Color

Featuring the work of James Attree, we discover how color can enhance – but depends on – great photo composition. Be inspired and learn about the relationship between color and other components.

Fireworks are mesmerizing, beautiful and captivating. In celebration of America’s birthday, we visit the fireworks that have been captured by our Flickr group contributors.

For those of us in the Northern hemisphere, summer is here.  And so we are going to take a look at the subject of green.  Green is the color of new life, of new beginnings and it is calming.  Of course for those of you in the southern hemisphere, you probably have a desire to look forward to greener times.  And so I’m going to introduce you to a number of photos from our Flickr pool contributors that features the color green.  Green may not be a primary subject in each of these, but it will serve a prominent role or purpose within each photo: “Green Railings” by Mike Osborn The use of color in a photo doesn’t always have to be blatantly obvious.  Well, the green railings in Mike Osborn’s photo, Green Railings, is a little obvious (especially thanks to the title), but it is not the prominent feature of this photograph.  This is a well balanced photo, right down to the color scheme:  The orange leaves in the background are a stark contrast to the green of the weather beaten railings, and the misty gray fog serves as a great neutrality between the two colors. “Hidden Poppy” by Christoph Hetzmannseder Christoph Hetzmannseder …

Against the arguments of some photographers, color isn’t such a bad thing. In fact, color can be quite powerful and equally as challenging as black & white. To prove it, we would like to introduce “Aki-No-Sora”, a photo from botanical photographer Jim Mayes, that demonstrates the delicate power that color can have.

Find Color, then you can create a composition. That was the advice of my photography instructor and mentor. I am reminded of her advice as we bring you the warm hues of “Dali’s Window” by Jean-Baptiste for this week’s inspiration. The photo will teach you about the true power of color in your own works. Read on…

Color is a powerful and dynamic building block. In this photographer spotlight of John McGraw and his work, we show you just how powerful color really can be. McGraw’s work is inspiring, but his use of color in his photos is incredible. Read on to see what you can learn from McGraw’s work.

As hobbyists, it’s often difficult to remember the power of storytelling when it comes to setting up a shot. We think about lighting, we think about composition, we are checking the edges for clutter and we’re worried about white balance (and I’m only scratching the surface). But that camera is a unique tool that one can use to create a story – fulfilling the old belief that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Stories are quite easy to reach with the camera. This week’s inspiration, Artist’s Work by Ana GR, is a great example of short story telling. The story doesn’t have to be extravagant. And unlike literature, the story doesn’t necessarily have to have a beginning or an ending – though it can inspire both. But when a photo is used to tell a story, we can have fun with the primary subject. Is it a simple subject? Is the subject simply the boy or the artwork? Or is the subject perhaps a little more abstract and less tangible – such as the emotional connection between the boy and the artwork? In truth, a storytelling photograph should have both a simple subject and an intangible subject – an …

What happens when we play on both sides of the camera? This week, we feature a photo that demonstrates one possibility from the mind of Czar Kristoff