1666, the Colour Wheel, Optics and all that ...

The Great Fire of London put an end to the Bubonic Plague that had blighted London for two years. It was still remembered in the playgrounds of my youth when we would merilly sing ...

Ring, a-ring, o’rosies, (a red blistery rash)

A pocket full of posies (fragrant herbs and flowers to ward off the ‘miasmas’)

Atishoo, atishoo (the sneeze and the cough heralding pneumonia)

We all fall down.’ (all dead)

But nursery rhymes aren't the only thing that came out of that era. Sir Isaac Newton was in his early twenties when he was forced into lockdown ... and he had a busy old time!

That first tweet is funny and you shouldn't let the truth get in the way of a good joke, but Richard Dawkins was a bit more accurate when he alluded to the fact that Newton hadn't actually 'invented' calculus.

Sir Isaac spent that time summarising centuries of work on calculas, collating and expanding upon it in a project that would last for many years beyond the lockdown.

But colour ... that's where "we're" interested ...

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We had a discussion group at the club the other night all about colour ... various members researched ideas and photographers, brought their findings along and we all learned a bit about the history of colour photography. How it was looked down upon as vulgar by the great and the good but soon adopted in the advertising and fashion industries who had the budgets to accomodate the complicated printing and developing processes. Most of the information was gleaned from this book (out of print but still to be found online) ... by the studious club member David Parnell.

We looked at various photographers, some of whom split the room with their style, but the thing that really needs writing down, for reference, is the colour wheel.

More thoughts on colour can be found elsewhere in 'News' ... https://www.bridportcameraclub.co.uk/news-item/colour-sounds-easy-but

Looking forward to the upcoming comp to see what we all produce ...

Competition: Colour

11 December 2024, 19:00–22:00Bridport Town Hall

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