Friday, December 19, 2008

the relation of colors and emotion in photography

The Relation of Colors and Emotion in PhotographyWriten by Anton Sheker

Color is often overlooked in photography. The colors in a photo can greatly affect the impact or the emotional value of the user. Have you ever come across a photograph with funky color combination with loud backgrounds? Have you ever noticed that if the colors aren't complimentary they can give you an eye twisting headache?

Different colors invoke different emotional values and each value depends in which
part of the world you are in. Some colors have a positive effect and some can convey
some negative emotions. Here are Colors and their perceived emotional value for
your reference.

Red:

Positive: Sense of power, strength, action, passion, sexuality

Negative: Anger, forcefulness, impulsiveness, impatience, intimidation, conquest,
violence and revenge

Yellow:

Positive: Caution, brightness, intelligence, joy, organization, Spring time

Negative: Criticism, laziness, or cynicism

Blue:

Positive: Tranquility, love, acceptance, patience, understanding, cooperation,
comfort, loyalty and security

Negative: Fear, coldness, passivity and depression

Orange:

Positive: Steadfastness, courage, confidence, friendliness, and cheerfulness,
warmth, excitement and energy

Negative: Ignorance, inferiority, sluggishness and superiority

Purple:

Positive: Royalty, sophistication, religion

Negative: Bruised or foreboding

Green:

Positive: Money, health, food, nature, hope, growth, freshness, soothing, sharing,
and responsiveness

Negative: Envy, greed, constriction, guilt, jealousy and disorder

Black:

Positive: Dramatic, classy, committed, serious

Negative: Evil, death, ignorance, coldness

White:

Positive: Pure, fresh, easy, cleanliness or goodness

Negative: Blind, winter, cold, distant

A Photo should tell us a story and they should communicate what the photographer
wants to tell us. Logic and emotion play a big role in our understanding of a
photograph but eventually emotion will win over the logic. Most of the time, we are
purposefully trying to invoke a specific emotional response that will increase the
enjoyment of our photos. So if given a chance pick your colors carefully.

About the author: Anton Sheker is a photographer based
in Philippines. For more home and garden articles visit his site
online at http://www.photo.net.ph/blogalicious

Anton Sheker is founder and member of the World Photo Directory http://
http://www.worldphotodirectory.com