One of the great beauties of art is how it utilizes the elements that appeal to your senses to evoke an emotion or reaction. These elements could be something as easily perceptible as sound or the more subtle use of colours.
Photography, a form of modern art captures the essence of colours by using them to create specific meanings. Two concepts are used to explain how colours can be used to impact your mood — colour theory and colour psychology.
Colour theory refers to how different colours can be combined while colour psychology dwells on how specific colours can be engineered to create a particular emotion. You will see in this article how some colours can be used to set a mood in photography.
1. Red
Red is one of the most powerful colours that can be used in photography. As a warm color, its addition to any set grounds the picture, and the exact mood it calls depends on the object bearing the colour.
Patterns can also be used to carry the colour, red. Based on these, the emotion conveyed can be passion, anger, or even power and authority.
2. Monochrome
Monochrome is not a colour in its own right but it appears in the form of black and white. It is described as a single colour with varying hues in different shades. Monochromatic themes are usually used in documentaries or historical photos.
In most instances of monochromatic photography, the photos evoke nostalgia and sometimes, sadness. These themes are typically expressed in the works of Danny Lyon photographer. Monochromatic photography details the lives of everyday people in such a way that seems to distance the photo subject from it while inviting the viewer into their world.
3. Green
Green is one of the most naturally-occurring colours. Unlike red, it is a cool colour and in photography, it is usually used to convey tranquillity. It also symbolizes fertility or abundance. This gives the picture a certain vibrance that leaves the viewer feeling refreshed.
4. Yellow
Yellow is another warm colour. Whenever yellow is used, there is a certain sense of urgency to the meaning sought after. It is also the colour of vitality and when combined with a complementary color such as green in photography, there is more balance and the aesthetics and mood reduced is more enduring than when used alone.
5. Blue
The colour, blue can be used in varying shades in a photograph to mean a lot of things. The lighter shades inspire feelings of calmness while the darker shades connote knowledge and integrity. In certain instances though, blue can mean safety.
Final words
Before you can use colours in photography to set a mood, you would want to know which colours are cool and which ones are warm colours. The cooler colours are generally used to create moody photography.
Unlike the warm colours, vibrant and exciting energy is downplayed with the cooler colours. While this does not necessarily equate them to a dark, sad, or negative emotion, the cool colours are more still in the emotions they convey.
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