0-M_15_0220Christmas lights abstracts I have a number of themes that I pursue in my photography. One of these is looking for bold and dominant colours in man-made items. Having various themes that I collect photos of helps me get out of a rut when I can't seem to get inspired.

Finding colourful subjects is the beginning. Then I need to make interesting photos with these colours.

In these following two images, the bold reds first caught my eye. But colour alone does not make for a "good" photo. Good design and something as a focal point to attract the viewer's eye are important.

1-K-419Smoking herring Though the red doors dominate, the racks of fish drying are what tell the story in this image from Grand Manaan Island.

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Red often evokes passion, so the heart-shaped cutout in these shutters seen in Sagogn, Switzerland, complements the theme.

3-T_14_0214 Here again, I was first struck by the bold red wall of this home in Eyeries, Ireland. What makes it a photograph with colour instead of just a photograph of colour? Your eye first goes to the white door and then moves in a diagonal direction to the right taking in the collected items.

4_I7A2117 As I was barbecuing our dinner and thinking about this post, I noticed the raindrops on this little table, so I got out my macro lens to make some photos to add to this topic. And I managed to avoid burning the dinner chicken!

5-S_20_0677 Blues emanate a feeling of coldness, as in this photo of morning frost on a post.

6-T_15_0394 This blue-painted home along a Havana street evokes a sense of calm and quiet.

Combine reds and blues in one image and note how the reds dominate.

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8-490000385 These school children were celebrating the end of winter in Lenzerheide, Switzerland.

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The dominant pink colour frames the main subject, the window and flower box in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

These next three photos show different hues of this same colour, but they all dominate the images.

10-T_14_0200 I saw this in Ardgroom, County Cork, Ireland.

11-T_16_0404Brightly painted residences, Burano, Italy These were among the plethora of multi-coloured homes in Burano, Italy.

12-T_15_0612 This 1959 Chev stood out in the drab streets of Havana.

13-M_20_0028 The design feature of this photo is the pattern of circles, but the variety of colours dominates.

14-M_17_0156 Curving diagonal lines are the dominant compositional element in this photo, but it is still all about the colour.

15-M_17_0054 Pattern again is the key design element, but it's the bold colours that the viewer notices first.

16-M_18_0021Winter Carnival parade Yellow denotes happiness and joy, as exhibited by this parade participant in Vernon Winter Carnival.

Here are a few more images in which the colours are the predominant feature, but the photos still illustrate good design (composition).

17-M_14_0026Hot air balloons, with moon 18-M_12_0038 19-M_19_0243

20-M_12_0029 21-T_19_0175

22-M_17_0148 23-M_11_0090 24-C_17_0129Colourful chairs 25-T_19_0533 27-T_16_0055 And even a little dab of colour will do.

26-T_16_0073 These boots were made for walking in Kaiserstuhl, Switzerland.

The preceding photos: hot air balloons in Vernon, BC; jackets in Silver Star village, BC; heart souvenirs in Tulum, Mexico; stairs in Silver Star village, BC; Lisbon, Portugal; motel in Massey, Ontario; train in Zurich, Switzerland; Muskoka chairs in Pointe au Baril, Ontario; striped homes in Costa Brava, Portugal; baskets in Winterthur, Switzerland.