


But it’s worth noting that she really does not resemble a legend, an icon or an idol in these pictures. In 1953, her biggest, brightest roles in Bus Stop, The Seven Year Itch, and the American Film Institute’s greatest American comedy of all time, Some Like It Hot were still ahead of her, as were her unlucky marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller and her increasingly lonely, desperate last years. What’s perhaps most striking about these photos, especially in light of all we now know about Marilyn’s fraught and deeply sad life, is how relaxed, self-possessed and (dare we say it?) how happy she looks.
#Color portraits movie#
The point was that I was getting the separation I wanted.In a quiet tribute to Marilyn Monroe, presents a series of color pictures by Alfred Eisenstaedt, made at the movie legend’s Hollywood home more in the spring of 1953, when the actress was just 26. The green also helped to accent the deep green of her eyes and the colours played well together. Fortunately she also had this great green coat which helped me frame the bottom edge of the image too and draw the focus into the middle of the frame. The Complimentary Colour for red on the Colour Wheel is cyan, but there was no cyan to hand to use as a backdrop so I tried the next two best options: green and blue (which strictly speaking is triad theory in the graphic above, but I think you'll get the idea).įirst I lined her up with a rich green background to make the red of her hair pop and it worked quite well.

So the pink of the scarf and red of her hair give us an Analogous Colour theme, but now I have to separate her from the background. I say "I", but she brought along this pink scarf for the shoot deliberately, and as a costume designer herself, she understood that the combination of the pinks and reds works well together in colour theory. Let's take the next two shots of Moonika to demonstrate. They will give you the greatest separation from fore-background, whilst playing nicely together. In colour theory they are called 'Complimentary Colours' (Red/Cyan). If you place these sort of colours together, especially in styling, you can create depth and interest while still playing on a theme.

These are colours which sit close to each other on the colour wheel (Pink/Red). So it may look very complicated, but let me break down just two of the things I try and stay aware of:Īnalogous Colours can add thematic interest. Darker hues are better suited for this kind of family photographs. At least knowing this stuff in the back of my mind often helps me to work out when something just 'looks wrong' and I can't figure out why. In formal portraits, the color palette should have a more professional, less casual vibe. Obviously I'm not thinking about all of this when shooting, although I do try and bring some of this knowledge into my compositions. I found this great graphic on visual.ly, which explains many aspects of colour theory and gives a really helpful overview: When shooting though, I try and keep the colour wheel in mind to plan out some sort of balance, because it really is as important as spatial composition. Source some trusted, honest, brutal opinion. This is a really good idea by the way, especially while you're learning to colour correct your images. To compensate I have a few photography friends who I bounce my portfolio off to get some honest feedback and see if I'm off track. I actually have this constant insecurity that the colour balance in my edited shots isn't very good and no one is telling me I'm messing it up like maybe everything I shoot has a slight green tinge for example and, best-case-scenario, people think it's a deliberate stylistic choice. Omar Victor Diop is a master of self-portraits. Omar Victor Diop Self Portrait by Omar Victor Diop. The subjects are relaxed and natural, making the viewer feel the same. It gives his portraits a feeling of familiarity. I often confuse them, particularly when they have similar tonal values. All the lighting is natural, and he loves muted color tones.
#Color portraits how to#
She has the most striking red hair, and so early in the planning process I had to consider how to deal with, and compliment, such a strong colour.Ĭonfession time: I am slightly colour blind, especially when it comes to reds and greens ironically.
