What is color? A brief primer in the properties of color will help you understand its effects on composition, although it's pointless to try to apply any rules here. You don't always get to choose the colors you work with in a photograph, so it's ultimately up to you and your own color sensibilities to incorpo- rate them in ways that you deem appropriate under the circum- stances. But color is a vitally important element in photogra- phy, so a little background on the inherent characteristics of certain colors is beneficial. Color is its own justification. It not only makes the photograph better, but at times it makes the photograph. It has the curious power to make viewers identify with a scene, even if they've never been there before. And color can induce the same emo- tional response in many people. The purple in a photograph of a sunset will make almost everyone think of a particular, spectacu- lar sunset they once saw, even though it was quite a different purple and in quite another place. There has been a tremendous amount of research on the many ways color affects humans. Color's psychological effects are hard to measure, but each of us has color preferences that affect our moods. Some studies suggest that men and women respond to colors differently. Personal reactions aside, some human emotions seem to be generally assigned to certain colors. They can evoke feelings of strength, melancholy, arousal, or joy. Reactions to some colors also can be influenced by cultural values or regional tastes. For instance, green is regarded as potent and robust in arid countries; white is more highly regarded in Asia