Colour on a dull day – Photography

Colour on a dull day – Whilst most photographers loathe poor weather there are still pictures to be found even on the greyest of day.

Colour is the most powerful and emotive of all the photographic elements. It can grab our attention, and can turn a mundane subject into a winning photograph. Usually colour looks its strongest when lit with frontal lighting but with some subjects this approach creates pictures where the colour is just too strong. Certain colours, particularly reds, yellows, oranges and pinks, can dominate a composition drawing the eye into the picture. To do this with subtlety you need to use indirect lighting such as that found on an overcast day. The diffused lighting will tend to soften the brilliant hues slightly. It can also be an approach that can help to control some of the more garish colour combinations that you find on your travels and will give you a theme to follow on those drab days of your vacation.

Patterns

Once you start looking, you will find patterns everywhere you go – the challenge to the photographer is to find a way to show them on an image.

From the leaves on tree’s to the bricks in a wall, we are surrounded by repeated shapes wherever we go. But because pattern is everywhere, we tend not to notice it readily however, by choosing an unusual camera angle, a photograph can emphasise this repetition and symmetry. Often the answer is to zoom in, or move in, close, so that the pattern fills the frame isolating it from its surroundings.

A high or low camera angle can also be useful, as it can show things from a viewpoint that the human eye is not used to. It is also worth trying to photograph the pattern from oblique angles with wider lens settings, so that you create some variation in size amongst the identical shapes the ones nearer the camera appearing much larger than those which are further away.

Reflections

Water not only helps create a double image of your subject it can frequently provide you with an original view of a well-known landmark.

A stretch of water is always worth hunting out as a foreground for your photographs. The surface of a lake, river, pond, or even puddle, will create its own image of the subject in front of you. If the surface of the water is perfectly still, the reflection is a perfect copy of your subject. A rippled surface, on the other hand, creates a distorted, or abstract, view of the scene. Either way, the reflection gives you an alternative view of the subject.

There are two approaches to photographing reflections. You can aim to include both subject and its mirror image creating a feeling of harmony that suits some subjects well. However, the perfectly balanced design can be too symmetrical on other occasions. The other approach is to photograph the reflection alone. This creates a more mysterious view of the subject – particularly if the surface of the water is not completely flat. When presenting these shots, you have the option of showing the picture as you shot it – or being more devious by turning the composition upside-down.

Paul has been writing articles for several years. Check out his website on Photography which gives help and advice on all types of photography such as Black White Photography Tips.

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