I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was trying to pay more attention to color in my photography. What I'm learning is that I'm not as intentional about color as I want to be. (I see a New Year's Resolution coming. And perhaps a photography project or two.) What I did already know is that I love green.

Cal, when he was little, used to ask me to pick my favorite color, all the time. Isn't that something kids do? Name their favorite color and try to corner the adults around them about theirs? Hmmm. I never caved. I don't have a favorite color. Which is perhaps what makes this whole color story business so compelling to me. I don't have a favorite color, but I am drawn to greens. I knew that. My mom loves bright chartreuse-y greens, and I like those too, but really, I'll take them any way. From misty, sagey, gray-greens to vibrant, glowing, vivid greens. I love them all.

My friend Marianne, who is one of the owners of Simply Selmas, makes jewelry from time to time. Several years ago, she had to put a moratorium on green-jewelry purchases. No longer allowed.

I can take all the pictures of greens that I want, and as I scrolled through my photo catalog, I see, like with the warm whites, I could stand to do some more. Perhaps I should revisit these colors in the coming months, just to see how I get on.

I have been thinking about color a lot lately. I mean a lot. It started in my photo group when one of us mentioned that she was working on her color palette. I thought that was pretty cool. And it got me thinking about my own color palette. I know I'm drawn to certain colors in my home and wardrobe, so of course I'm drawn to certain colors in the photos I take. But do I sit down and think about it? Not really.

It's time.

After listing the colors she thought made up my story, Christine's wise suggestion was to create a secret Pinterest board based solely on color. Now admittedly, I'm not the most adept at Pinterest, but man, that place sucks you in, doesn't it? I cleaned up my standing boards first, ensuring that the cover photos of all my boards felt roughly thematic. After that, I dove in, initially hesitant but with gaining confidence. I pinned and pinned and pinned. This could go on for days! It was blessedly freeing. I didn't have to worry where anything went or how to categorize certain photos, I chose each picture solely by color alone.

I do have a color story. Christine nailed this first chapter, warm whites. What a help she was! And looking back through my photos, it's there. Not as much as I'd expected based on how I was pinning, so maybe I need to pay attention to that too. And then, how do you tell a color story with words? That's what Christine and I want to know.

All I know is that I'm going to try to start telling my color story better in my photos. It's one thing to look back and see how your story has unfolded. It's quite another to make deliberate choices so that the path keeps moving forward. There will be more color stories and more chapters to come.

color story :: green, soft and bright {still + life}

color story :: warm whites {still + life}