2021 October 26
The mission of my Concept Photography book (upcoming), is to describe my process for going from concept to completed photograph. It’s also an introduction to the wonderful group of people who were an important part of the process.
While there are many ways to get from A to B, I hope you’ll find this book valuable for inspiration and as a reference. It’s intended for photographers and artists working in a variety of fields (Examples: Music, painting, and sculpture).
For a behind-the-scenes journey of avant-garde photography, set in locations including Peter Gabriel’s studio in England (Real World), I’ll be sharing excerpts from the upcoming book here.
To learn more about my books and classes and to receive a discount, you’re invited to join us on Patreon.
Key Color Selection
Nature photography, the basis for concept photography
Photography Process Overview–Briefing
In the first three articles, I covered the overall photography process, how to cast talent, and how to write a briefing for your creative team. For this article, we’ll dive deeper into a critical area of writing a briefing: Key Color Selection.
Key Details–Color Selection
Using my story about Katrina Van Tassel, the key color I envisioned was red, with black and green used as supporting colors. But what shade of color is essential for everyone from costume designers, scenic designers, hair and make artists (HMUA), and prop masters.
Nature has always been my inspiration for both color and mood. When I’m looking for a particular color, I shoot a series of photographs with an eye focused on color and how lighting plays a role in rendering the color and giving the scene a particular mood. These three photos were the foundation for the red, black, and green (trees) found in the final photographs.
The great thing about finding colors and mood in nature is that you don’t need to travel far or incur considerable expenses to experiment.
For example, any local greenspace like a public park is a great place to be inspired. It may take several visits at different times of the day and under various meteorological conditions. Still, you’ll find the colors and mood that speak to your story and the characters within it in short order.
And if you need further inspiration, there’s nothing like a day-long or even a multi-day mission to photograph the right color for your briefing.
Vail, Colorado
Photography | Tom Libertiny
Copper Harbor, Michigan
Photography | Tom Libertiny
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan
Photography | Tom Libertiny
Summary
Always include at least one sample photo that shows the key and supporting colors as part of your written briefing to your production team. It removes the guesswork about the question: “what color red is red” with respect to your particular photo shoot.
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