Son's portrait

[Chris Saper]

Julia,

I love this discussion about color! My approach is somewhat different from Karin's, in that I see the areas of most highly saturated and truest color in the form just before the transition from light to shadow occurs. This is where I see the color being least influenced by either the strength or the temperature of the light source, and not yet subjected to the influences of shadow. In the little diagram below, I have indicated the areas where I think the purest color is located.

Reflected light, as I see it, is generally a function of two things: the color of the light source (in this case, warm) and the local color being bounced into the shadow.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, I have to say that Karin's demonstrated impact of strong color in the shadow is extremely successful. Because her light source is cool, I think the success is strengthened even more by the relatively warmer shadow color, and the fact that warm skin color is being bounced back into the reflected light. In addition, the angle of Karin's subject is such that we see more directly where the reflected color occurs. In your portrait, Julia, the area of reflected light is somewhat hidden by the angle of the photo.