5.8.13

Colours into tones in black and white


The purpose of this exercise was to experiment with different coloured filters in black and white photography. I created a still life shot which included the colours red, green, blue and yellow and used Photoshop Elements to digitally create filter effects.
 
I converted the original image to black and white and set all the sliders; red, green and blue to the same level. This gave a very dark image which I used as a starting point each time. In order to then create the effect of a red filter, I moved the red slider up gradually until I was happy that the effect appeared obvious, yet still gave a pleasing image. As shown, the filter allows the red of the jugs to pass through, yet blocks opposite colours such as greens which appear very dark. I repeated the exercise, in turn moving the green and blue sliders with similar effect.  
The next task was to create the same image with a yellow filter. As the primary colours using light; red/green/blue are different from those we learn using paint; red/yellow/blue, the yellow filter would have to be created by enhancing both the red and green to create the effect of yellow. As expected, this had a similar effect to reducing the blue; the blues appeared darker and the yellows appeared lighter. I also created experimented with the effects of boosting blue and green together, having the effect of increasing cyan and reducing red and then boosting red and blue together, having the effect of increasing magenta and reducing green.
 
My favourite image in this experiment is the one using the yellow filter; the blue background and toothbrush have created a dark background and foreground, creating balance and more contrast in the image. My least favourite, probably due to the lack of contrast is the magenta version. In black and white photography, contrast is important in creating the lines and shapes which balance an image. Until now, I have always used the pre-set filter effects when converting to black and white but this experiment has given me the confidence to take control and find the right balance manually.

 

Colour relationships

Colour Relationships – part one

My mini-project on the red/green relationship taught me how different saturations of colour can have an added effect on the balance of an image. As I move onto other relationships; orange/blue, yellow/violet and beyond, I will focus mainly on images in which the colours used are of a similar level of saturation.

As discussed previously, red and green are well balanced in an image using 1:1 proportions because the two colours are equal in brightness. When using other colour combinations in their purest form, the proportions need to be adjusted in order to account for differences in brightness. German poet and playwright J.W.Von Geothe assigned the following values to the primary and secondary colours according to their brightness; yellow 9, orange 8, red and green 6, blue 4 and violet 3. These values can be used to enable us to create the correct proportions of colour in an image, those for complimentary colours being;

red:green – 1:1

orange:blue – 1:2

yellow:violet – 1:3

My project on red/green relationships showed these colours creating balance using 1:1 proportions. In order to create my orange:blue image, I placed an orange flower in front of a blue plant pot in a local garden centre. As the vase was much larger than the flower, it was easy to compose the image in order to create the 1:2 proportion.
 
I found an example of a yellow/violet relationship in my mum’s garden. Behind these bluebells were other plants, some being yellow and the yellow/green colour of grass, stalks and leaves. Using a shallow depth of field to blur the background colours and slight overexposure, I created a mass of yellow, complimenting the violet colour of the bluebells. Due to the nature of wildlife and the lack of a macro lens, the original image is slightly larger than the one shown but was taken with the intention of cropping to the correct size and proportions once uploaded.
 

Colour Relationships – part two
The second part of the exercise was to create more images in which the colour combinations appeal to me. I noticed my first example as my daughter was eating spaghetti, not the most attractive sight but the colours struck me as I watched her. Given the values red 6 and blue 4, the proportions should be red:blue – 2:3 meaning that there should be slightly more blue than red. This was a spur of the moment snap shot taken at proportions which I instinctively felt balanced. On studying the given rules, the proportion of red may be too high, however the combination appeals to me. The spaghetti and computer desk also give a slightly yellow element, completing the three primary colours, red/blue/yellow.
 
My second shot also shows the yellow/red/blue combination but in a different way. I originally took this shot to show the contrast in the old and new buildings without noticing the colours but as I looked through my photos for pleasing combinations, this kept jumping out at me. The positions of the colours appeal to me as well as the proportions, with the yellow buildings being framed by the blue sky and water. The blue and yellow alone might have created a rather lacklustre image but the vibrancy of the deep red brick buildings to the right and centre really draw my eye into the image giving warmth and depth.
 
The orange and green in this shot clash slightly, providing a contrast that may not appeal to all but works for me. I like the division of the shot with the top showing orange/red with a splash of green and the bottom green with a splash of orange. The expression on my daughter’s face works well with the citrus colours and the sharp contrast.
 
A photo shoot with friends provided my last two examples for this exercise. This old factory building with brightly coloured doors created a great backdrop and a selection of mats gave a wealth of options for colour combinations. In the first image, the orange in the yoga pants and door balance out the blues, also in the pants and in the mat. Although the proportions for orange:blue should be 1:2, the blue/cyan colour in the pants is very bright and a larger proportion of this colour would take over the image.
 
The last shot mainly contains a yellows and reds which according to Geothe, should show proportions yellow:red – 2:3. The proportion of red is higher than recommended as well as being the brightest form of its colour in the image. This gives a dramatic impact to the shot and draws attention to the bend in the girl’s body, showing the yoga pose to its full extent. I feel that the muted red wall surrounding the door and the muted yellow ground surrounding the bright yellow mat help to calm drama created by the more intense colours.  In all of the examples I have chosen, this is the only image made up of only warm colours, the others being a combination of warm and cool colours.