An introduction to color relationships in photography: complementary colors, adjacent colors, and subject emphasis

First use the hue circle to describe color relationships

The hue wheel can help compare the positional relationship of colors in a picture. Opposite colors on the ring are called complementary colors; colors in adjacent positions belong to the adjacent color relationship. Different color models and color wheels may be labeled differently, so just use the hue wheel as a reference for observation and composition, without having to apply fixed angles or color lists. 〔G-COLOR-THEORY-01〕

Use color contrast to emphasize the subject

Color can help a subject stand out from its environment when it contrasts with the hue of the background. Complimentary colors are a good starting point, such as an orange subject against a bluish background; the actual effect will also depend on the lightness, area, saturation and position of the subject in the frame. First observe the subject and background in the framing, and then decide whether to enhance the color contrast. 〔G-COLOR-THEORY-02〕〔G-COLOR-THEORY-03〕

Use adjacent colors to unify the picture and judge according to the scene

Adjacent colors can be used as a more coherent color matching direction; the color relationships in natural scenes can also be intentionally retained when shooting. Hue matching describes the positional relationship between colors and does not automatically determine the mood of a photo. Choose a color palette based on the subject and scene first, then check whether the color is distracting; there is no need for fixed proportions of dominant colors or universal color mood formulas. 〔G-COLOR-THEORY-01〕