Have you noticed that all through this year, houses are being painted in many colors. There’s even an apartment block called The Green Condo (and there used to be a place known as the Green Roof Mansion)! All along the Railway Road are new shop-houses, with each one a different color from the ones on either side.
Even motorcars which for years have been mostly ordered in black or white, are coming out in bright reds, yellows and greens.
I have my own theories as to why there has been this amazing shift in preferences, but revolves around reflecting the financial downturn over the past three years. Let’s brighten up our environment to brighten up our lives is my theory.
Now, if we are going to brighten up the inside of your house/condo or whatever, let’s get back into color. This week I will show you how to produce some fabulous “wall art” and you can do this with any camera, even the old “film in a cardboard box” variety, but they may be difficult to have processed these days.
This art depends on your being able to see and has nothing whatsoever to do with photographic technique or fancy equipment. As I have said before, if you have all sorts of automatic flash and exposure features on your point and shooter – turn them off for this exercise.
The wall art you will end up with is six shots mounted side by side, so dramatically different that you will even amaze yourself that you have produced such a masterpiece! Before you say, “My photo’s aren’t that good.” keep reading. Anyone can do this exercise!
What we (or rather, you) are going to do is to use Bold Color Effects to produce this artistic work of genius. While multi-colored pictures are all very fine, selective or limited use of color produces a much more stunning effect.
Start by choosing the six colors you want to display. Any six will do, but suggest you include red, green, yellow and blue – but if purple, black or indigo violet is your choice that is fine. The principle is to write down your six colors and go out and shoot them. Simple!
Now the secret here is to make your chosen color predominate in the photograph. For example, a clear blue sky with a parasailor in one corner. A yellow strip of beach with one large orange shell. A green door surrounded by brown surrounds. A green field with one brown buffalo. You can see what I am driving at I am sure. When you just quickly glance at the picture the impression you should get will be one of that particular color.
This is also one photo project that you can do with just a few shots. You want six photographs, so you can do these in one day.
Since color has to be the major item, as opposed to light and shadow, you are best to pick the less harsh times of the day to shoot, rather than the mid-day sun. In fact, the grey overcast days we have had recently will work very well here. Another alternative is to shoot in open shade. If you do have a polarizing filter in the bag, then use it too, it lessens reflections and makes the job easier – but it is not an essential item for this exercise – it is your ability to look through the viewfinder that is important.
After you go through your shots, select the best one of each color and get them blown up to 10″ x 8″ (Size 8R) and mount them in two rows of three. Get this professionally done (very cheap here in Thailand) and you have a true “work of art”. Dramatic, clever and attention grabbing. And what is more, you did it and it didn’t cost an arm and a leg. As a small side benefit, the exercise also made you look critically through the camera to make it produce the images that you wanted, not just indiscriminately snapping away at anything in front of the lens.
Do try doing this one weekend. You will not be disappointed.
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