The Practice of Photography: Focus on COLOR

The whole world, as we experience it visually,
comes to us through the mystic realm of color.
Hans Hofmann

Well, it has certainly been flowering in abundance in my part of the world as spring greets us.  One of the things that I notice about spring is the color green. It is so deep and fresh and speaks to me of growth and joy.  So I decided that for May I would share the theme Color from my deck of The Creative Photographer Exploration Cards.

There is magic and mystery in colors, in the way two blues or two reds are never exactly the same. Color is a primal language with a vocabulary that speaks to our sub-conscious.

Scan your surroundings for images that contain the colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Look for hues and shades of these colors. Choose one of these colors and photograph it wherever you find it.  Perhaps you can choose a new color each week, and start your own Collection of Color.

There are vibrant colors in the natural world as well as in urban areas and man-made things. You could set up your own color still life. Combine certain colors that appeal to you. Use contrasting colors such as green and red, or harmonizing colors such as green and yellow. This will train your eye to register the background color in a photograph, something we often overlook.

And if you need some color inspiration, visit the Design Seeds website - the photographs are just wonderful and I love the color palettes!

And of course I'd love you to share your photographs on The Creative Photographer Facebook page!