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Writer's pictureAngie Mahlke

Color Theory by Wendi Matt

Hi! My name is Wendi Matt and I am a photographer based out of South Carolina. I used to think I picked up my first camera when my first child was born in 2013. The reality is, I have always been obsessed with taking pictures in a documentary way. As a teen, I would buy tons of those disposable cameras and wait behind doors for people to walk through. I was basically a street photographer before it was cool. (kidding).


self portrait just to show you who I am


I consider myself to be a blend of documentary and lifestyle with a focus in kids. I like to edit too much to fully be documentary, but I think I am too hands off to consider myself lifestyle. My favorite photos are the ones where the viewer can see the personality of the subject. Each person has their own unique quirkiness and my goal is to capture that in a picture. I find that color is perfect for this because it helps contribute to that sentiment in such a beautiful way. Colors can convey so many emotions, but for the purpose of this lesson, I am focusing on how color can compliment the the joy of childhood and how they can help a photo look aesthetically more put together.


My daughter just being her. Though there is no theme in terms of color, the presence of it and the repetition of pink help to support the subject, her, as a quirky, fun loving kid.



What is Color Theory


There are so many elements to color theory which is why we have several people writing lessons on this! It’s impossible to cover in just one lesson. For an introduction, I wanted to show the basics of the color wheel and how colors can work together aesthetically.



This color wheel comes from an article that discussed how to use color in your photography https://digital-photography-school.com/tips-using-color-your-photography/



Many of you may be familiar with the color wheel. We have primary colors, secondary colors, tertiary colors and beyond. Colors that oppose each other on this wheel are complementary colors. A couple of examples of this are orange and blue, red and green, yellow and purple.


Colors on either side of a specific color are analogous colors. An example of this would be various shades of red, including pink and purple. Or various shades of blue, including purple and teal. These can be further separated into split complementary and triadic colors, where you are including at least 3 points of colors instead of two. By utilizing colors in this way, you are creating harmony in your photography that can be aesthetically pleasing AND can convey a specific emotion.


Split Complementary colors


triadic colors - a perfect example of this is primary colors, red, blue, and yellow


How do you use it?

The biggest challenge I have when learning a new element of photography is how to incorporate it into my shooting without overthinking it. When my daughter is complicit (she’s very strong willed so most of the time, she’s not interested in my opinion), I will pick an outfit that I know complements that environment we’re exploring. Because South Carolina is very green, I typically ask her to choose something red, purple, or even a neutral color. It also helps for her to be a part of the creative process so I will ask for her help in creating an image. I will tell her the look I am trying to achieve and then ask for her input to help me achieve it. She is generally excited to join in when she has more control.


I told her I needed her to wear something purple to compliment the setting sun and the green grass. She loves this dress because it twirls when she dances around.


With my son, I just try to buy him clothes that are some shade of blue, yellow, or red. He loves those colors and I find that primary colors (triadic colors) show really well in pictures of him, especially in the places we tend to visit.


This is an example of utilizing a monochrome palette.


analogous colors


triadic colors


Most of the time, my kids just dress themselves in whatever they like and I try to pay attention to color as I see it. The main ways I look for color are through repetition, through color as a way to isolate the subject, and multiple colors like a rainbow.


Color repetition


Yellow (obviously)


The repetition of blue


the repetition of yellow with the bikes and the fountain


Color to Isolate the subject





Multiple Colors




Color in Editing

In addition to utilizing color when shooting, you can also use it when editing. I tend to do this more in landscape work because I don’t have to worry about skin tones, but it can be done with people too.


HSL Panel

Whether the picture has humans or not, I love to adjust the hues, the saturation, and the luminosity of colors to help create harmony in the colors present.





When adjusting the hue, you are changing the actual color. I especially love to do this with the sky because you can adjust the blue to match the swimsuit of your kids!

When adjusting the saturation, that affects the intensity of the color. I never increase saturation, I only use this to decrease the color if it’s too bright. When colors are overly saturated, it makes the photo look unpolished and typically doesn’t print well.

The luminosity is important to help lighten or darken the color. I rarely use this with color theory, but mainly for adjusting the blues in underwater photography or the yellows in neon grass.


Here, I adjusted the hue of blue to help the sky match her bathing suit.


Again, I adjusted the hue of the sky.


Split Toning

I didn’t mention it above, but another aspect of color theory is using it to add depth. Warm colors tend to advance forward and cool colors recede backwards. In using split toning, especially in landscape work, it can help add depth and dimension to a photo.


I used the dropper tool to choose the color I like and adjust the saturation with slider on the right


You can also play with the balance to find the aesthetic you want.


You can select the color to add to your highlights, the color to add to your shadows, and use the slider to find the right balance for you.





Conclusion

I hope this has been helpful. When I go out to shoot with color in mind, I typically just look for it. It’s so much easier to come back to your computer and see where you’ve used color and how you did it, but when you’re out shooting, it’s best to move from your mind to your gut. I just make the intention that I want to shoot color today and pay attention to anything that catches my eye. If I can plan to dress my kids accordingly, I do so, but otherwise, I go with the flow and allow it all to be a surprise. That makes the times it come together so much more special.

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