OCA The Art of Photography: Assignment 3: Colour contrast through contrasting colours

In this assignment you will show your command of colour in photography, being able to find and use colours in deliberate relationships.

You should be able to identify at least two kinds of colour relationship.

Complementary (colours that face each other across the circle)
Similar (those near each other, as in a cool or warm range of colours)
Colours spaced about a third of the way around the circle.
A fourth kind of relationships when one small area of colours sits against a much larger background of another colour as a spot or accent.

Take about four photographs each that illustrate the following colour relationships:

colour harmony through complementary colours
colour harmony through similar colours
colour contrast through contrasting colours
colour accent using any of the above.

It was initially difficult to get some inspiration for the this part of the course. With the weather turning more and more wintry and the colours of the landscape changing from lush green to more of dull greens and grays, the light was becoming flat, I had to think of alternative locations in order to find colour. It was then I found such a place while walking through Leeds city markets, all be it in somewhat of a staged environment. What was quite striking was the array of colours and products on display that otherwise might of gone unnoticed had I not been looking for subjects to photograph for there colour.

I also experimented with some still life arrangements in order to try and recreate the balance or mix of colours I was looking for. This to also presented its challenges as the majority of the time I was trying to create these shots on an evening and having to use artificial lighting in order to gain the required results rather than rely on natural light.

Colour contrast through contrasting colours

Equipment:

Camera: Nikon D300s
Camera:Nikon D80

Lens 70mm
Lens 50mm
Flash Unit x 2
Tripod

For me these sequence of shots provided the most eye catching, I experimented with various still life objects and tried also to find more natural arrangements

The first picture of the sequence is of children's crayons, I tried shooting various different angles and with and without flash, the final shot produced was without flash using only the available light. I think the arrangement of the crayons present an eye catching image.

The second shot in this sequence was of another still life composition. I had purchased these cotton reels from a sewing shop trying to get the primary and secondary colours and two shades lighter of each one. The shot was eventually taken with two flash units on a very low setting as to not over saturate the colours to much. The camera was also mounted on a tripod in order to get consistent results in the shots.

The third shot in the sequence is of children's marbles, this for me had such a fantastic range and contrast in colours. For me the yellow marble stands out from the bright blue in the background and looks quite striking.

The final shot in this sequence was taken at a fabric shop. All the materials were laid out but this particular combination stood out from all the rest. The mix and range of colours made it a perfect candidate for colour contrast through contrasting colours.