What Do Colours Convey?

Not many people realise the importance of how colour affects our perception and our mood. The fact is that colour can help make a picture look exciting, serene and at times even melancholic.

Due to the use of a single colour, one’s attention is drawn towards the texture of the wall and the valves. Photograph/Sajith P Surendran

Here, for instance, the bright yellow dominating the frame evokes an emotion of happiness and lends a cheerful vibe. On the other hand, if this were a photograph of a bright red coloured wall, it would have felt more intense. Red usually suggests love, passion, danger and even anger. Blue tones make a scene look calm and serene, on the other hand, pink is associated with care and acceptance.

While shooting on the street, one can come across many colours. Although lesser colours in a frame can look more attractive, neat and focused, a frame fi lled with colour can also look good. Shooting a single tone is challenging, but you can choose to do this when you want to draw attention to the shapes and graphical elements in your frame.

—Sajith P Surendran