The Many Lives of Color

Edvard Munch noted that "colors live a remarkable life of their own after they have been applied to the canvas" and, on today's episode of the B&H Photography Podcast, we dip our brushes into the palette of art and color theory and, then, we explore practical (and beautiful) applications of color through the eyes of a cultural documentarian and a fashion photographer. We start our conversation with photographer, artist, and Leica Ambassador Adam Marelli, who muses on color theory from a painter's and a photographer's point of view and endures our novice questions on the subject. We discuss a few basic terms, learn about Michel Chevreul and Josef Albers, and then get into questions about his use of color, about film color compared to digital, printing, and Marelli's understanding that colors are never static, and should not be considered such when creating images—look for the subtlety between colors, he suggests.

In the second half of the show, we welcome Natasha Wilson, a Los Angeles-based fashion and lifestyle photographer who imbues her work with the colors that dreams are made of. Whether bold and bright or with a muted palette, when you see her work, there will be no doubt why we thought of Wilson for this conversation. We ask her about her process, both behind a Canon lens and in front of a computer monitor, and we discuss how she finds locations, casts models, and finds the balance between her artistic imagination and the client's needs. Her laid-back approach belies the intensity of her vision.

Products mentioned in thie episode:

Canon EOS 6D Mark II DSLR Camera

Leica M10 Digital Rangefinder Camera

Apple 27" iMac with Retina 5K Display

Guests: Adam Marelli and Natasha Wilson

Photograph © Natasha Wilson