Blue – Intellectual
or how you did it to them. Positive: intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency,
For example, I’m in a bad mood. I see your landscape serenity, duty, calm
photograph from the California coastline. It has a balance of Negative: coldness, aloof, emotionless, unfriendly
warm tones from the sunshine, a touch of green, and a vibrant
blue sky and ocean. All of these colors have worked together Yellow – Emotional
to bring a sense of a peaceful moment. I feel better. How could Positive: optimism, confidence, self-esteem, extraversion,
this scenario go differently? Well, the color balance may be off, friendliness, creativity
and as a viewer (who knows nothing about photography) even
I can tell that it isn’t right. Or perhaps the colors have been Negative: irrationality, fear, emotional fragility, depression,
over-saturated and this brings a sense of loudness to the image anxiety, suicide
instead of a peaceful moment. Green – Balance
You are in control of what I’m going to see, and hopefully feel, Positive: harmony, growth, rest, reassurance, awareness,
from your photograph. Think about that. The world’s greatest equilibrium, peace
photographers have always had a special knack for conveying a Negative: boredom, stagnation, blandness
feeling or mood in their photographs.

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Violet – Spiritual Black – (Did you know that while black is considered a color, it’s
Positive: awareness, containment, vision, luxury, really the complete lack of color, as “complete black” reflects no
authenticity, truth light.)
Negative: introversion, decadence, suppression Positive: sophistication, glamour, security, safety

Orange – (Did you know that, statistically, orange is the least Negative: oppression, menacing, cold
favored color by both men and women?)
Positive: security, sensuality, passion, abundance, fun White – (Did you know that the polar opposite of black is white?
White is all colors combined. Pure white reflects all the colors of
Negative: deprivation, frustration, frivolity, immaturity the light spectrum evenly, which is why it makes good reflector
material for photographers.)
Pink – (Did you know that the Nazi regime of WWII is primarily Positive: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanliness,
responsible for the color pink being considered a female color?) sophistication, efficiency
Positive: tranquility, nurture, warmth, femininity, love,
sexuality Negative: Sterility, cold, barriers, unfriendliness, elitism

Negative: inhibition, claustrophobia, emasculation You may be wondering, “Why can the same color create a
positive effect and a negative effect?”
Brown – (Did you know that brown is a composite color made
up of red, yellow, and blue or black, and that it is also one of the The answer to this often lies in two places.
least favored colors in Western countries even though it’s a warm
tone? Warm tones are generally favored above cool tones, but One, the color is combined with other colors that alter its effect
not in the case of brown.) on the mind.
Positive: warmth, nature, earthiness For example…
Negative: heaviness, lack of sophistication The color pink is associated with innocence when combined
with white, but associated with eroticism and seduction when
combined with violet or black.

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 The second reason lies in context. A red stop sign
signals danger. On the other hand, Michael Jordan’s red
Nike tennis shoes flying through the air on a basketball
court signals strength or energy.

Let’s take a look at some photographs that establish

mood through their use of color, and break down why.

When I took this photograph (Image 082), I was visiting

a landmark. The weather was dreary, and the location
was a bit bleak. I saw this minimalist composition, and I
really liked it.

The color scheme for this photograph was created in

post-production. The original was simply a dull gray. I
adjusted the color hues to more of a bluish-green.

I really liked this shot, and I posted it to a public photo

community forum. A viewer commented, and it made
my day. She said, “When I see this photograph, I see an
old western cemetery like Boot Hill.”

Here is the amazing part: This photograph was taken

at an old western cemetery like Boot Hill! However,
there is no element within the photograph that would
indicate that. You have part of a wrought iron fence, part
of a hill, and some trees. This could have been taken in
any park, anywhere.

Image 082 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 How did that viewer get the message? Mood! Mood created by
the color and the composition.

Don’t argue with me that it was simply the composition. If

this same image had light airy sunshine spilling across it, and
it was enveloped in warm-colored tones, the effect would be
completely different.

A subliminal message about this location was transmitted to a

viewer that I’ve never met in person via the color scheme. Think
about that the next time you are out shooting.

Key Lesson: Your choice of color scheme can have a

significant effect on how viewers might perceive your
photograph.

This is actually a pretty sophisticated photograph that I’m very

proud of.

The color scheme plays a huge role in the message that I was
attempting to convey, and it definitely sets a mood.

I don’t know if you’re a person who really looks at photographs.

Many photographers simply see the “overt” message. At least
that’s what I get out of studying photographer comments online.

The overt message here is ‘a mother and her daughter are

shopping at Christmas time.’

Image 083 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Let me share the composition and then talk about what I see as
the message in this photograph. The color scheme plays a huge
role.

The three blue circles in Image 084 represent areas that carry
a lot of visual weight. This weight is derived through the bright
colors and highlight tones.

However, when you initially look at this photograph, your eyes

immediately go to the woman and her daughter. They then cycle
through the image (indicated by the blue arrows) and finally
come back to rest on the woman and her child.

Why do the woman and the child hold so much visual weight
when all of the brighter and more vibrant colors are located
above them?

There are three reasons: 1. they are black silhouettes (black is

a huge power color), 2. the body language of the child stands
out as a strong shape against the muted color scheme of the
flooring, and 3. the flooring has created a double frame around
the mother and child, adding even more visual weight to the
lower-right corner.

Think about this: If the pattern on the floor was more complex,
the subjects wouldn’t stand out as much. If the floor was a
brighter color, or a stronger dominant color, they wouldn’t stand
out as much.

A huge key to the success of this photograph was the fact that
Image 084 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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the flooring material is a series of very muted colored hues. two messages that are quite conflicting. The message at the top
is about candy/eating – a guilty pleasure. The message at the
The green arrows indicate negative space. The negative space bottom is about being skinny and sexy. Conflicting stories, both
is important because it “creates” the triangulation in the powerful, and both a common concern for many women today.
composition.
The tag line “You know you want it” also imparts the conflicting
Take note that I did not set any of the shadows in the entire shot message. The moment of capture, and the post-processing,
to a deep black. were all intended to relay the message (or mood, if you will) of
Why did I not set the shadows to a deep black? There are two confliction.
reasons.
Key Lesson: Color can be a tremendous visual weight
Firstly, if those shadowed areas were a dark black – a true black in a photograph. However, it can also be overcome by
as if I had post-processed this image in a conventional manner – other composition elements. Great photographs present
those areas would have drawn too much visual weight away from thoughtful color choices. It doesn’t matter if you’re
the subject. By keeping only the subjects at a true black color shooting landscapes (similar to the Boot Hill example) or
they carry additional significant visual weight. street photography (similar to the holiday mall picture);
think carefully about your shot and the message that you
Secondly, go back and read the pros and cons of the color black
want to convey. Use color, just like you would use
(listed previously). The message of a significant level of black
composition, to send your message.
in this image wouldn’t meet my goals for the message that I
wanted to convey.
It’s true that some people will not get my intended message for
With the composition now laid out and described, this was my the mall picture. However, I already know for a fact that some
true intended message for this photograph. people do get the message, and for me that is success.

Two females, mother and daughter, walk isolated, faced with For some people, that mall picture has become an unforgettable
color photograph.

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 In the previous example (Image 083),
the color (despite having a bold bright
presence) was overtaken by other factors.

In Image 085, the use of color is exactly

the opposite.

Bright color is one of the smallest

elements in the shot.

Yet, it plays a significant role in setting

the mood, establishing the subject, and
placing an anchoring point for a viewer’s
eyes to stop.

Put your finger over the bright colored

shorts. It doesn’t become an awful shot.
However, the colorful shorts bring an
essence of summer – summer fun – that
would be missing without them.

Image 085 is an example of my conscious,

and subconscious, constantly evaluating
color and composition when I’m out
Image 085 – Photograph by Kent DuFault creating photographs.

I saw the man in the pink shorts

approaching my position from quite a
distance away. I then noticed the family
gathered around the sign pole, and finally

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 I noticed the other family moving into
the background. All of this occurred in
milliseconds.

The woman standing on the right is my

wife.

I told her to run up and stand there.

As the man in the pink shorts moved

toward me, I moved back and forth
composing and shooting as he walked.

I already had the “photograph” as you

see it in Image 085 in my head. I then
used post-production to brighten the
shorts a bit and subdue everything else.

The subject here is a general theme: the

end of the day at an amusement park.
The red oval indicates the sub-subject
(a sub-subject is the place where you
want the viewer’s eyes to stop within the
overall composition). Sometimes the eyes
Image 086 – Photograph by Kent DuFault stop on the subject. However, when you
have a broad, sweeping composition,
such as this shot, or more commonly in
a landscape shot, you still need a place
for the viewer’s eyes to stop and have
a final resting place. I call this the sub-

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 subject. The purple circle is the man’s shorts acting
as a color focal point. The thicker amber arrows are
frames to the sub-subject. The smaller yellow arrows
are a triangulation composition within the overall
composition. The green arrows are a secondary
triangulation for the entire composition. It was
important to include all of the area to the right to give
the image context. My wife was necessary to add visual
weight to that side of the image. Otherwise, the left
side would have overwhelmed the shot. The mood that
I wanted to establish was “the end of a fun summer
day at the amusement park.”

Image 087 was created as an illustration for a book. It

uses a technique known as “grunge color.”

A grunge image is when you incorporate scratches,

dust, or any other aberration that makes the image
look old or beat up. Grunge color is when you
manipulate the color to create surreal effects along
with the scratches and dust etc. Using the “grunge”
look can be a great storytelling tool in your toolbox.

What I wanted to discuss here is the use of subtlety, in

color, to set a mood.

You’ll notice that the color scheme of Image 087 is warm

in general, but also has a light green (cool tone) color
wash. This dichotomy in the use of color was done very
specifically for the end purpose of this photograph.
Image 087 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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In the part of the book that this shot was created for, the person Key Lesson: When trying to establish a mood in your
kneeling in the church appears to be holy, or religious, if you will. color photographs, think outside the box. Don’t be afraid
The truth is that the person is a serial killer. So we wanted the to experiment. Don’t rely on the first thing that comes to
illusion of piety, but with a strong sense of unease. mind. I probably spent the better part of a day
experimenting with the church illustration of the kneeling
Originally, we tried the shot in black and white. In that version, it
serial killer. A slight color wash in just one portion of your
lost all sense of the “warmth” of being in a church interior.
shot may bring the end result that you’re looking for. Try
We then tried a grunge effect with a warm wash. That was closer, not to think in terms of absolutes. Experiment with
but it felt too safe. Finally, I experimented with adding very slight “slight” alterations.
color washes in different hues. The light green color worked
perfectly. Recommended readings for this chapter are listed in
the resource section found at the end of this guide.

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 Self-Check Quiz: Shooting Assignment:
1. Do humans have two moods or more? 1. Create a photograph, through the use of color, where
2. Instilling a mood or a ________ is key to creating the implied message is “boredom.”
unforgettable color photography.
3. When thinking about creating a color photograph, which 2. Create a photograph, through the use of color, where
five attributes should you be thinking about concerning the implied message is “flirty.”
color? (Hint: The first one is placement.)
3. Create a photograph, through the use of color, where
4. True or False: A human mood can be altered by outside
the implied message is “envious.”
stimuli, such as a photograph.
5. Complete this sentence: You are in control of what I will 4. Create a photograph, through the use of color, where
see, and hopefully what I _____, from your photograph. the implied message is “hopeful.”
6. Name one positive attribute of the color red.
7. Name one negative attribute of the color yellow. 5. Create a photograph, through the use of color, where
8. Why does the color white appear white? the implied message is “jubilance.”
9. What two attributes can help determine if a color
presents positive or negative attributes?
10. Your choice of a color _______ can have a significant
effect on how viewers might perceive your photograph.
11. True or False: It’s not possible to send subliminal
messages with my photographs through my use of color.
12. True or False: A bright color, especially red, always
dominates in a photograph.
13. True or False: When shooting color photography, it’s
impossible to see colors and organize them as the scene
unfolds.
14. True or False: Subtle color really can’t make a
difference in my end result.

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 06 - USING COLOR TO CONTROL EYE MOVEMENT

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In order to understand how we might use color to control Different people might scan the same photo in different ways.
someone’s eye movement across our photographs, it would be Each of us is unique, and there is the possibility that each of us
useful to understand how eye movement works in general. might decide that different information is the most important
information in a particular photo.
The movement of a viewer’s eyes through a photographic
composition is not random. However, we all have some common tendencies. That is where
the rules of composition come into play.
The mind, through information provided by the eyes, looks for
desired information, and our attention is pulled toward specific Many of you may not know this, but I also write fiction. And over
elements that have features prominently emphasized. the years I’ve also taught fiction writing.

(Get it? Color can be the prominent element that is emphasized!) I have always tried to impress upon fiction students that no
matter what you write or how concise you may think your words
The mind quickly skips over irrelevant objects, and the search for are, a fairly large percentage of the population will have no idea
“meaning” is what the brain will focus on. what you are trying to say.
That previous paragraph is so important. It is the basis of This is true with photography as well.
great composition in photography, or any artwork for that
matter. You can follow the rules of composition to the letter. You can
create a strong message. And despite all of that, most people
As our eyes scan a photograph, they tend to move horizontally will glance right over your photograph with no understanding
or vertically. Diagonal movements are less frequent. of why you took that picture. Or they will only comprehend the
After a few “fixations” (more on fixations in a minute), our mind obvious (as we discussed earlier).
has the gist of what we are seeing. And once our mind has I’ll tell you the same thing that I told my fiction students: do your
logged that idea, eye movement is then influenced more by the best to try and hit the largest audience possible. That’s all you
content itself. can do.
That paragraph (just stated) is also very important to your Let’s talk about attempting to move a viewer’s eyes through a
color photography. photograph in an intended (by the photographer), meaningful,
and storytelling way.

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 Image 088 makes good use of color to
control eye movement. My intent (as
the photographer) was as follows: The
eyes enter the photograph at the yellow
rectangles. The yellow arrows indicate
areas that make use of color (or contrast)
leading lines to direct a viewer’s eyes
toward the truck driver in the blue circle.
To me, that seems like a really easy and
basic use of composition elements to get
my point across.

Image 088 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 A learning technique that I use, and you
should too, is to view photographs with
other people and ask them how their eyes
move through the picture. When I have
asked viewers about the truck driver shot,
many of them answered as illustrated
in Image 089. Their eyes went straight
to the truck driver and then took in a
wider and wider view of the scene, until
they saw the entire scene. Then, for a
conclusion, their eyes went back to study
the truck driver. Interestingly enough,
both ways work. However, I had no idea
that anyone would see it the second way!

Image 089 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 GUIDE THE EYES THROUGH VISUAL WEIGHT

You must learn to guide a viewer’s eyes through your to detect. In other words, more people are not going to get the
photographs by utilizing visual weight. In color photography, message that you are trying to convey.
color hue, color placement, color saturation, color brightness,
and the combination of all of those plays a huge role in how What are the most, least, and everything in between elements of
visual weight will be distributed in your color photograph. the truck driver shot?

You pick a dominant element (the subject of your photo) by · The most is the truck driver with the sunrise behind him.
giving it the most visual weight. · The least is the grayish negative space of the trucks and sky.
· Everything in between is the repeating elements of color, in
From there you can create several focal points with varying the lights and reflections.
degrees of visual weight.
“Saccade targeting” is a subject that gets quite technical.
The more important the element, the more visual weight it
should receive in the composition. But no other element should You don’t need to know everything about it. Here’s what you do
visually outweigh the subject! need to know:

Ideally, you’ll create several levels of importance through · Saccades are fast darting movements of the eyes that are
visual weight. performed about three times each second. (By the very
nature of eye movement, a viewer’s eyes do not want to
Three is the typical amount that most people can (or will take stop and look at your photos.)
the time to) distinguish. · Saccades are interwoven with extremely brief periods
of relative stability, known as “fixations,” which last on
Those three things are the most, the least, and everything in average about 200–300 milliseconds, depending on the
between. task and the individual.
It is possible to create more than three levels of importance, · During the saccade eye movements, effective visual
but with each new level there is less contrast between all of the processing is largely suppressed, meaning useful visual
levels, and the differences between the levels becomes harder information can only be gathered during the fixations.

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 What does all of that mean to you as a
color photographer? A lot!

Much is happening when we take in our

visual world. Our eyes dart about before
fixating on a small area. Visual information
is processed and stored for later retrieval.
Previously held information, your interest
of the moment, and something in
your visual world that calls out to your
attention, will all potentially direct your
eyes toward the next movement, and the
process starts over again.

Key Lesson: This knowledge,

regarding eye movement, should
give you a solid advantage in your
photography. In fact, it should
change the way you look at a scene
you’re about to photograph. Have
you ever wanted to take a
Image 090 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
photograph but you weren’t sure
just how to compose it, or what to
focus on? You now have the perfect
answer! Where did your fixations
occur? How can you use the tools
of composition that are at your
disposal to tell a compelling, wide-

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 reaching, visual story regarding what your fixations just · Composition processing – place the sleeping woman into
said to you? Realizing, and understanding, your fixations the frame just enough to add context, depth, and complete
will take time and energy. However, as you begin to the juxtaposition (cutting her off, and keeping the luggage
practice, it’s like anything else that you practice over and handle in front of her, reduces visual weight)
over – pretty soon, you won’t have to even think about it.
It will become second nature. · Story processing – what a strange world this is; even in
a place as public as an international airport the human
species is weird and different
Let’s break down the process involved in the creation of Image
090: · The most important element – man in red shirt
· Saccades – waiting area at Portland, Oregon International · The least important element – the sleeping woman
Airport
· Everything in between – the gate area
· Fixation – man in red shirt doing weird yoga moves in
public I’ve been seriously creating photographs for close to 43 years.
Everything I just outlined (above) occurred in a matter of less
· Fixation – slouched and sleeping woman in foreground than a second. This is because I have been doing this for such
a long time. I am always evaluating events for a photograph as
· Information processed – strange juxtaposition between
they unfold in front of me, always.
their body types and actions
I think you can see how becoming aware of your fixations can
· Color processing – the bright red shirt (power color) helps
help you to create better photographs.
to establish the man as the primary subject
When you’re into color photography, oftentimes the fixation
· Composition processing – the green (directly) and blue
will be color related. While it was this man’s activity that initially
(almost) color of the carpeting is the complementary color
caught my attention (created a fixation), it was his red shirt that
to red in the RYB color wheel
nailed it for being a great photograph (second fixation). White
· Composition processing – frame the man with the handles shirt? No good. Black shirt? Na! It’s an ineffective photo. Red
from the carry-on bags to add visual weight to him shirt? Thumbs up!

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There are two different ways that your brain processes visual related website? The next day, how many of the photographs
data: could you recall and describe?

· Bottom-Up – Eyes take in data, process, and store some of If you looked at 100 images, you’d probably be lucky to
what’s processed for long-term use in the brain (learning). completely recall a couple of them.

· Top-Down – Long-term memory works back to the senses, We think that we are “looking” at a photograph, but it’s far more
interprets information being processed, and then directs than that. It’s primal.
the eyes where to look next (recognition/danger).
Knowing that can lead you to create unforgettable color
Some objects, or colors, or shapes, grab our attention quickly, photographs.
and we recognize them more easily even when they’re in the
periphery of our vision. Knowing that can help you to use instinctual elements in your
photographs that make them demand a viewer’s long-term
This is really a fascinating look at how a photograph could be memory.
perceived!
The top-down process works in reverse.
The bottom-up process is driven by external stimuli, and it
occurs without conscious attention. It’s driven by internal stimuli (our memories) and demands on our
attention (the ego).
Our eyes move about, landing here, or there, momentarily
taking information in. Memories, expectations, intentions, and desires all push back
down the stack of visual stimuli, directing our eyes to look for
When we look at a photograph, our brain quickly distinguishes something meaningful to us or useful in that exact moment.
between background and foreground. It then groups, and
organizes, elements and patterns. It determines where the It’s the top-down process that makes photographs like puppies,
fixation should occur and what will be the information that gets babies, sunsets, and/or a person lounging poolside so actively
stored in long-term memory. liked and viewed in social media. These subjects draw from
our memories, and we fill in the blanks – so to speak. We insert
Think about this: How many times have you scanned through ourselves into the photograph through a remembered moment.
photographs on Flickr, 500px, Instagram, or any other photo-

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 Key Lesson: There are several commonly recognized visual paths in the art
world. They are the triangle path, the S path, the Z path, the C
• Make important elements in your photographs STAND path, the converging line path, and the gradation path.
OUT. Don’t make your viewer have to guess as to
where you want them to look. Analyze the colors Let’s look at an example of each one, and in particular how the
available to you and organize them. use of color was incorporated to create the path.

• Place important elements near the top, center, in the

crosshairs for the Rule of Thirds, or in easily noticeable
locations. This helps them to STAND OUT.

• Make use of multiple elements of composition.

Most photographs require at least three elements of
composition to be successful.

• Incorporate strong colors (think of the stretching man’s

red shirt) and color combinations (think of the green/
blue carpet that complements the man’s red shirt)
when composing your photographs.

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 THE TRIANGLE PATH

There are obvious ways, and less obvious

ways, to incorporate the use of a path in
your color photography.

When you come upon a scene that you

want to photograph, always look for
potential paths.

There are obvious paths, like a fence

leading into a landscape.

There are also less obvious possibilities,

such as the example that I’m about to
show you.

Image 091 is a simple photograph that

I created in my backyard garden. It
has received a fair amount of attention
online, and it was accepted into the
Getty Images Premium Collection as a
stock photograph.

I don’t think you’ll have any trouble

identifying the use of the triangle path.
Image 091 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
Here is the original shot before post-
processing:

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 I saw the triangular path before I took
the shot, just as you see it right here in
Image 092. I then used post-processing
techniques to enhance it by changing
color and tone.

The triangular path was enhanced

through the following steps:

· The leaves outside of the triangle

had their colored hue slightly
altered, and the saturation levels
slightly increased. The brightness
level was lowered.

· The leaves inside the triangle had

their brightness level lowered, but
lowered less than the leaves outside
of the triangle. The saturation level
of the leaves inside the triangle
was increased, but it was increased
less than the leaves outside of the
triangle. Inside the triangle, the red
channel was separately boosted
for color saturation and vibrancy to
create focal points at each point of
Image 092 – Photograph by Kent DuFault the triangle.

· All of the red channel color

saturation was reduced, or the red

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 color was cloned out from any leaf
outside of the triangle. This added
visual weight to the triangle itself
and all the leaves located inside of
the triangle.

Key Lesson: The use of a path

might be obvious, or not. Train your
creative eye to look “into” a scene,
not just simply “at it.” A path can be
enhanced through post-production.
However, unless it is in your plan for
the shot, work carefully so that your
post-production enhancements
don’t become visible to your
viewers. Not one person asked me if
the triangle had been produced in
post-production. They saw
something special with the
triangular path in this photograph.
They may not have even realized
what it was, and no one suggested
post-production trickery. Using
variations of color is a very effective
and professional way to create paths
Image 093 – Photograph by Kent DuFault in your photographs. As you can
see, the variation of color doesn’t
have to be huge.

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 THE S PATH AND THE Z PATH

The S path and the Z path are very

familiar among photographers, even
beginner photographers. It’s probably
one of the first few composition tools
that a beginner photographer learns. We
often refer to it as the S curve or the Z
curve.

Because it is so familiar, I’m going to

simply share a few examples and discuss
how the use of color played an important
element in the use of that tool of
composition.

Image 094 utilizes a very standard

approach to a photograph with an S
curve. The path begins in the foreground
and winds its way into the background,
forming an “S” shape.

However, consider this: The path itself

carries very little visual weight. It’s only
the color surrounding the path that gives
it enough visual weight to even be a path.
If this were a summer photograph instead
Image 094 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
of an autumn photograph, would it work?
Not really. Not unless else some other

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 element of the photograph were changed
to bring the visual weight back to the
path.

Image 095 would also be considered a

fairly normal use of an S path. However,
through the use of color, the image on
the right enhances the S path which
makes it a stronger image, and that in
turn causes the photo on the right to sell
a lot more often!

There’s nothing wrong with the

photograph on the left. It simply lacks a
strong sense of direction of leading the
viewer through the photograph.

The post-production manipulation is

Image 095 – Photograph by Kent DuFault pretty obvious when you see them side
by side. I bumped up the contrast and
the color saturation throughout the entire
image.

The purpose of this photograph was

to show off the Hoover Dam. It was
important NOT to let any other element
take over the photograph. That would
have been very easy to do in this case,
especially if I wasn’t careful with my color
post-production technique.

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 I increased the color saturation levels,
and the contrast, of the surrounding
landscape while keeping it well within
what one might perceive as a “normal”
view.

I paid special attention to the color

saturation and contrast of the river. Why?
Because it forms the S curve and, more
importantly, the main purpose of my shot
lies right in the middle of it!

The end result is a perfectly commercial

shot of the Hoover Dam and its
surrounding area.

There are a lot of good lessons for you

in Image 096. It makes use of a Z path. I
Image 096 – Photograph by Kent DuFault saw the Z path as I was approaching the
scene. However, I enhanced it in post-
production.

The path is completely reliant on color

and contrast.

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As you can see, at the end of the second leg of the path there Okay. Think about this: This is an added consideration when
was a HUGE amount of bright red light, which would normally composing a picture.
really overtake a composition. However, in this case it didn’t. The
girls carry enough visual weight to become the subject. They
visually hold down that end of the shot despite the fact that
there is almost NO COLOR in that portion of the frame.

Key Lesson: To become an expert at color

photography and its role in composition, it helps to think of
your inner-self as an expert player of cards. What trumps
what? Sometimes color trumps shape. Sometimes shape
trumps color. Sometimes contrast trumps everything else.
The problem is that you often don’t really have time to
think about it when you’re out taking pictures. The girls in
Image 096 were standing there for about 10 seconds and
no more. You have to act fast. A good way to train yourself
to “see” quickly, when shooting, is to analyze other color
Image 097 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
photographs when you have the time to do so. Study a
photograph and then draw lines all over it, just like I did in Image 097 is a real-life example. I was hired to create a portrait
Image 096. Figure out what trumps what in each image that of this wildlife biologist for a magazine cover. It had to be
you study and why! interesting and make use of composition and color, while at the
same time leaving room for the magazine’s cover copy.
One of the stages of development in my life with photography,
I had about three hours to meet this woman, find a location, and
which helped me learn to analyze photographic scenes,
set up a meaningful, interesting, cover-worthy shot.
occurred back in my commercial photography days. I would go
into a situation with an Art Director and they would tell me, “This
picture will be full bleed on the page. I need at least three areas
where I can drop copy onto the photo.”

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Doing this over and over again (over the years) has taught me to Did you discern that she was carefully placed in front of the
visually break down a scene in milliseconds. When I’m about to reeds? They not only provided context, but also created an
take a color photograph, I divide it up like a puzzle and then put analogous color scheme.
the pieces together. I see the overall scene, but I also see it as a
puzzle of geometric shapes. This is something that you should The light blue hues in the sky and water were just shy of
practice and train yourself to do. completing an additional split-complementary color scheme,
while also providing the necessary “clean” areas for the copy to
be dropped by the Art Director.
Key Lesson: When training myself to see in geometric
shapes, I would set my picture up and then view it through I want you to go out on assignment and photograph someone
squinted eyes. This eliminates detail and gives you an in a meaningful situation that makes use of color combinations
overall perspective of light, shadow, color, shape, and and a path. I want you to leave three areas where an Art Director
form. You can also do this with your existing photos. It can could drop copy. I want the shot to be vertical, and I want it to fit
help you to analyze what went right or wrong with the perfectly into a format ratio of 2:3. I want you to think of this as
path. your first big break with a magazine cover. This is your one shot
to impress!
Color played an important role in this shot. Did you notice the
prominent placement of the color yellow both in the binoculars
and in the hat?

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 THE C PATH

The C path is commonly used, and

discussed, in the painting world. It’s
not mentioned much in photography
discussion. I’m not sure why.

Essentially, a C path occurs when one

element in the artwork wraps around, or
encircles, the other.

In Image 098, the C path is formed by

several elements.

The centered placement of the car,

its motion, and the bright contrasting
windows (compared to the rest of the
scene) carry enough visual weight to
Image 098 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
make it the subject of the photograph.

However, it would be bland without

having a path through the picture.

The grassy area below the road creates

a strong stopping point so the viewer’s
eyes don’t drift downward. The color and
contrast of the grassy area is key to its
strength in the composition.

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The C path is formed by the stand of trees above the road.

Take your hands and cover the area of sky where the two up-
and down-facing blue arrows are. At that point, the C path is
removed, because your hands are cropping into the trees on
either side.

Without the C path, the picture completely loses its visual

strength, and simply becomes a car on a road.

The colors red and orange, in the trees, also play an important
role.

Imagine if the trees were completely in silhouette (lacking any

color other than black).

The color of the trees is what holds the eyes centered for a
moment, and the C path then brings them down to the car.
Image 099 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
Without that color in the trees, the eyes would likely drift
Another example of a C path created by color contrast.
upward and off-frame, or linger on the trees as their shape might
become too dominant.

Key Lesson: You can use color to force the eyes to

move. You can also use color to force the eyes to stop
moving.

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 THE CONVERGING LINE PATH

Converging lines work much like leading

lines, with one major exception. Leading
lines lead to the subject (or at least near
the subject). Converging lines don’t
necessarily have to do that. They simply
establish depth.

Back in Image 094, we talked about how

the use of color established the S curve.

Even though the path was there (Image

094), it was the color around it that gave it
the visual strength to become an S curve
in the overall composition.

Do you think that same concept applies

to Image 100 as well?

Image 100 is a pretty standard application

of converging lines. In this case, the
colors are not helping but in fact hurting
the converging lines as being an effective
tool of composition.

Image 100 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 All of the visual weight, which is being
created by color, is gathered in the upper-
right third of the image. The converging
lines are pulling the viewer to the lower
left.

The two elements are fighting against

each other.

Key Lesson: When organizing

your color elements in a
photograph, ask yourself: Are the
color elements working in unity?
Are they bringing the viewer to a
single point of conclusion? Or are
they fighting each other? Is the end
result confusing for a viewer?

Whereas in Image 100 the use of color

depleted the strength of the converging
lines, in Image 101 the use of color
solidifies the use of the converging lines
in the composition (which is kind of ironic
considering there is almost no color in the
shot).
Image 101 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 The reason that I know there is visual
strength through the use of color (Image
101) is because I played around with
turning this image into a black and white
photograph.

You wouldn’t think that it would make

much difference. However, it did.

The warm brown tones in the road are

advancing colors. They draw the eyes
directly to the converging lines path.
The faint blue/cyan tone in the sky gives
strength to a “landing zone” (if you will)
for the converging lines. When the color
was removed, so was the strength of the
“landing zone.”

In the example photograph Image

102, the entire premise of using the
converging lines path is based upon color.

Image 102 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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The upper photograph (Image 102) is the scene as I witnessed it. Key Lesson: As a digital photographer, you must train
Take notice of the warm light of the setting sun reflecting in the yourself to create in-camera images that are as strong as
cement pier. possible. However, to truly become an expert at creating
rich and vibrant color photography, you must become a
For the purposes of demonstration, I used Photoshop to convert
student of color, composition, and post-production
the cement pier back to a cement color (in the bottom half of
editing. As I’ve gone through these various examples of
Image 102).
paths, you can see how the use of color helped, or
What did you notice? Without the color, the converging lines hindered, the end result. It would have been tempting for
path becomes almost unnoticeable. any photographer (myself included) to convert that winter
farm scene into a black and white image. Only a trained
and experienced eye to composition and color would see
how it weakened the shot. Remember, you also always
have the option of changing a color (within a shot) using
post-processing to make it even stronger!

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 THE GRADATION PATH

The gradation path, as relates to color,

typically goes from darker colors to lighter
colors, or warmer colors to cooler colors.
A gradation path can be very subtle or
quite dramatic.

The reason that the color gradation path

works on us as viewers of artwork goes
back to psychological functions of our
human brain.

Our minds are predisposed to move our

eyes toward lighter areas, and as we’ve
already discussed, warm colors advance
because they (in general) bring us a sense
of peace and calm. So, we tend to look
toward warm colors first.
Image 103 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
When you think of the word “gradation,”
what comes to mind? I’ll bet that you
think of the gradation filter that is a
commonly used tool, especially in
Lightroom.

Am I right?

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That tool is typically used to darken the sky of a photograph Key Lesson: I’ve used this technique for years. If you
because it became overexposed when the shot was taken. wonder how the use of color is influencing one of your
photographs, convert it to a monochrome black and white
Did you realize that when you darken the sky in that manner,
image. Compare the two side by side. Image 103 loses all of
you are creating a gradation path! That’s right. By darkening
its visual power as a black and white photograph. Why? It’s
the sky you are forcing the viewer’s eyes downward toward the
because the warm-to-cool gradation path is the strongest
landscape, which is where you really want them to be looking.
visual element! If a black and white conversion reduces the
Did you know that a dark vignette is a gradation path? The strength of your photograph, then you need to analyze why.
darker borders push the viewer’s eyes inward. What use of color is carrying the visual weight?

Look at Image 103. This is an example of a subtle use of a Recommended readings for this chapter are listed in
gradation path. the resource section found at the end of this guide.
The extreme warm tones in the lower-right of the image attract
the eye instantly. The eyes then move up along the gradation
path to the group of people (who are a focal point). Finally, the
gradation path forces the eyes to move beyond the group of
people toward the bridge and finally up into sky. This is a warm-
to-cool gradation path.

You may argue, “Oh! There are other reasons that the eyes
move that way. It’s a leading line, etc.”

I argue the point that in this particular photo that isn’t the case.
In fact, I would argue the point that the use of the warm-to-cool
gradation path is the strongest visual weight in the shot.

Image 104 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

Image 104 creates a gradation path of darker colors to lighter colors.

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 Self-Check Quiz: 11) Place important elements in your photograph near
the ___, ______, or in easily spotted locations.
1) True or False: The movement of a viewer’s eyes
12) Name the six composition paths discussed in this
through a photograph is random.
guide.
2) True or False: When we look at a photograph,
13) True or False: It’s impossible to use color to create a
we take in all the visual information within that
path in post-production.
photograph equally.
14) True or False: Color can be used to enhance an S
3) True or False: The use of color cannot carry enough
path, but it can’t take away from the visual weight of
visual weight to cause an emphasis on an element
an S path.
of composition.
15) True or False: Shape can never trump color in a
4) As a viewer’s eyes scan a photograph, which
composition.
direction do they tend not to move?
16) True or False: It’s impossible to use color to stop a
5) True or False: If you compose a photograph
viewer’s eyes from moving through a photograph.
properly, everyone who views your photo will get
the same message. 17) True or False: A gradation path only works in the
sky.
6) Guide a viewer’s eyes through your photographs by
making use of visual _________. 18) If you want to check how the color is affecting the
composition of your image, what should you do?
7) Most people will discern three levels of importance
in a photograph. They are the ____ _________, the
_____ _________, and everything in ________. Shooting Exercise: Create two photographs that
8) What are saccades? demonstrate each of these paths: the triangle path, the S
path, the Z path, the C path, the converging lines path, and
9) Why are fixations important? the gradation path. Make one blatant example, and make
10) Name the two ways that a brain processes visual the second attempt a subtle example. Use some form of
data. color tool to create all of the paths.

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 07 - USING COLOR TO ESTABLISH LOCATION AND TIME OF DAY

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There are certain aspects of using color to establish location and and/or time of day? Would backlighting be better? Could
time of day that seem pretty obvious. Right? A dark blue hue side lighting creating the right mood? Do your colors
says night. A bright yellow hue says sunrise. What about a dark produce a better story with full lighting or partial lighting?
blue tone at sunrise? What does that say? Probably that you’re Consider all of the possibilities.
looking at a rainy day.
· Add More Light – Could you add a fill-flash that would
Color can play an important role in setting the mood for your bring up colors that are not recording vibrantly enough?
photos. A jungle is bright green. A swimming pool is a pleasant For example, you’re at an outdoor market in Mexico. The
shade of cyan. A nightclub is purple. area is filled with objects that are bright red, yellow, green,
and blue. The available light is coming in as backlight, and
Oftentimes, these colors will already be present, but you may all of these wonderful colors (that would help establish
have to help them along to achieve your effect, especially when location) are dull. Add a fill flash!
establishing location.
· Shoot RAW – Shooting in the RAW file format is your most
It may be your job to help emphasize present colors in a scene. forgiving friend. It allows you to make huge adjustments to
Remember the Key Lesson from a few pages ago? Make your the color in post-production.
important elements stand out. Don’t make your viewers guess
at what you’re trying to say. If your shot of the Amazon Jungle Post-Production Tools
doesn’t photograph quite as vibrantly as one might assume,
then it might require some help on your part to slam that · Process in RAW – Making your color adjustments in the
message home. ACR processing window (Photoshop and Adobe Elements)
gives you the opportunity to change your mind at a later
In-Camera Tools date. It’s non-destructive. In Lightroom, all changes are
non-destructive. However, you have more options to
· Camera POV – Does your chosen camera position emphasize change colors in your photograph by using Photoshop.
the available colors in a way that demonstrates location or
time of day? Could there be a better camera position? · Use Adjustment Layers – In Photoshop, use adjustment
layers to change and adjust colors. Save a layered version
· The Available Light – Is the available light working with of your file for later alterations. Flatten the file and save it
the surrounding colors in a way that demonstrates location for current use.

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 · Use Layer Masks – Layer masks allow you to make very Image 105 makes use of color to establish location and time of
specific color changes without affecting the rest of the day in a very subtle way.
image.
Take a moment to examine the photograph carefully. What do
you think the location is? What time of day do you think it was?

I feel like I’m putting myself out on a limb by using this

photograph as an example. Neither of the questions that I just
posed to you have extremely obvious answers.

This image is somewhat abstract in terms of location and time of

day. Sure, we see someone standing and someone else sitting. It
was actually the shape of the legs that first attracted me to take
this photograph.

However, in retrospect, the location and time of day was

somewhat important to the message (in my mind).

The original image file, which I’m going to show you in a minute,
lacked any pizazz that helped me tell my story. My story was about
the shape of the legs. However, without knowing the location, and
to some degree the time of day, the story lacked context.

If I cropped the image to bring attention to the legs, the location

and the time of day were completely lost (and so was the
context).

So, by using post-production techniques – and my knowledge

of color – I altered the original colors in the photograph to help
Image 105 – Photograph by Kent DuFault bring those elements (location and time of day) back into the
picture (so to speak).

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Okay. Where is the location, and what is the time of day? You can most likely guess the location now. It’s on a subway. The
time of day, however, is a little more difficult – maybe, or maybe
Here is the original shot: not, it was in the evening just after the workday had ended.

Image 107 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

Now, let’s not get into a debate about it. Look at the color
scheme that I created and think about my objectives.

· Highlight the shape of the legs – that was my subject

· Indicate the time of day – early evening

· Give a sense of location – traveling on a subway system

Image 106 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 In-camera, I recognized a scene that I wanted to
photograph and present a message. In this case, I didn’t
have any options for changing camera POV or the lighting.
I simply had to shoot the photograph.

In post-production, I created a color scheme that fell into

a blue/green hue. Blue is generally associated with late in
the day or evening scenes. Green is often associated with
any industrial setting that has commercial lighting (such as
fluorescent lighting). The changes in color also made the
woman’s legs stand out more. Plus, these changes gave the
shot more punch and drama.

Image 108 is a photograph that I took one day because I

found the man’s positioning inside the building interesting.
I didn’t have much thought about it beyond that.

A year or so later, a client of mine was going through

my image files looking for photos that could be used to
illustrate a story that they were writing. They came across
this image and really liked it. However, it didn’t quite fit the
mood (time of day) of the scene that she wanted it for.

Here is an example where learning about how to create

rich and vibrant color photography earned me some cash
in the pocket! (And, it can earn you cash in the pocket as
well!)

Image 108 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 · The story was about a cop, a
detective, who was searching for his
partner’s killer.

· The scene that she wanted this image

to illustrate occurs in the evening.

· This is a hard-edged story about a

serial killer, not a feel-good piece of
fiction.

Image 109 is the photograph that I sold

as the story illustration. There was quite
a bit of work that I did in post-production
to get the shot “into the mood.” My main
reason for sharing this with you is to take
notice of the color, and then plant these
thoughts in your mind.

· I did not use any cold colors to

illustrate “night” in this case. They
didn’t portray the sinister mood that
the story called for.

· Instead, I went with a dark reddish

(subliminal message ‘bloody’)
exterior color.

· The interior of the store, in the

original shot, was a cool cyan hue.

Image 109 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 I changed it to a yellowish/green to
make it feel sickly, depressed, dark,
and unwelcoming.

· You’ll notice that I applied some

color grunge effects. Grunge effects
can help bolster a mood, especially
when combined with specific colors.

Image 110 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

As you can see in Image 110, there is a very dramatic

difference between these two versions of the same shot. The
entire mood of the location, time of day, and final story was
completely altered through the manipulation of color.

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 Key Lesson: There are stereotypes to color I’m going to illustrate a love story theme from her selection
representation. However, you are a creative individual. Take (since I already shared a night-time example).
each image and each situation on its own merit and needs.
Here is what she chose:
Don’t simply act; put thought into your actions. Try different
possibilities when thinking about how you will use color to
tell (or emphasize) your photograph’s story.

Editing Assignment: Select a friend or a family

member. Ask them to choose two photographs from your
files. Both images should be the exterior of a building (if
you don’t have any, you’ll have to take some). I want you to
apply your color knowledge in post-production to turn one
of those images into an illustration for a story about murder
and mayhem. I want you to apply your color knowledge in
post-production to the second image and illustrate a story
about a love affair.

This assignment might seem difficult. I mean, after all, they

could select any picture of any building! How are you supposed
to create the assignment if the picture doesn’t fit?

Okay. First of all, don’t turn it into rocket science. It’s not like
you’re going to lose a major client if it doesn’t work out. This is Image 111 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
why we practice. Heck! I’ve been doing this a long time, and I
She didn’t make it easy on me!
still practice. It’s fortunate for us that practicing photography is
so much fun. This shot was taken at a bathhouse in Italy while on vacation.
The light that day was terrible. But it was an interesting place, so
So, just to show you that I’m on the same page as you, I asked
I took a picture.
my wife to select a random photograph from my archived files.

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 I played around with a number of different
options while trying to bring a feeling of
hope and love to this pretty dreary shot.

Finally, I settled on this:

Remember our studies about color theory?

I’m going to lay out my thoughts for you
on the migration of this photograph from
where it was to what it became.

· The original image had warm tones

within it; although, they were quite
muted and not very pleasing due to
the available light.

· I started thinking about yellow.

Remember the color theory for
yellow: happy, friendly. Yellow is a
strange color; it is often associated
with happiness, but it can also
activate the anxiety center of the
brain. It is also commonly associated
with joy, intellect, and energy. Like
red and orange, it’s able to stimulate
and vitalize. Lighter shades of yellow
Image 112 – Photograph by Kent DuFault
play on the happiness aspects of life,
reminding viewers of summer and
the sun. (Much of that description
sounds like the same feelings that

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 a budding romance produces! Wouldn’t
you say?)

· I used a yellow color (with slight red

undertones) to establish the mood of time:
morning. I then used darker tones around
the perimeter of the photo, and lighter
yellow tones near the door, to move a
viewer’s eyes past the fountain and toward
the front door of the building.

· Can’t you almost imagine a couple kissing

in a tight embrace just beyond our field of
view? I can!

There you go. I did it. Now it’s your turn.

Most of what we have discussed so far has been

the altering of color in post-production to help
establish location and time of day.

But what about in-camera techniques? What can

you do to create the same result when you’re
actually taking the picture?

A great option to help establish location with

color is to do some research on the colors of the
region that you’re photographing. For example,
Image 113 is a showcase for the Mediterranean
colors of this Tuscan doorway in Italy.
Image 113 - Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Another in-camera option is to include
the colors of both the architecture and the
local lighting. The bright colors of Image
114 scream Las Vegas, even though
there is very little of the physical location
actually included in the photograph.

Image 114 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 When you’re trying to establish location
in-camera, you want to make use of the
existing light. You also want to make use
of the color of that existing light. Image
115 was carefully crafted in-camera to
tell a story, establish the location, and
create a mood. The entire success of this
shot hinged on color theory and color
placement.

Image 115 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Training to recognize the color of light
is important to your advancement as a
color photographer. A scene, such as that
depicted in Image 116, would appear
quite ordinary to someone who wasn’t
trained in the subject of light and color
theory.

Image 116 – Photograph by Kent DuFault

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 Self-Check Quiz: COLOR ASSIGNMENTS
1) True or False: Part of your job, as a color
photographer, is to never alter the original colors in a The following assignments have been designed to get you
shot. thinking about, and using, color in new and different ways
within your photography.
2) Name three in-camera tools that can help you
establish location and time of day. Enjoy!

3) When working with color to create a mood, or 1) Shoot a landscape photograph where the use of
establish time and location, which picture file format is color helps to move a viewer’s eyes through the
most favorable? composition. Keep in mind that warm colors advance
and cool colors recede.
4) What type of setting is green light often associated
with? 2) Photograph a person in an indoor setting where color
is used as an abstract element. Keep in mind that as
5) What time of day is the color blue often used to an abstract, you’re given complete creative freedom.
indicate? The only requirement is that a viewer should recognize
that a human form was in the original shot.
6) True or False: It’s not possible to create photographs
midday and then make them appear as if they were 3) Create a photograph (the subject matter is up to you)
taken in the evening. where the lack of color makes a powerful statement
about the subject, the mood of the setting, and the
7) What color scheme gives a feeling of sickly,
story behind the shot. Review Image 025.
depressed, dark, and unwelcoming?
4) Shoot a photograph that makes use of any other
8) True or False: There are no stereotypes in color
complementary color scheme other than red/blue or
representation.
red/green. (No red.)

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 5) Pick a single power color, (red, yellow, or black), and 13) Using your knowledge of color and the concept of
use it to highlight a subject. Review Image 032. visual weight, plan and produce a photograph where
the use of color leads the viewer’s eyes right to a small
6) Shoot a monochrome landscape photograph that subject within the frame. Review Image 088.
sends the mood, and tells a story, of “hot.” Review
Image 094. 14) Create a photograph during the day, or use one of
your existing photographs that was shot during the
7) Using the RYB Color Wheel (see Image 003) set up a day, and turn it into an evening shot using post-
portrait that uses any triadic color scheme except red, production techniques. Review Images 108 and 109.
yellow, and blue. Don’t be afraid to go wild and grunge it up. Try some
8) Create a shot (the subject matter is up to you) where cell phone apps.
you use unbalanced color. Review Image 095.
CHALLENGE YOURSELF
9) Create a shot where color repetition pulls a viewer’s
eyes toward the subject.
Use this random list of color scheme ideas to come up with
10) Change the color of an object in one of your existing your own self-assignments. I often do this, especially if I’m
photographs by following the bonus tutorial in feeling photographically blocked.
Chapter Four.
A key aspect of this exercise is to spend some time with the
11) Review the color strategies list at the beginning of assignment. Don’t pick one, create one photograph, and
Chapter Three. Pick one strategy and use it to create a then move on.
photograph.
Pick an idea, and then create a body of work around that
12) Look at the human mood list at the beginning of idea. For example, create 10 images.
Chapter Five. Pick one mood from that list and then,
using color theory, create a photograph that depicts Let’s say you picked idea #3 Dark and Earthy. Create 10
that mood. different photographs that, through your use of color,
depict the mood and feeling of Dark and Earthy. Use
different subjects, locations and lighting.

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I guarantee that if you complete this list, while following 23) Fresh Greens
these instructions, you will be creating unforgettable color 24) Chocolate Browns
photography! You will create an amazing color portfolio. It’s up 25) Violet Wealth
to you. 26) Greek Islands
27) Tuscan Color
Color Ideas: 28) Sun and Sky
1) Fresh and Bright 29) Urban Blend
2) Subdued 30) Candy Coatings
3) Dark and Earthy 31) Muted and Antique
4) Crisp and Dramatic 32) Night Bright
5) Cool Blue 33) Hazy Gray
6) Outdoorsy and Natural 34) Orange Accent
7) Watery Blue-Green 35) Warm and Cool
8) Primary Vibrant Colors 36) Industrial Gray
9) Ice (light blues and greys) 37) Autumn Blend
10) Day and Night 38) Pool Party
11) Retro 39) Classic Metallic
12) Shades of Yellow 40) Blues and Pinks
13) Sunset to dusk 41) Exotic Mix
14) Warm 42) 1950s
15) Very Berry 43) Purple Blends
16) Nautical 44) Trendy Beige
17) Neutral
18) Garden Colors
19) Pastel
20) Crisp Complementary
21) Rustic
22) Neon

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 FURTHER RESOURCES

National Geographic Manipulate colors in post-production (Chapter 3 and 6)

· Simply Beautiful Photographs book · If you are completely unfamiliar with how to adjust color,
I highly recommend that you read The Ultimate Guide to
· Your Shot Editor’s Favorites (Alternative Website) Fundamental Editing. This guide has helped thousands
Light and Its Relationship to Color (Chapter 1 and 7) of photographers worldwide. It walks you step by step
through the process of color correction and enhancement
· Understanding & Controlling Light (along with a lot of other necessary information).

· Understanding Light: Book One · This recommended reading can teach you the necessary
steps to change the color of an object, or objects, in
· Understanding Light: Book II a photograph. One technique was discussed earlier
Composition Fundamentals (Chapter 2) in the guide: The Next Step to Perfect Photography:
Understanding Masking in Post-Production
· Why Rhythm Makes This Photo Rock!
Color and Emotion (Chapter 5)
· Quick Guide – Photography Composition
· 5 Awesome Ways to Add Emotion to Your Photography
· Understanding Composition
· Color Versus Black & White
· Advanced Composition
· Shooting Vibrant Colors
· Better Black and White – In case you’re wondering
why color makes a difference in black and white digital · The Art of Seeing
photography.

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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR Congratulations! You’ve completed
this Photzy guide!

If you liked this photography tutorial from

Kent, you may be interested in his other books.
Check out Kent’s premium guide on how to
effectively create the most memorable images
that you can be proud of: Effective Storytelling.

Kent DuFault is a professional photographer and author.

IF YOU’D LIKE TO CONTINUE
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