There is a name for the technique I’m about to show you but seeing as I don’t know it, and seeing as the technique itself is more important, I’l focus on that. very soon yoU’ll see exactly what I’m talking about anyway. I recentley read a question from a newbie in a forum about how to take great photos , and couldn’t beleive the answers he was getting. Really stupid answers from so-called proffessionals. I think the worst one mentioned “luck”. And the one worse than that? Skill. Ok, being a pro photographer isn’t easy, but like so many things , when someone inquires about the secret to improving or doing something really well, no-one has the balls to risk their reputation by mentioning the truth in rule-form. So here goes.
Lets say you want to take a really good looking landscape picture. If you are just starting then you shouldn’t aim for something too big and be prepared to spend a bit of time playing with the contrast at the end! Although this guide is gritty, it will get you original photos with a “spark”.
Start with the landscape of somewhere close to you that is familiar to you. Remember! Keep it to just a few colours.
Observations
I had a look round on the web and found that most proffessional photographers don’t try and match more than 3 or four colours, because unless you’re creating the landscape, it is very difficult to find more than that number of colours that match. So a good piece of advice is to look for two or three colours that match and then after that you can look for more.
Just remember the light can change the colour of an item so you may want to start at night or when it is a little bit dark. Look at the picture below:


Work out all the colours on the picture, you can do this just by looking at what you are going to take picture of, ask yourself if these colours match. Don’t worry if your camera is not that good, you can adjust the contract to make the colours lighter or deeper. Remember, the backbone to taking a good picture is having colours that go well together, so as a beginner try and start with 2 or 3 strong ones. Like the example here. (photo philip johnston)
Things to remember
- Although you may have some colours in your picture that do not match just make sure they do not take up too much space.
- Lots of photos have basic colour combination like shades of orange blue and white.
- It is easier to take a good photo if you zoom in to start with and then make the picture a little bit bigger as you get better.
- The more things that are in your picture the more you have to control.
- Be prepared to add a few props- as mentioned above, if you start small then this will make things easier.
- You may find it is better to take the same picture at night, as the colours will change.
- It may take a while to get your colours right at first but you will soon speed up!
Finally, Take the photo. Work out how any colours are in the picture. You may find it is better to take the same picture at night. Good luck!