Uncommon Perspective: Seeing in Color

Is your world monochromatic?  Would you like to increase your awareness of color in the world around you?  The members of Uncommon Perspective, AIM’s still photography club, will be seeing the world from a multi-colored perspective at our June 11, 2012, meeting. 

For the project assignment for this meeting, we are focusing on color.  The following exercise is designed to challenge every level of photographer.  You don’t need fancy equipment—only a willingness to open yourself up to color and access to some kind of camera.

1. Pick a color from among the following choices: yellow, orange, red, green, blue, purple.  This color should be one that you don’t usually pay much attention to so that your pictures will show that you are really looking at color and not just glancing at what you are naturally drawn towards. NOTE:  Black, white, grey, and brown—regardless of tint or hue—are NOT among the potential choices.
   
2. Each day remind yourself of your chosen color and start looking for it in the world around you—you do not have to stick to a particular tint or hue—you are looking for that color in all its variety. 
   
3. Whenever you have a camera handy and see that color, try to take a picture that captures that color and that color only—it should be clear that the photo is about your chosen color. The goal is to find the chosen color—Don’t pose, juxtapose, or construct anything—you see it and you shoot it as best you can.
   
4. Select two photos with which you are pleased and email them to Ned Dickert and/or put them on a flashdrive. 
   
5. Join other Uncommon Perspective members at our next meeting at AIM at 7:00 PM on June 11, 2012, to share your results and see color from the perspective of your colleagues. 

ABOUT US

"We are not interested in the unusual, but in the usual seen unusually."—Beaumont Newhall

The goal of Uncommon Perspective is to provide useful feedback to members on the content and style of their images so that we can all grow as photographers. We are open to all AIM members.  Non-AIM members are welcome to check us out.  Although our focus is on still photography, cinematographers can gain useful practice with lighting, composition, tone, and so forth, so please join us.