Week 1 Discussion: Color Theory

Japanese Cherry Trees
PC: Jason Pratt

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_Cherry_Trees.jpg

http://www.takeprideinutah.org/artificial-tree-absorbs-harmful-gases.html

Examples of colors evoking different emotions:

1. The first image is darker and has a colder feel to it. The second is warmer and more comforting.

2. The first image looks scary, dark, lonely, and has a sense of uncertainty. The second image feels more inviting and less frightful. 

How does color effect the message of an image? 

A picture is worth a thousand words. Considering all the elements that factor into a single image, this statement is definitely true. Color is extremely powerful in terms of provoking emotion. It is much more than shades and pigments; color speaks directly to the brain. Our eyes utilize light to distinguish amongst the color palette and determines the colors we see. On a deeper, psychological level, color also affects our emotions. Certain colors provoke certain feelings. For example, red is a associated with anger, aggression, and heat. Where as blue brings forth tranquil and cool feelings. Such factors, combined with other elements that make up an image, manufacture a macrocosm of effects. Color can be the determinant of your feelings towards an image.

How does it effect you personally? 

Personally, when I view an image, colors really speak to me. Black and white images sometimes brings a depressing feel to an image (depending on the subjects in the photo of course). Photos with brighter colors make me feel cheerful and happy. Yellow and other warming colors bring me comfort and put me at ease. My mood can change after viewing an image, largely in part to the color scheme of the image. Color brings power to any image.

How can you better use color in your workflow today?

Since color can affect my mood, I can use it to my advantage. For example, if I'm feeling a bit down, I can adorn my dorm room with brighter color tones to liven it up. For future projects in my video classes I can utilize colors to help to provoke the emotions I desire my audience to feel. For example, if I am doing a piece on the homeless I can use either black and white or darker lighting and tones in order to generate sadness.

~RL