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Lessons 19–20

A

s we all know, light is the most elemental part of any photograph, yet

it’s easy to neglect. The word photograph actually means “writing

with light,” and we can all learn to write better by exploring and

understanding light. We’re also all familiar with the color wheel that shows

primary colors and complementary or clashing colors. Strong colors of either

kind provide powerful bursts in your images, but primary and complementary

colors also come in softer hues, lending images a sense of quiet and elegance.

As you experiment with light and color in your photographs, you’ll come to

appreciate the range of emotions these two elements can communicate.

The Effects of Light on Color

We all know that the light in the morning and the evening is very colorful,

especially if it’s been dusty or after a storm. That’s because the atmosphere

actually comes through the dust or water in the sky and refracts light,

creating colors. Dust tends to create oranges, and water tends to create pinks

and purples.

Bad weather often makes great pictures, in part because certain colors that

can set a mood appear only in bad weather. Think about the feeling of cold

conveyed by pure white ice or the intimate softness created by a snowfall. In

a blizzard, the snow can blow so hard that it actually washes out the colors in

the environment, again, showing viewers how cold and threatening the scene

really is.

Experimenting with Color

Try putting a very vivid color against its opposite color in the spectrum. But

be careful in your composition to ensure that nothing competes with the

colors. You don’t want anything to distract from the palette you’ve chosen.

Try to plan where you place color in an image as much as possible.

Softer hues create a different kind of palette from strong primary or

complementary colors—one that is often a little more elegant. You can