What is a Triadic colour scheme?
Triadic colours are easy to identify on the colour wheel. You can find them by placing three colours equally spaced around the colour wheel. Compared to complementary colour schemes, triadic colour combinations can be fun and pleasing to the eye. As soon as you will understand what triadic colours are and how to use them, you will enjoy including them in your projects.
Here are perfect examples of triadic colour combinations:
Red, Yellow, and Blue
Purple, Green, and Orange
Blue-Violet, Red-Orange, and Yellow-Green
Red-Violet, Yellow-Orange, and Blue-Green
Every time you use triadic colours in your projects, remember to keep them balanced. When you’re creating your scene, choose one of the three colours as the main colour, and use the others as accent colours. By learning how to use triadic colour schemes, you will be able to achieve perfect harmony.
The presented example shows purple as the main colour (backdrop) with green (napkin, a glass and green onions) and orange (plates and curry).
How to Use Triadic Colors?
It’s a selection of colours from the colour wheel that is often used in art, decorating or photography. Triadic colours are easier to find in art and photography, designers and other artists use these colour schemes very often.
In food photography, it isn't as popular as complementary, monochromatic or analogous colour schemes however, once you learn more it will become easier to use. All you need to do is identify them and get to work. Triadic colours require a little more planning, but they can be very powerful and enjoyable to the eye. Using a triadic colour scheme properly allows you to create cheerful and lively results in food photography.
A triadic colour scheme looks harmonious and balanced and is not as hard to achieve as you think. Look at the below example, of how adding a purple backdrop, some purple props and a napkin to an already existing complementary, green (props and salad) and orange (peach) colours, create a triadic colour scheme.
Why Use Triadic Colors
Analogous, monochromatic or complementary colours make your photo look nice and calm, however, triadic colours pop your composition. They create a beautiful contrast, but still, a pleasing look to the eye.
The first photo shows a combination of purple flowers, an orange drink and a green bokeh background. In the 2nd and 3rd photos, you can see another triadic combination, which is blue, red and yellow. Blue in the 2nd photo is the main colour, also found in blueberries, red raspberries and yellowish pancakes.
Don’t be afraid to use triadic colours in your compositions. While they may seem hard to compose at first, you will love the results you can achieve. Balance is key, no matter where you use a triadic colour scheme. In a very short time, you will realise how this colour scheme will uplift your portfolio.
I will be honest this is not the easiest colour scheme to work with but is absolutely worth trying and I can't wait to see your creative triadic photographs.
If you have any questions or struggle with any subject, send me a DM on my Instagram or email me. I will do my best to answer and help.