Studying Color - The Color Wheel and Complementary Colors

 

The Color Wheel

Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_wheel

 
Reading a new series of posts about on JPG Magazine's blog has me remembering middle school art class, and thinking about color schemes.
 
(Click Here) to read about the complementary colors red and green (for the holidays) on JPG Magazine's blog.
 
Complementary colors are defined as those that will make gray when combined. In a simpler sense, they are colors that lie opposite (or near opposite) one another on the color wheel. Use of complementary colors can make for dramatic images.
 
There are some very nice examples in the blog link above.
 
So do I have any examples of using complementary colors in my own work? Here's one:
 

Koi and Lily, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Lumix 45-200mm f4-5.6 at 97mm

iso 100, f5.6, 1/60 sec

 
And here's one you may have seen posted here before.
 

Beautiful Obsolesence, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3, Pana-Leica 25mm f1.4 Summilux

iso 160, f5.6, 1/160 sec

 
I like the JPG blog. There is already a follow-up post on other complementary colors. I don't think that I consciously picked this color combination in the shots above, but they must have caught my eye.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Mesmerizing Tree Photo by Andy Bell

Blue Tree in Fog, by Andy Bell

Image Source: http://www.deceptivemedia.co.uk/photoblog

 
I find this image, well as I said above, mesmerizing. I have always been partial to tree photographs. I think for me it's got something to do with scale - from a trunk whose diameter can be measured in feet to tiny branch ends, as small as you care to measure, and spread all across the field of view. There's sort of a built-in mystery in a picture like this, even without the fog.
 
This one just wraps it all together so well. No distractions, significant vignetting, but in a way that adds to the composition.
 
Andy made this shot with a Panasonic DMC-GF2 and Lumix 45-200 f4-5.6 lens.
 
(Click Here) to go to Andy's site for more.
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

Olympus OM-D and Lumix 45-200mm Zoom - Nice Horseback Pictures by caimi on mu-43.com

 

Image Source: http://www.mu-43.com/f57/hunter-derby-11-11-12-a-36240/

Olympus OM-D, Panasonic Lumix 45-200mm f4-5.6 Lens

 
Member caimi posted several very nice pictures from a horseback riding event, all shot with the Olympus OM-D and Panasonic 45-200mm f4-5.6 lens.
 
(Click Here) to see the full post on mu-43.com
 
I bought the Lumix 45-200 with my first Micro 4/3 camera, the DMC-G1. It is an awesome lens - very compact, fast, and sharp. I sold it when I moved to the 14-140mm f4-5.8 and the 100-300mm f4-5.6. I believe the 45-200 is sharper than the 14-140. The 100-300 is so good, I can't say either one is better in the range where they overlap.
 

Ducking Parade, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Lumix 45-200mm f4-5.6 Lens

iso 400, f6.3, 1/640 sec.

 
 
 

Goldfinch, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Lumix 45-200mm f4-5.6 Lens

iso 400, f5.6, 1/500 sec.

Nothing wrong with the 45-200, even though it was one of the first Lumix Micro 4/3 lenses.

DMC-365.blogspot.com

Cool Olympus EM-5 Shots of Kayakers In Action!

 

Image Source: http://www.mu-43.com/f57/kayakers-over-falls-29351/

 
Member jon595 on mu-43.com posted a great series of kayaker pictures - all shot with the Olympus OM-5 and Panasonic 45-200mm lens.
 
(Click Here) to see the rest on mu-43.com
 
Apparently, they were dropping off a 20' fall.
 
While I very much like the feeling of being right there with the kayakers that was accomplished with the telephoto lens, I would also love to see more wider angle shots, including the scale of the drop. Maybe that vantage point was inaccessible? Anyway, these are great.
 
Here's one of my own, shot from high above the Potomac River at Great Falls, Virginia. I was not able to get closer to them.
 

Kayaker, by Reed A. George

Nikon D700, Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm f4-5.6

iso 200, f8, 1/500 sec

 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 

It's Springtime in the Audubon Garden in Charleston, South Carolina - Lumix 45-200mm f4-5.6

Poster isabel95 on mu-43.com posted this image of a male anole, signaling for a girlfriend in the Audubon Magnolia Plantation Garden, in Charleston, South Carolina.
 
(Click Here) for the original post.
 

Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/isabel95/7094862123/

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 and Lumix 45-200mm f4-5.6

 
The Lumix 45-200mm lens was one of the very first Micro 4/3 lenses offered by Panasonic. It's range has been encroached (not fully in either case) by the newer 14-140mm f4-5.8 and the 100-300mm f4-5.6 lenses. I had the 45-200, and sold it when I got the two newer lenses. While the 100-300 is a superior lens for wildlife in my opinion, the 14-140 suffers a little in image quality as compared to the 45-200, especially at the longer focal lengths. I still have images from the 45-200 on my wall. That says something about the lens.
 

Goldfinch, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1, Lumix 45-200 f4-5.6

iso400, f5.6, 1/500 sec

 
Because of its age (only), the 45-200 is remarkably inexpensive these days. You can find it used for less than $200 if you look for a while. If you're considering this lens, I would say go for it. It is a perfect companion to the kit zoom, and would be my recommendation for a second zoom for anyone on a budget, but looking to expand their capabilities.
 
Notice, I said "second zoom." I would always recommend the awesome Lumix 20mm f1.7 as a second lens, but it's a prime (fixed focal length) lens. The combination of a kit lens (14-45 or 14-42), the 20mm f1.7, and the 45-200 would make a relatively inexpensive yet highly flexible kit. It was my Micro 4/3 kit for quite a while (with the DMC-G1 body).
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com
 
 
 
 
DMC-365.blogspot.com