As part of a rounded student experience, as well as all the tutor feedback that IOP® students can expect as part of their online photography courses, we also offer weekly tutor projects that help to hone your skills.
The last week of April saw a project set on the use of colour in composition.
Often in photography, we consider the placement of objects within the frame, but not enough time is spent on how colour impacts a composition. Use of colour can change the balance of a composition, for better and sometimes for worse.
We asked students to look at the colour that is all around us and in many many different forms. The use of colour could be rich and warm, cool and calming, or even sombre and unnerving.
There were some excellent results – here they are:
Winner Stefan Van Egmond
Tutor Michael said: “The vibrancy of colour in this shot is really beautiful. It’s pin sharp and the composition is so pleasing on the eye – those lanterns just drift out of view. I also like the fact that we have an evening shot here, and not only that, but the exposure on the lanterns has plunged everything else into darkness, so they almost float free of context, making the shot carry an ambiguity where we focus simply on colour and shape.
Great work!”
Commendable Mention Pam Gurney
Tutor Michael said “This shot is so pleasing on the eye. Those different shades of blue and the textures of the smooth rock against the jagged, clustered edges of the muscles, all filling the frame entirely, develops such a calming feel. Similar to Stefan, you have stripped the shot of context and left us with a very specific focus, but unlike Stefan, you are focusing on just one colour, and it’s such a gorgeous colour!
The only thing that let’s this shot down is that slow shutter speed. You simply can’t get away with shooting 1/50 without getting camera shake/blur, and unfortunately there is some here. My advice would be to get back to that exact spot and reshoot, just so you can have this image absolutely perfect.
Despite this, it has enough merit to win a commendable mention, so well done!”
We have picked some of our other favourites here. Well done to everyone who entered.
