The chances are that you are one of the many ( please include me in the many) who post images online. Whether you are posting on social media or using for work purposes, there is pretty much one main aim that we have with our public posts and that is to get positive attention. To get that attention though, you need to do something to make your images stand out.

As your images are competing with millions of other great photographs though, sometimes a little thought needs to go into how to grab the attention of the audience.

Why Does Colour Matter?

Take a few minutes to scroll through some social media feeds such as Instagram and LinkedIn and look at how many times you see strong colour in the images. Now if you follow a lot of creatives, it might not be long before you do but you’ll probably find that the majority of images on your feed are similar in the muted colours that they use.

When I scrolled through my home feed on Instagram, it took 30 posts before I came to some strong colour and this came from a marketing post for the lottery. Using one strong bold colour in about 80% of the image it was striking against the other images in my feed. Against all the other muted colour posts, you couldn’t help but notice this one.

If you are looking for attention on social media or on your website, colour can really make a difference.

How to Add Colour?

So quick ways to look at adding colour to your images. For portraiture I’m a big fan of a colourful wall for a background. Colourful clothing or accessories are always a quick and easy way to add in some colour. Winter is a great time for bright scarves, hats and gloves and they really stand out against the grey days that we have this time of year (I’m writing this on a very wet and grey January day). 

You can also make use of props such as notebooks or mugs but be careful not to make them too small within the image or the effect will be missed.

If you are photographing small objects you can make use of brightly coloured card that you can get from craft shops to create a backdrop. If you are photographing food or drink, it’s easy to add in some colour with fresh fruit or vegetables.

In editing your images you can add some saturation to the colour but do take care not to get so carried away with it that the colour is unnaturally overpowering and the viewer is left with a migraine.

For further ideas, there is a great resource in the social media accounts that you follow. Scroll through your feed quickly and just pick out those images where the colour jumps out. Spend a little time just looking at those images and make a note of how they used colour and how you could use a similar way to add colour to your images.

For some further examples of strong colour use, have a look in the portfolio section https://www.saraporterphotography.co.uk/portfolios/