Color theory is the study of how colors interact and the emotional responses they evoke. Understanding color can significantly enhance photography by allowing photographers to create compelling visuals that communicate mood, depth, and contrast. By mastering color combinations, you can draw attention to focal points and guide the viewer's eye through the image. Embracing color theory not only enriches your photographic skills but also helps convey your artistic vision more effectively.
The color wheel consists of primary colors, secondary colors (colors created when primary colors are mixed) and tertiary colors (colors made when primary and secondary colors are mixed).
There are different color systems based on what primary colors are used. For example, Red-Green-Blue primaries (RGB), Red-Yellow-Blue (RYB) and Cyan-Magenta-Yellow-Black (CMY/CMYK) and they are plotted differently on a color wheel. The interactive color wheel here, is based on RGB/HEX values; In my guide I also refer to the RYB values. All of these systems can help you understand color theory and apply it in your photography.
Let's take a closer look.
COMPLEMENTARY
two colors that are located directly opposite each other on the color wheel.
sPLIT COMPLEMENTARY
similar to the complementary color scheme, but one of the complements is split between colors to the left and right.
tRIADIC
three colors that are equal distances from each other on the color wheel.
tETRADIC
also known as double complementary as this is two pairs of complementary colors.
MONOCHROMATIC
tints and shades of a single color.
ANALOGOUS
colors that are next to each other on the color wheel
HUE
SATURATION
VALUE
TONE
SHADE
TINT
What the color is
How strong or weak a color is
How light or dark a color is
Any pure hue with gray added
Any pure hue with black added
Any pure hue with white added