Cheryl Machat Dorskind

Hamptons Photographer | Photo Instruction

Yellow

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Yellow Color Meaning

Daffodils, forsythia, buttercups, lemons, bumble bees, tulips, butter, bananas, ducks, sunflowers, taxis, “third prize,” sunshine, the road not taken, yellow submarine, yellow brick road, pencils.
Few colors have yellow’s ambivalence. Sometimes the hue (another word for color) evokes energy, spirituality, hope, happiness, warmth, sunlight, and enlightenment and at other times, yellow color connotes envy, danger, sickness, madness and deceit.
Yellow, the lightest of colors, has long been enamored by artists. The works of Vincent Van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne transverse the yellow spectrum ranging from canary yellow, lemon chiffon and gold to ochre and raw sienna. Like many painters, photographers celebrate yellow — it is our natural light paint brush.
sunflowers-rain-yellow photo
 

With Van Gogh’s painting “Rain – La Pluie” in mind, (having seen it at the Philadelphia Museum or Art), I photographed this field of sunflowers in the rain. (If you look closely you will see the rain scratching the foreground). I created a yellow border to frame the image.

yellow-color-magic-hour
The afternoon light in my bedroom is a photographer’s dream. I have fun setting up still lives and have been doing this for years. Canon 5 D M II; Canon 24-105 mm f/4L @ 58 mm; f/5 @ 1/80, ISO 1250, manual exposure mode. I did not have time to set up a tripod as I knew the glow would last only minutes. I raised the ISO to a fast speed to capture the dancing sunlight. This image is straight out of the camera, (no post processing), and a wonderful example of yellow light.
 

Yellow Color Theory

Yellow is a pigment primary and a light secondary. It is a warm color and sits adjacent to orange and red on the color wheel. Violet is its complement. Yellow stimulates the nervous system, encourages communication, but can cause fatigue and eyestrain. Yellow often energizes and for many, seeing the color yellow awakens their inner child. Consider the properties of yellow I have discussed and work the color strategically into your compositions and empower your photography.
 

color-wheel
This is the YRB (yellow, red, and blue) color wheel. Yellow, the lightest of colors often is depicted on top. The color wheel is rich with color theory information. Join me for an online class and I will teach you all about color and how to use it to create better photos.

 
Complementary Colors: Yellow and violet are complementary colors located across from each other on the color wheel. Richly saturated or pale tints of yellow and violet, when paired together create color harmony.

 
mother-son-portrait-yellow-shirt
Dressing a child in a yellow shirt adds happiness and warmth to the image. Canon 5D MII; Canon 24-105 mm f4L; 105 mm, f18 @ 1/120 ISO 125 +.33, aperture priority exposure mode

 
Yellow, the lightest color on the spectrum, appears nearly white in its lightest tint. Painting the scene with the correct camera exposure (and post processing) adds just the right ambiance, narrating love and happiness. Canon 5D MII; Canon 24-105 mm f4L, f10 @1/160 +.33, ISO 320; aperture priority exposure mode

Join me for my online 4-week photography class, All About Color to learn about color properties, the color wheel, and how to enhance your compositions using color theory and color psychology. I will also be offering the sequel, More About Color this July and October.
 

Cheryl teaches the following online classes at bpsop:

  • Painting Photos

  • Photographing Children Naturally

  • The Art of Self Portraiture

  • Painting Photos

  • More About Color

The online photography classes run every four weeks. Sign up today and take your photography to the next level.
Hope to see you in class.

This post was originally published in April 2012 and has been completely updated for comprehensiveness and added insights.

 
 
 

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