Running hot and cold
Alistair Campbell mixes coloured gels in the photo studio
Harmony is present in almost all colour photography, but sometimes gets overlooked. You might be lucky and experience colour harmony by default if you’re out shooting on the streets or in the countryside, where the colours in your image have naturally fallen together (Mother Nature has a habit of doing that).
But when it comes to selecting specific colours that you intentionally choose to work together, there are some simple tips to remember.
First, opposites attract. If you’re having trouble mixing colours, refer to a colour wheel. A basic colour wheel will have about 10 standard hues we are all familiar with, while a more advanced one could show you millions of shades within each colour. Complementary colours are directly opposite each other on the wheel, and are a perfect match. So if you look at the yellow area, for example, you will see the blue area directly opposite. A lot of modern-day films we watch are often colour-graded with teal and orange, which is much the same effect.
Once you understand how colours can work together, then before you start selecting your colours, think about the message behind your style or image: what are you trying to communicate to your viewer?
For an advanced understanding of colour, you can also look at split complementary colours, analogous colours, triadic harmonies, tetradic harmonies and monochromatic harmonies. If you have some lights at home, pick up a couple of cheap gels and start creating colour with confidence!