Further research into colour

I’ve used various books / websites in the study of colour. Of particular note are:

• Michael Freeman – Colour (Digital Photography Expert series), which not only covers all the aspects of this part of the course, but addresses colour management of the digital process, from screen calibration to printer profiling colour space etc. – a really useful, common sense book.
• Josef Albers - Interaction of Color. This addresses the way different colours react with each other to cause the same colour to appear differently when placed alongside different hues. An interesting study, using predominantly coloured squares. The way these colours interact needs to be considered when framing an image.
• Leatrice Eiseman – Color: messages and meanings. While this is primarily a designer’s book, with references to Pantone numbers, it covers the various colour scheme categories which can be used with the twelve colour wheel, such as monochromatic; analogous; complementary; double complementary; triad; tetrads; adventurous analogous etc. It lends itself to the argument that the schemes are being made to fit the rule. It also has the statement that “It is important to know that colour combinations need not be strict interpretations of each of the categorised schemes. They simply offer possibilities, but do not have to be rigidly followed.” That says it all for me – if it looks and feels good to me then the combination works (for me at least).
• Edith Anderson Feisner – Colour. A very well presented book which delves into the different colour models and wheels developed by several colour theorists. For instance, the 5 primary colour wheel developed by Albert Munsell, the 4 primary Visual Wheel, pigment, process and light wheels. There is also an interesting chapter on the theorists themselves, including Da Vinci, Newton, Harris, Von Goethe, Albers and Johannes Itten.
• Johannes Itten is possibly best known for his book ‘The Art of Color’ and its condensed version ‘The Elements of Color’. His 3 primary colour wheel seems to be the more generally accepted model.

The Itten’s Wheel uses red yellow and blue in the centre triangle, with the secondaries surrounding it. The outer wheel combines the primaries and secondaries with the tertiaries between the points of the two inner triangles.

To say that some colours are complementary, so they work together, and to further attribute numerical colour strengths to the primary and secondary colours seems to me to be an attempt to make a pleasing image fit a rule. There are so many different schemes and ideas regarding what’s pleasing to the eye and what ‘clashes’. Different people perceive the same colour with different values and attributes – for instance: green is a vibrant colour to some but a form of dull camouflage to others; red is a warm glow or a warning of danger, etc. I’m more of the mind that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ and that what I prefer to run with.

Still. I’ve gone into this with an open mind and have learned a lot as I’ve gone along – although I’m still not 100% convinced. I’ll produce Assignment 3 in line with the tenets of this section. And I love Colour!

I was advised to look at the work of Peter Saville - in particular his abstract colour cityscape series. It wasn’t easy to find, but having seen it I really like what he’s done to the images. I feel I could also produce this type of work. I find myself being frustrated by the ‘rules’ and yearn to be more creative with my photography. My work with the PSA is predominantly in the creative photography sections - their definition of ‘creative’ is ‘altered reality’ which is what I enjoy . I haven’t been able to spend enough time in this area since I started the OCA course, so maybe I’ll encompass some of this in the assignment - it could then also be used with the PSA groups and exhibitions.