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Exploiting the colors of nature for more vibrant scenes

Dealing with colors in nature is different today than it was at the beginning of the era of color films, and it is not permissible to keep the capture process chaotic and unstudied.
From here, we offer some basic principles for exploiting the smallest spots of color on the way to giving life to bleak scenes, or to achieving dramatic or abstract effects.

Bright colors often attract our attention. And with the presence of color film in the camera, it becomes difficult to resist the temptation to fill the frame with bright colors - red, yellow and blue - although the colors need to be handled with precision and care, and the skillful method often leads to giving the best results. Emitting a dramatic element beyond what dozens of competing colors emit.

At the beginning of the era of color photography, the available films were slow and had a weak conversion ability. Therefore, in order to obtain brilliant results, bright colors and strong lighting were almost necessary. As for modern films that can record even the slightest changes in the color gradation, while maintaining the overall color saturation, they will be accomplished. It performs well under enormously variable conditions. The truth is that bright colors and harsh light may be very dominant to some extent, and very often it is necessary to deal with them with precision and care in order to avoid conflicting colors and exaggerations in light contrast.

Watch the colors:
One of the problems concerned here is that the eye sees with an ability to choose that exceeds the ability of the camera. The varied and interesting display of natural colors in a flower shop may seem full of photographic capabilities, but many who try to record a scene like this end up with results.
Disappointing, because the colors conflict and disturb the balance of the image, as it seems to lose all of its basic brilliance, while each color competes with the other to be dominated by him alone. Instinctively focus on conflicting elements.

This, and the key to success in dealing with colors may be learning to watch as the camera watches. So that the colors that contribute to achieving the desired effect are chosen, and those that do not do so are excluded. There is a similar importance focused on determining the single small color spot that will revive the scene, and create an image that really stirs feelings.

This, and human beings share with many other animals an instinctive awareness of the importance of bright colors, as our attention is drawn to them in an almost unavoidable way, and we must pay attention to this aspect during capture.

It should be noted here that pure, bright colors are relatively rare in the natural world. Light colors - green, brown and gray - dominate. The fact is that many creatures and plants are cleverly camouflaged and blend with the landscape intrusively. However, some life forms need strong colors in order to stand out bravely and attract Pay attention to it, such as a bright yellow flower, or a bright red berry.
This, and human beings share with many other animals an instinctive awareness of the importance of bright colors, as our attention is drawn to them in an almost unavoidable way, and we must pay attention to this aspect during capture.

In a mountainous landscape dotted with huge, dramatic but gray rock formations for example, our attention would immediately focus on the delicate figure of a climber in a red jacket. This situation may have its advantages and disadvantages if the climber is the subject of the image. There is no need to rely on a narrow frame to make this climber dominate that image. In fact, the image may actually benefit from leaving him small in the frame, and making him thus inconsistent with the dramatic surroundings, while maintaining that he is center of attention of the beholder.

Center of attention:
One of the strange things is that the whiff of color dominates. Like a climber in his bright jacket, she may stand out simply because she is small in frame. This is where the psychic power of a bright little spot of color calls for careful handling. If what the photographer intended is to show the eternity and immensity of nature, it is not important how small the red climber is in the frame or how great the geological formation is... The danger remains that the viewer of the photograph will immediately focus his attention on the single spot of color. Likewise, it does not matter the extent of the element of excitement in the face, or the extent of the expression in the features, because the hidden shot of a seller in a flower shop may easily fall under the control of the bright colors of the flowers themselves in situations like this, if the way towards a good shot is to form the image accurately And care, so that the obstructive colors improve the main subject of interest, so if we return to the mountain scene. The red climber should be as small as possible, and be placed in the frame in a way that balances him in the scene with what surrounds him - low and to one side perhaps - but in the case of the flower seller, the camera can apply to him and record him close, so that the flowers, although they continue to appear, do not occupy Only a small part of the frame compared to what the main subject occupies, and the result may be more effective even if the frame includes flowers of only one color and there is only one center of attention.

Colors and movement:
. Another point that we have to pay attention to is that different colors have different psychological effects. It is true that individual responses to colors do not vary except slightly, but it does seem that there are certain colors that tend to emit certain emotions and moods, and it has happened to artists for a long time that they realized these expressive advantages of color. Picasso, in his painting called “A Blue Age”, for example, used blue to emit the elements of gloom and pessimism in his painting when he painted it, and in his later painting “A Pink Age”, he used pink colors to emit more lyrical and romantic feelings, and there are other painters who used strong red and yellow colors To suggest euphoria and elation, and even anger and violence in their actions.
In general, it really seems that colors have emotional effects, and like painters, they can
Photographers use this to their advantage, as the drama, euphoria and elation in an image are indicated by including a prominent red note - a flag carried by a demonstrator, or the suit of a bullfighter, for example - but we have to choose the viewing destination and the order of the content to ensure that the color contributes to the effect emitted by the scene.
When we capture colors, it is important to pay attention to how the colors relate to each other. This is especially true when it comes to the small, strong spot of color when it is used to influence the content. Just as music may be harmonious, or discordant, so are colors, they may fit well. with each other producing an interesting effect or conflicting conflicts. The usual schematic method for presenting this is the color wheel in which the colors of the color spectrum are formed within a circle, and the colors that follow each other - blue and green, for example - are blended harmoniously, and those that are in opposition, such as red and blue. When opposite or complementary colors happen to be adjacent to each other, they separate. Very strong visually.

Thus, when we form the content of a photograph, we have to keep these relationships in mind. They can be used either to adjust the strong effect of the colors, or, conversely, to create a dramatic effect. A still life of a colorless bowl of oranges and lemons, for example, would produce a bright, harmonious image, but in a pink bowl, the colors might clash terribly.
But by using just a whiff of contrasting colors, we can create powerful, exciting and fun images. Red and green in particular clash violently, but the effect can be tuned and used to increase the impact of landscapes. A small area of ​​red flowers, for example, radiates positively vibrant against a background of green grass. Here, the contrast between the subject and the background becomes the main feature of the image when that is used deliberately... quite unlike the results that come from conflicting colors placed randomly and incoherently. between them. However, the green whiff against a bright, bright red background is abnormal in general, due to the emotional impact of red, and perhaps because we are less accustomed to seeing this type of color relationship in the world around us.

Reviving the scene:
The color whiff can make or break an image, when it harmonizes with what surrounds it and provides focus for a balanced content. When it contrasts with the surroundings, it can stand out as a note being emphasized in an intentionally dramatic content. However, the problem in many cases will not be the problem of adjusting the effects of strong color, but rather the problem of introducing color into a scene that is dusky or lacks vitality, especially in low light conditions.

this . And while the bright sun is often a difficult form of illumination because of its uniform glow and rough shadows, the weak light can in turn reduce the scene to a dune of half-formed shadows. It may appear on the red twilight in particular that it gives the photographer little opportunity, unless there is a dramatic sunset.
But with the pursuit of brightly colored little sunrises, the red twilight can then be packed with good photographic possibilities, as at any other time it may happen that someone passes through a gloomy street into a city in bright clothes, or a brightly painted truck passes through a lifeless landscape. in it . But these are the very advantages that can affect a photograph. It is not important that the eye applies to the colored area, as this will be followed by capturing the rest of the scene. It is important that the focal point of interest is captured:
Of course, the content is important, and in order for the splash of color to succeed in reviving the whole scene instead of wandering around inside it without an accurate signature, accuracy and care must be adopted to place it in a specific place. About the frame by a third of the length and width. Success may also be achieved when the color whiff is placed on an oblique diameter of the image. A truck, for example, can be strongly integrated into the landscape when it is placed on a road that cuts through the image, skewed into the distance.

A light in the dark:
Another possibility, and in scenes inside a city in particular, is the introduction of a light source within the frame of the image, a traffic light, for example, that can be used to revive a gloomy street. here . The benefit of one light will go to waste if the frame includes many more neon signs and street lamps as well. This, and when artificial lights are included within the frame, it must be noted that these do not suit the film that is balanced with daylight, and it may happen that street lights of the type “fluorescent or mercury” appear in a strange green color on the film except when using appropriate filters, although these The lights may appear white in front of the eye. Household lights and tungsten also have a distinct orange tinge, although this can be used advantageously... A single window lit in an isolated hut within a landscape at dusk, for example, will add heat to the image as a result of what it adds. Of a red colour.

However, the extent of the effect emitted by the whiff of color may depend on what equipment we adopt in the end. For example, you may be able to isolate a bright colored area within a single color gradient by making a close narrow frame, with the help of a long focus lens. Also, the type of film may have a marginal effect. Slow color transparency films, such as Kodachrome and Sakurachrome, have color saturation that exceeds that of fast films, such as Ectachrome 200 or 400. Likewise, colored negative films such as “Godakalar”, “Sakurakalar” and others give an additional opportunity in the printing stage. If we print our footage ourselves or have close knowledge of a developer who helps us with what we want, we should be able to increase the strength of a desired color by using appropriate filters during the enlargement stage.
We also have to keep in mind that colors may actually look more vibrant with low contrast on a cloudy day as long as there is a good level of illumination.
A light color, such as yellow, may stand out more strongly when picked up against a darker color gradient background. In this aspect of photography - as is the case with similar aspects - the creative photographer will learn to use methods and skills in addition to understanding the film's response to light, in order to expand the scope of his control of the image⏹