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I while ago I blogged about How to Compose a Photograph and there are some basic rules in there you should review if you’re not already familiar with them.

So let’s assume then that you are comfortable with the rule of thirds spelled out in that article, which in essence spells out that your subject matter should be located somewhere one-third of the way in from the outside border of the image — either top to bottom and preferably both. The question is, what do you do if the subject of your photograph is yellow against a green background? What do you do if you’ve got your shiny new digital camera pointed right at a beautiful brown tree silhouetted against a blue lake?

Ah… this is where color theory comes into play. Now, I won’t claim to be any sort of expert on this. There are plenty of them out there. But basic color theory is critical to understand if you are going to be serious about photography. The fact is, human eyes are designed to make some colors appear more dominant than others.

What are the most dominant colors? The basic three — in this order — you absolutely must know:

1. Yellow
2. Red
3. Blue

Blue will overpower most colors (one reason the bluish tone in shadows can be so noticeable sometimes). Red will overpower blue. And yellow is the king of colors. I guess that’s why crowns are…yellow? Well, you get the idea.

I’m sure you are wondering why, but that is beyond the purpose of this article. And frankly, it’s a bit beyond my own intellect! If you are more interested in color theory, there are many good articles on the Internet.

But for our purposes as photographers, we really only need to understand the big three here, since they are the ones that most commonly present themselves in the real world.

Take a look at my photo of a Chinese New Year celebration above. I think this clearly demonstrates two of the three colors and how they compete. Clearly, the yellow in the image is overpowering — and not just because there is more of it. The red, while not as strong as the yellow, overpowers the man’s black legs and the grey white wall of the background. And did you even notice the green of the dragon’s eyes?

What this means is that when we compose a photograph, we must bear in mind not only the outright composition — such as the rule of thirds — but the colors that make up that photograph. For example, how would one photograph a beautiful green leaf against a background of yellow flowers? Not too easily. The fact is, if a dominant color is in your photograph and it is not the subject, then you’d better get it out of there. Otherwise, viewers will see only the dominant color and the photo will fail.

I know. It sounds harsh. But it’s just the way the human eye works. Trust me. I’ve screwed up enough photographs to have learned the hard way.

So for example, let’s say you’re photographing a picture of a crowd with a lot of people all wearing different colors. Be mindful that the strongest of those colors, yellow, red and blue, should not be located in places where the viewer’s eye might find it distracting (the edge of the image, for example).

Bearing this color rule in mind will not only make a tremendous difference in your photography, it will also help you in the “digital darkroom” later, since you can selectively enhance or mute certain colors to your liking. Of course, it’s always better to get it right while shooting in the field in the first place.

Now if you’re smart — and no doubt you are — you have already figured out a flaw in this whole formula. You’re saying “Wait a minute, Chris, what if I want to shoot black and white photography?” Ah. You got me. It’s true, the standard rules of color don’t cut it in a black and white world. But guess what? There are some tricks in black and white photography that are essentially based in color theory.

More on that in a later post… so stick around!

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