The Colors

You can see from the color wheel chart, colors are grouped into categories.

For the answers we start from from scratch. Where will the portrait be displayed? Whether you are decorating a new home or adding new art to your existing decor, we need to identify a theme or the existing theme which is pleasing to your tastes and comfort level to newness and creativity.

Sound complicated or like a lot of work? Not really. Remember, you and I are crafting something that will be around a very long time!

We now have our starting point as to what style of portrait will work as well as a visual piece. However, your treasured memories are much more than something nice at which to look. To capture that special feeling that connects your family, I need to understand what is emotionally important to you and the connection you wish to make. So while you and I design your photograph to compliment your tastes and blend with your furnishings, we are really building something that lives for the future and speaks to who you are now.

What does all of this have to do with color? Plenty and I'll start with this... Unless you desire a stylized, Nuevo avant-garde statement, it's best to avoid discordant colors which tend to distract and make us subconsciously uncomfortable. Here's where knowing how colors interact is helpful. After the pre-session chat we know what we are going for so we now know which colors to avoid.

The Colors

In order to understand how colors interact we should know where color comes from. Color theory was first explored by Sir Isaac Newton, the 17th century scientist best known for his work with the laws of gravity. In 1666 Newton passed sunlight through a prism and noticed that the light split up or refracted into the colors of a rainbow.

Those colors that comprise white or natural light are violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red. By adding the transitional color of red-violet we create the standard color wheel.

We perceive a particular color of an object because the object will absorb any light that it can't reflect. In other words, the red shirt you are wearing is only red because the shirt has absorbed all of the colors of the spectrum except red. Since our eyes can't see what isn't there, we see red... so to speak.

A few thoughts while choosing the colors that will work best with your portrait:

Dark colors recede into the portrait

Our eyes are attracted to places where light and dark meet.

Lighter hues tend to "pop" (jump out) and appear brighter when placed against a dark background.

Stay within the color groupings described under the color wheel. Selecting out of the groups create discordant colors combinations. You should avoid discordant color combinations unless you have a specific reason.

Consider where the portrait will hang when choosing your color scheme and frame selection.

Our free consultations are scheduled to your convenience and will help you narrow down the look and style of the portrait you are envisioning.

Email for a no obligation chat while you are thinking about it.

The 6 major categories that interact well together in portraiture:

Warm Colors - range from red-violet to yellow on the color wheel.
Cool Colors - range from violet to green-yellow on the color wheel.
Analogous Colors - are any 3 consecutive colors on the wheel.
Complementary Colors - are the colors directly opposite on the color wheel. Complementary colors work great for high impact and can be used to attract the eye towards an area of importance.
Monochromatic Colors - are the variations or hues of one color segment on the wheel. Known as shades (darker than the primary value) or tints (lighter than the primary value). Monochromatic portraits can be very soothing and blend the easiest into existing themes.
Triadic Colors - are any 3 colors on the wheel that are 120 degrees apart. For example, if looking at a clock, a color at the 12 o'clock position, another at 4 o'clock, and the third at 8 o'clock.

Ric Farrah Photographs "Photography that mirror an honest reflection of the magic within" S