In this literary recommendation, we will talk about the secrets of color in photography by Bryan Peterson, a well-known photographer who defines himself as a color photographer.
Color is what drives you to take pictures, and the lynchpin of every photographic decision you make. One only has to take a look at his images to see that this is really so. He is a color genius and, until now, he had never written anything on the subject.
So we are in luck, finally, a work entirely dedicated to color in depth. I present to you the secrets of color in photography. The use of color, composition, and exposure in creating vivid photographs .
THE SECRETS OF COLOR IN PHOTOGRAPHY IS IDEAL FOR…
This book is ideal for anyone who wants to understand and handle color from its very essence. That is, you will work the color from the camera itself, from the same stage. Through light, exposure, white balance, or composition.
It is not about learning to edit color, but about getting a spectacular image from the camera itself, just like, until the advent of digital photography, we did with analog cameras .
Consequently, you will find a very complete book with detailed information on color, with tricks to help you see in color, to expose correctly, to compose through its complementaries, its visual weight, etc.
THE SECRETS OF COLOR IN PHOTOGRAPHY
THE USE OF COLOR, COMPOSITION AND EXPOSURE IN THE CREATION OF VIVID PHOTOGRAPHS
This book is based on an introduction and 4 main themes:
- Introduction
- Light, exposure and color
- color and composition
- color and atmosphere
- Using tools to enhance color
Let's see them in more detail.
INTRODUCTION
In the introduction Bryan Peterson talks briefly about how he came to color, what makes him want to take pictures, and how this book will teach you to see in color and achieve your own vision.
His photographic vision comes from within and is of vital importance to his artistic way of creating images. As an artist, you are solely responsible for your vision, the sole owner of the creative process.
Bryan Peterson
LIGHT, EXPOSURE AND COLOR
In this chapter you will learn aspects such as how light influences color, how to get a correct exposure, white balance and color temperature or how to capture realistic skin tones.
COLOR AND COMPOSITION
In this complete chapter, topics such as how to use color to create impactful images will be covered, you will know what the color wheel is, what additive or subtractive colors are and how to use them.
It will also deal with complementary colors, analogous colors, monochromatic colors on the chromatic circle , or themes such as color, visual weight, etc.
COLOR AND ATMOSPHERE
In this chapter, the author will deal with the psychology of color. You will see one by one the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, white and black. What each color symbolizes, if they move forward or backward, what are their complements, etc.
USING TOOLS TO ENHANCE COLOR
Although it is not a book on color editing, because its objective is to achieve the perfect image in situ , it does dedicate a small section to color editing in Photoshop, where you can learn four brush strokes to improve your image.
DETAILS
- Title: The secrets of COLOR in photography. The use of color, composition and exposure in the creation of vivid photographs
- Author: Bryan Peterson
- Original title: Understanding color in Photography
- Softcover: 144 pages
- Publisher: Guardian
- Language: Spanish
- Dimensions: 21.5 x 28 cm cm (approx.)
- Price: €20.90
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bryan Peterson is an international photographer, known around the world for his courses and publications, and is the founder of the online school The Bryan Peterson School of Photography (www.bpsop.com). He has won numerous awards in art and design magazines.
OTHER POSTS BY BRYAN PETERSON
- The secrets of the photographic exhibition. You can see our review here .
- The Secrets of Photography. Field Guide
- Learning to See Creatively
- The Secrets Of Photographic Composition. Field Guide
- The photographic exhibition. challenges and solutions
- The secrets of flash photography
THE BEST
As usual with this author, it is a very didactic and easy-to-read book, based on simple (not simple) and synthesized explanations. In it nothing is superfluous.
It also stands out from this book that it has a very visual format, with large, quality images and that the pages have a photographic finish, as I like photography books to be;).
You also have numerous examples and tricks and it is of a good size, which allows you to enjoy the photographs but at the same time it is not a heavy format.
WORST
There is no worse if you know what you are looking for in a book on color. If you are looking for a book on editing and color retouching, this is not your book, as it hardly talks about it.
CONCLUSIONS
In short, this is an essential photography book for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the essence of color, learn to see in color and have the image before even thinking about taking out the camera.
With it you will learn to squeeze the contrasts, the complementary colors, the psychology that each of them is associated with. When you learn to see in color, nothing will be the same ;).
I hope you found this review useful, if you liked it and you think someone else might be interested in learning about it, feel free to share it on your favorite social networks ? See you in the next article.
