Creative Collective 026: Using Color for Dramatic Pictures

The Big Ocean Fort Stevens SP, ORFujifilm X-E4 – “Fujicolor Super HG

Want the subject in your picture to stand out? There are a few tricks: leading lines, composition, contrast, and color theory (an underutilized tool that seems to be used more often by accident than on purpose). Of course, the problem with color theory is that it can get complex and there are varying schools of thought. There are entire classes in college dedicated to this subject. I prefer simplicity, so we’ll take the easy route as we dive into color theory for photography.

Subscribe to get access

Read more of this content when you join the Fuji X Weekly Creative Collective today! Click here to learn more.

Photoessay: Passing Through Nevada, Part 1: Color

49125341696_46c0f1fa43_c

Nevada Motel – Boulder City, NV – Fujifilm X-T30

I’ve passed through Nevada many times, often only stopping for gas or lunch. It never seems to be my destination. I’m headed somewhere else, and I have to go through the Silver State to get to where I’m going. While I have stayed longer than a few hours, most of the time I’m through Nevada so quickly that it’s easy to forget that I was ever there. The photographs in this article were captured during those times where I just passed through, and didn’t stay. In fact, many of them were captured from inside my car. I hope that you enjoy this set!

49098028718_415de8cbc7_c

No Parking Allowed – Las Vegas, NV – Fujifilm X-T30

47838217951_4485b41412_c

God Knows If You’re Prepared – Las Vegas, NV – Fujifilm X-T30

47786065612_f95a4eb455_c

Review-Journal – Las Vegas, NV – Fujifilm X-T30

49098722807_f362671836_c

Sky Obscured By Structure – Las Vegas, NV – Fujifilm X-T30

33960816838_4bda8706a5_c

Red Cranes – Las Vegas, NV – Fujifilm X-T30

47048633254_d4811a23f9_c

Crappy Odds – Las Vegas, NV – Fujifilm X-T30

Part 2: Monochrome

10 Old Color Slides

48417328922_d68775cdd4_c

I opened up a box in the garage. I was looking for something, and I hoped that I would find it in there. The box had been packed for many years. It was loaded and closed up when I moved from Arizona to California in 2011. I guess whatever was in there wasn’t important, because it remained closed for many years. I commented about this box to my wife once, “Let’s just toss it, since we obviously don’t need whatever is in there.” I’m glad that I never followed through with that, because when I dug through the contents of the box I discovered some old slides that I had forgotten about.

It was fun to look at the old slides, most of which I had captured in 1999, but a few were from 1998, and some as recently as 2005. It was great to reminisce as I viewed the different pictures. Most of the exposures weren’t particularly good. Something that I have discovered over the years is that I was never as good of a photographer as I thought I was. Time has a way of humbling you, I think. While there are a few decent shots, some pictures that I really thought were worthwhile are actually cringe-worthy. Still, I separated the “best” slides from the rest and had them scanned. I never scan my old slides because it’s expensive to do so, but I thought it would be fun to do it in this case.

The Kodachromes appear to have a cool color cast, but in reality they don’t. That’s the difference between scanning them and viewing them through a projector or light table. I could have corrected that in software, but I chose not to. The Elite Chrome 200 shot is clearly fading, showing discoloration from age and inappropriate storage. Elite Chrome was a version of Ektachrome, and Ektachrome has been referred to as Fade-a-chrome for not having an especially long shelf life. It looks kind of neat, though, so I had it scanned. The actual slide seems a tad more red/purple than the digital version, but it’s close. In the early days, a lot of my photography had transportation themes, such as trains, trucks and airplanes, so you see that represented here (mostly trains). Even though these are old pictures, and despite the only Fujifilm connection being the singular Provia frame, I thought it might be worthwhile to share. I hope that you appreciate the ten slides below.

48746450172_49b3f84079_c

Night Train – Plano, TX – Canon AE-1 & Kodachrome 64 – 1999

48746453807_f56a432d4b_c

Sunrise Tracks – Floyd, TX – Canon AE-1 & Elite Chrome 100 –  1999

48746416248_efd478e37f_c

DGNO Locomotive – Dallas, TX – Canon AE-1 & Elite Chrome 200 – 1999

48746451967_d914c42a03_c

Moving Tracks – Palestine, TX – Canon AE-1 & Ektachrome E100VS – 1999

48745937073_7836a374cf_c

Colorful Circles – Greenville, TX – Canon AE-1 & Ektachrome E100VS – 1999

48746268506_724e2f72ac_c

Camaro & Caboose – Farmersville, TX – Canon AE-1 & Kodachrome 64 – 1999

48746450442_2703ed029a_c

Kansas City Southern – Plano, TX – Canon AE-1 & Kodachrome 64 – 1999

48746269931_b4c9d3b72e_c

Lake Michigan From Sears Tower – Chicago, IL – Promaster 2500PK & Provia 100F – 2005

48746269731_3983b1e729_c

Flat Ball – Surprise, AZ – Promaster 2500PK & Elite Chrome 100 – 2004

48746326401_dcd4f20a6a_c

Grand Canyon Summer – Grand Canyon NP, AZ – Canon AE-1 & Ektachrome E100SW – 2000