A fellow photographer once suggested, “If it is red, shoot it.”
What is it with the color red? Research shows that red is hardly anybody’s favorite color. Only about eight percent say it is their favorite. But it seems that nearly everyone is drawn to the color. I know I am. Red is a strong color, a hot color. It represents love and passion as well as warfare and violence. Throughout nature red is used as a warning, signaling danger. The color is used to indicate ripeness and courtship as well.I like making visually strong photos. There are a lot of factors that influence the strength of an image. Colors that evoke emotion and passion can have a lot to do with an image’s success.
Question for the day: Why is red associated with both cupid and the devil?
Thanks Ailsa for this week’s Travel Theme: Red
Click a thumbnail for a larger photo and slideshow.
Visit Ron Mayhew Photography.
travelerlynne
7 Sep 2012I love your choice of photos. Just supports how the color red is found in many subjects: interior decorating, cultural clothing, nature, food, transportation and in buildings.
Lynn Sarda
7 Sep 2012These are luscious.
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thanks Lynn, gaudy Ron.
Dina
7 Sep 2012beautiful red images! Red is in deed powerful und energetic, I fell good looking at your pictures. 🙂
Have a great weekend.
Love
Dina
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Dina, thank you so much for your kind words.
adinparadise
7 Sep 2012Great red images, Ron. Those mangoes look delicious. Love the Chihuly glass. 😉
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thanks. Have you been to Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami?
adinparadise
12 Sep 2012No I haven’t, but I’ll keep it in mind. Thanks.
Klausbernd
7 Sep 2012All children worlwide are attracted to red as the first colour. It will then be their favourite colour until about 4. Red reminds us all – more or less uncounsciously – on our childhood.
Red is love and hell. Well, every primary and secondary colour has a “negative” and “positive” pole of its symbolic meaning. Red is love that has to do with the hot blood, with deflouring and that red is tradionally the highest colour in the classic colour circles (see Goethe`s theory of colour).
Red is the devil that`s a relatively new connotation of red. In the classic Greec times the underworld has been gray but under the Christian influence the idea of the hell fire was spread and following analogues thinking a red hell is inhabitated by a red devil. Surely the sexual connotations of red did help to stress the negative side of red in Christian thinking.
You are USAmerican, sorry, what I did write concerns to European symbolism. I becamne aware of this problem when one of my dictonary of symblos was translated into American. So I suppose the red as in the red Indians has special American connotations. In America the cherry is much more sexualized than in Europe.
Have a nice weekend.
Greetings from sunny Norfolk
Klausbernd
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thank you for your insightful response. I found it very interesting.
I am afraid our hundreds of “Cowboy” movies has stereotyped us Americans with regards to Native Americans. I don’ think many think of American Indians as red.
A question: If the cherry is more sexualized in the US than Europe, what is more sexualized in Europe?
Thanks again for your comment.
Greetings from sunny Florida.
ailsapm
7 Sep 2012Just delicious, Ron – and I love your narrative too! xx Ailsa
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thank you Ailsa and thanks for a great theme!
The Wanderlust Gene
7 Sep 2012Terrific series – couldn’t pick a favourite, but i adore the whimsy of the red footed booby – what a lad he must be 🙂
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thank you for your kind words. I had a lot of fun putting it together. Alas, the red footed booby could be a las or a lad. 🙂
Pingback: Travel Theme: Shades of Red | rfljenksy – Practicing Simplicity
Miguel
8 Sep 2012Wow! Wonderful collection. Best I’ve seen so far for this week! 🙂
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thank you my friend.
Playamart - Zeebra Designs
8 Sep 2012You outdid yourself on this one! Every single image is wonderful! Of course I immediately embraced, visually, the Otovalo image. I use that particular fabric often – it’s so happy and colorful! I also loved the red peppers paired with the blue. Great work! Z
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thank you. I thought of you when I picked the Otovalo image.
Playamart - Zeebra Designs
12 Sep 2012ah, who doesn’t love the journey through colors in otovalo! z
canoe & communications
8 Sep 2012absolutely great collection of red photos
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thank you for your comment and for visiting.
Gilly Gee
8 Sep 2012Fabulous!
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thank you Gilly Gee.
Jo Bryant
8 Sep 2012what a great series of reds
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thank you Jo, I appreciate your comment and visit.
The Retiring Sort
8 Sep 2012Oh my goodness, I love them all! The balloon the wagons, the Massai Man… all fabulous!
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thank you for your encouragement. I seem to be a sucker for anything red so this was easy. 🙂
eof737
9 Sep 2012Love your red shots… they sizzle. 😉
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Oh my, thank you!
ManoliRizoFotografia
9 Sep 2012¡Impresionante serie!, me encanta el color rojo jajajajaja, y estas tomas se ven preciosas, abrazos
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Muchas gracias. Rojo es mi color favorito así. “Si es de color rojo ME fotografía! ” 🙂
DagEnDauw
10 Sep 2012Wow, stunning red and great pictures!
fotograffer
11 Sep 2012Thank you for your comment and for your visit.
ilargia64
23 Sep 2012Really cool!!! Love it!!
fotograffer
1 Oct 2012Thank you. You are kind to comment.
Andrew Harvard
24 Sep 2012I really enjoyed your India pics in your gallery
fotograffer
1 Oct 2012Thank you for your comment. I still have a lot of images to work up.
quite simply
30 Sep 2012Stunning interpretation of Ailsa’s Red, and thanks to you liking my post you allowed me to discover your blog (and website). Your images are incredible and inspiring, I look forward to following your photographic travels.
p.s At present I use a D90 with just kit 18-105, any hints on different/better lenses to shoot street/human condition as these are my fav genres. Cheers, Jen
fotograffer
1 Oct 2012Thanks go to you, Jen. I think you have what you need for street photography. The range of the lens you are using is perfect. You can certainly buy more expensive equipment but unless you just want to upgrade I think you are fine. I wrote about what I travel with on my other blog: http://ronmayhewphotography.com/in-the-bag-what-goes-with-me/ I am still using the same equipment. If you have more specific question you can contact me through the web site. I would be happy to reply.