Primary and secondary colours

The exercise required the shooting of three photographs for each of the six colours of the standard colour wheel: green, yellow, orange, red, violet and blue.  One exposure was as the meter reading indicated (the higher middle image), and then one half a stop brigher (to the left) and the other half a stop darker (to the right).  I have then marked which image most closely matches the colour in the wheel.

The instructions recommended shooting natural colours, so my first attempts were shot in a garden centre in an attempt to capture nature's colours:

Green

1/180s - f/9.5

1/250s - f/9.5

1/125s - f/9.5

 For these greens, taken of rosemary plants, it is hard to say.  The sun was quite bright, but I think that the darker image (1/250s) is the closest match.

Yellow

1/350s - f/9.5

1/500s - f/9.5

1/250s - f/9.5

 

None of these yellow flowers match the yellow of the colour wheel - they are too light.  The colour wheel yellow is darker - more of an egg yolk colour.

Orange

1/180s - f/9.5

1/250s - f/9.5

1/125s - f/9.5

The image that most closely matches the colour wheel is the darkest image the 1/250s; but this is significantly darker than the one used in the course materials, so a truer match would be the correctly exposed image at 1/180s.

Red

1/90s - f/9.5

1/60s - f/9.5

1/125s - f/9.5

 

The brightest image, 1/60s, most closely matches the colour wheel; the others are too dark. 

Violet

1/90s - f/9/5

1/60s - f/9.5

1/125s - f/9.5

None of these violets are close to the colour wheel; the colour wheel violet is a much darker colour.

Blue

1/350s - f/9.5

1/500s - f/9.5

1/250s - f/9.5

None of these blues are close to the colour wheel; the colour wheel blue is a much darker colour- more of a royal blue - these are more cerulean in colour.  But there are patches on the flowers that are close to a darker blue - these are more prominent in the underexposed shot at 1/500s.

After flowers, I then tried my hand at fruit and veg:

Green

1/125s - f/4.8

1/90s - f/4.8

1/180s - f/4.8

Macro shot of some Asian vegetables, the metered reading of 1/25s is the closest to the green of the colour wheel.

1/250s - f/4.8

1/350s - f/4.8

1/180s - f/4.8

In this case, a macro shot of a different kind of Asian vegetable, the 1/180s is the closest to the green of the colour wheel.

Yellow

1/125s - f/9.5

1/90s - f/9.5

1/180s - f/9.5

Boxes of mangoes, also shot with a macro lens.  In this collection, the shot that is half a stop underexposed is the closest to the yellow on the colour wheel, although still a little darker.  In reality mangoes are more orange than this, they are reflecting bright sunlight.

1/90s - f/4.8

1/60s - f/4.8

1/125s - f/4.8

Lemons, a  more acidic yellow than mangoes.  The underexposed shot at 1/60s is the closest to the colour wheel yellow; the others are too dark, but this is because they were in the shade.

Orange

1/60s - f/4.8

1/90s - f/4.8

1/45s - f/4.8

Also shot in the shade, the underexposed shot at 1/45s is the closest match to the colour wheel.

1/30s - f4.8

1/20s - f/4.8

1/45s - f4.8

Tumeric roots shot in the shade; the metered exposure at 1/30s is the closest to the colour wheel.

Red

1/90s - f/9.5

1/125s - f/9.5

1/60s - f/9.5

Shiny tomatoes ripening in the sun; the metered exposure at 1/90s is the closest red to the colour wheel.

1/180s - f/4.2

1/250s - f/4.2

1/125s - f/4.2

A single raspberry placed on a window sill to ensure maximum light (on a dark day...) shot using a macro lens with the camera set to ISO 800 to ensure maximum colour.   None of the images matches the colour wheel red really closely - these are all too pink.  I think there are patches on the lighter two - the 1/180s and the underexposed 1/125s that qualify - but still too pink really.  The overexposed shot has intensified the pinkness.

Violet

1/125s - f/4.8

1/90s - f/4.8

1/180s - f/4.8

 






These sweet potatoes were more of a pinkish colour in reality, but in the shade and with the darkest exposure, 1/180s, the colour is very close to the violet of the colour wheel - just a touch too red!

1/30s - f/4.8

1/45s - f/4.8

1/20s - f4/8

Shiney baby aubergines, a very dark shade of violet.  The lighter patches on the lightest exposure of 1/20s are just about the violet of the colour wheel, but really the overall colour is too blue to be accurate.

Blue

The only blue fruit and veg I could think of was blueberries.  I know you can get blue potatoes but not in Feltham...These blueberries were shot with a macro lens with the blueberries placed in a bowl on the window sill with the camera set to !SO 800 to try to get as much blueness as possible.

1/90s - f4

1/60s - f/4

1/125s - f4

These results are quite interesting; for a start the blueberries aren't the same blue as the colour wheel - these are more of an indigo colour rather than a royal blue.  What happens in the under exposed image is that the blue becomes blacker and in the underexposed image more washed out.  But the shade of blue doesn't change.