The pure pleasure of color
Niall McDiarmid's photographic colorama
Oof, It’s hot and humid in Madison today. Summer is popping, the air is muggy, and everything is green. I love this time of year because the world feels more saturated than usual. I suppose it is — humidity must affect how color and light appear in the world, right? Mainly, I’ve been appreciating the subtle distinctions between shades of green on my walks, and it occurs to me that sometimes simply noticing the joy of color is good for you.
I spent my Sunday afternoon with Niall McDiarmid’s new book, COLOUR. Do you know his work? Niall is one of a kind, and I can’t think of another photographer who captures color as well as he does. He is an exceptional imagemaker and a sensitive seer — one of the greats, in my opinion — and his photographs are charged with visual energy. Here’s how his publisher, RRB Photobooks, describes the book:
The photographs in McDiarmid’s new book were shot predominantly in London. His images offer an alternative vision to the monotones of contemporary life: warm, diverse and playful, a vivid celebration of the people and places that still bring colour and individuality to Britain.
His subjects’ clothing paired with the shades of the urban environment around them, finding harmony where tones echo one another and vitality where they clash. He shows the streets and shopfronts, cafes and pubs, train stations and interiors, finding a richness of colour where others might only see the mundane.
McDiarmid’s mastery of colour harmony is at the heart of his practice. He exploits the natural flat light of a typically overcast British day, conditions that soften shadows and allow the colours of clothing, signage, and architecture to fully breathe. The result is a body of work that is at once a document and a celebration: of human individuality and the joyful colour that persists in everyday British life.
Photography describes the world, and one of its pleasures is seeing what we might otherwise take for granted. The rush of a vibrant color scene is enough to give me goosebumps. Each of Niall’s images is a perfectly composed symphony of visual delights. Let’s start the week with some slow, colorful looking. Enjoy!
I hope these pictures made you feel good — I find them to be a much-needed shot in the arm. You can learn more about Niall on his website and follow him on Instagram. If you like what you see here, consider buying his COLOUR book. I expect this will sell out, so move quickly if you want a copy. Take care, friends, and have a great week!
Wow the colors. So vibrant, they jump off the screen.
Incredible book, great timing, sharp colors. Putting this on my list.