Outdoor Photography How To

When it comes to photography, there’s color and then there’s COLOR! In other words, sometimes you want to take a subtle approach while other times the goal is to create eye-popping images—either by choosing vivid subjects, using certain camera settings and shooting techniques, employing a bit of editing wizardry, or a combination of the above.

According to pro shooter Jamie Windsor, the good or bad use of color is one of the biggest factors in why some photographic work looks amateurish while other imagery is absolutely stunning. In this tutorial he provides eight shooting and editing tips for photos with vibrant color.

Windsor uses striking images from notable photographers to demonstrate his tips. Along the way he also answers important questions like, “Why do some color combinations work so well?” and “How much color is too much?” And he insists that learning how to use, control, and edit color is a vital part of color photography.

So whether you want to take a natural approach, or hit viewers over the head, Windsor’s simple tips, tricks, ideas, and techniques will definitely help you use color more effectively and create better images. And part of all that is knowing how to properly tweak colors during the editing process.

The video begins with the notion of making color the subject of a photograph. So instead of going out with the intent of shooting wildlife, landscape scenes, or portraits, try walking around the block looking for vibrant cars, flowers, architectural details, and other colorful objects and composing your shots accordingly.

Windsor also discusses how to create vivid images that are abstract or surreal, and he demonstrates the power of colorful lighting. He also provides enough color theory to help you grasp his tips. Then he closes with a quick discussion about editing.

You can learn more about photography on Windsor’s YouTube channel, and don’t miss our earlier post with timesaving tips for editing color with whatever software you use.