The Compositional Boost of Color Matches in Street Photography
If I see a photo that has a color or colors repeated in the frame, it is probable that I am going to find it very visually appealing. It also strikes me as probable that other people will regard the repetition of color as a compositional boost. It seems like an easy topic for a blog. And it is, if you are writing a one sentence blog. “In a color photo, it never hurts when a color is repeated.”
I think blue helps connect people on the inside to people on the outside. My eye travels from the right, to the blue near the ceiling to the left.
In general, thinking about color is difficult for me. It is fair to say that when it comes to color theory, I’m at the bottom rung of learning. I don’t know what I don’t know. It is not easy to remediate this glaring lack of knowledge. Reading about color theory is, for me, a lot like reading a technical instruction manual. I am only good for a couple of paragraphs. In my relentlessly incremental mode, I have decided to learn some about color theory which I will then share with you, at the end of blogs.
There is a lot of color matching here with the reds and the grays. This photo may be mostly about color.
The first hurdle of talking about repeating colors is giving the phenomena a name. In the blog, Color Street Photography Tips: The Definitive Guide, published by Inspired Eye Photography Magazine, the idea is described as “matching like with like.” I use the term “color match”. A color match occurs when two color samples appear to be the same color (also known as hue). There is a match even if they vary in lightness and saturation.
There is a striking color match between her glasses and lipstick and the child’s dress.
The big question for me is why I have such a preference for color matches in a photo. Perhaps two factors are at play.
The color match here is subtle, but the flowers echo the fire hydrant and the Loser’s sign on the left.
First, it is the human inclination to group things that are similar. That inclination is described by the Gestalt Principle of Similarity. Humans are masters at recognizing patterns. We can make connections between non-connected elements through a pattern of color, and other patterns. I personally theorize that finding similarities and making those connections causes the brain to create positive feedback. My enthusiastic brain probably rewards me a lot when I recognize a color pattern.
I think the reds move your eye back into the picure.
Second, this observation was made in the blog linked above from Inspired Photography Magazine. The eye will follow color matches in a frame. The image is perceived as dynamic because it causes eye movement.
If I could get color matching in every single-color photograph I took, I would do that. In shots where I am waiting for someone to walk by, color matching is always one of the criteria I use for a good subject.
I was absolutely looking for a color match here.
Now for the first riveting episode about Color Theory.
Color Theory Primer - The Color Wheel
The color wheel is made up of 12 colors that are divided into 3 categories:
Primary Colors are red, yellow and blue. They are pure colors that cannot be made by mixing other colors.
Secondary Colors are made by combining equal parts of two different Primary Colors. They are green (yellow + blue), orange (red + yellow) and purple (red + blue).
Tertiary Colors are made by combining either a 25/75 or 75/25 mix of a primary and secondary color. The Tertiary Colors are Violet (blue + purple), Magenta (red + purple), Vermilion (red + orange), Amber (yellow + orange), Chartreuse (yellow + green) and Teal (blue + green).