The Relation of Colors and Emotion in Photography Color is often overlooked in photography. The colors in a photo can greatly affect the impact or the emotional value of the user. Have you ever come across a photograph with funky color combination with loud backgrounds? Have you ever noticed that if the colors aren't complimentary they can give you an eye twisting headache? Different colors invoke different emotional values and each value depends in which part of the world you are in. Some colors have a positive effect and some can convey some negative emotions. Here are Colors and their perceived emotional value for your reference. Red: Positive: Sense of power, strength, action, passion, sexuality Negative: Anger, forcefulness, impulsiveness, impatience, intimidation, conquest, violence and revenge Yellow: Positive: Caution, brightness, intelligence, joy, organization, Spring time Negative: Criticism, laziness, or cynicism Blue: Positive: Tranquility, love, acceptance, patience, understanding, cooperation, comfort, loyalty and security Negative: Fear, coldness, passivity and depression Orange: Positive: Steadfastness, courage, confidence, friendliness, and cheerfulness, warmth, excitement and energy Negative: Ignorance, inferiority, sluggishness and superiority Purple: Positive: Royalty, sophistication, religion Negative: Bruised or foreboding Green: Positive: Money, health, food, nature, hope, growth, freshness, soothing, sharing, and responsiveness Negative: Envy, greed, constriction, guilt, jealousy and disorder Black: Positive: Dramatic, classy, committed, serious Negative: Evil, death, ignorance, coldness White: Positive: Pure, fresh, easy, cleanliness or goodness Negative: Blind, winter, cold, distant A Photo should tell us a story and they should communicate what the photographer wants to tell us. Logic and emotion play a big role in our understanding of a photograph but eventually emotion will win over the logic. Most of the time, we are purposefully trying to invoke a specific emotional response that will increase the enjoyment of our photos. So if given a chance… pick your colors carefully. About the author: Anton Sheker is a photographer based in Philippines. For more home and garden articles visit his site online at http://www.photo.net.ph/blogalicious   Sheker is founder and member of the World Photo Directory http:// http://www.worldphotodirectory.com