Chic and Unique : Color Theory & Coordinating Your Wardrobe
Discover chic and unique ways to fashionably color coordinate your wardrobe for photos and décor per Sir Isaac Newton's theory of the color wheel.
"Click Above"
Developed in 1666 by Sir Isaac Newton & was the basis for color theory.
In 1666, Sir Isaac Newton was the first to understand the rainbow and how it refracts white light with a prism creating the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. AKA- “ROY G BIV.” Prisms cause light of different colors to refract differently leaving the prism at various angles creating a rainbow. The spinning of a circular color wheel tricks the human eye to see the color white, where all light is stemmed from. Light is responsible for color which reminds us how rainbows are created by the reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets falling from the sky on a rainy day.
Twelve hues:
Red, Red-Orange, Orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow, Yellow-Green,
Green, Blue-Green, Blue, Blue-Purple, Purple, Red-Purple
Primary Colors: Red, Yellow, Blue
Secondary Colors: Green, Orange, Violet
Hue: color in its purest form
Tint: shade of a variety of color
Tone: mixture of a color with gray or by both tinting and shading
Shade: darkening of a color
Warm Colors: hues or reds, oranges, yellow
Complements warmer skin tones
Gold jewelry
Cool Colors: derived from shades of blue; greens, violets, light pink
Complements pale skin
Silver jewelry
Neutral Colors: black, beige, taupe, olive
Complements all skin tones
Silver or gold jewelry
Planning clothing combinations for an upcoming photo shoot?
Things to consider:
- Photos may be displayed and framed at homes, so envisioning home color decor colors are important.
- Think about what statement you would like to make and if you would rather have bright, dark or neutral colors.
- Textures are always great!
- Dress for the season and consider location background colors.
- Make sure everyone is comfortable in their outfit and feels good.
- Consider the amount of people in a group and dress accordingly per gender and age.
- Accessorize!
- Men-tie/bow tie, handkerchief, belt, shirt (tucked in vs untucked), ironed, buttoned fully or not.
- Women-hats, jewelry, scarves, belts, clips, headbands.
- Shoes- if they get dirty easily and if an outdoor shoot, plan accordingly and bring extra shoes for walking (flats/flip flops).
- Have fun, take risks and be unique!
Things to avoid:
- Being too matchy, matchy, but rather complement each other.
- Limit patterns within a large group. Everyone wearing the same pattern distracts the image.
- Since these photos will be timeless kept safe memories, try not to wear characters on clothing and avoid large logos.
- Avoid all blacks or all white clothing when with a large group. The subjects tend to blend into each other.
Colors directly opposite each other on the color wheel. Usually high contrast and bold look.
Start with a primary color as a base for the look and complement with accessories.
Harmonious color schemes that use three or more adjacent colors on the color wheel.
One color should dominate while the others support.
A color combination of just one color for the subject, attire, makeup, props and/or background.
Dimensional look where you choose one color and two adjacent tertiary colors of its complement.
One color dominates, second color supports and third color is an accent.
Evenly spaced out on wheel. Combine every fourth color on the basic color wheel.
Color schemes that use two complementary pairs.
Color Blocking
Contrasting blocks or panels of solid, typically bright colors.
Other fun combinations
