Your Complete 2026 Colour Photography Challenge

Posted on January 1, 2026   •  4 minutes  • 659 words

Welcome to a year dedicated to mastering the most powerful tool in your photographic arsenal: colour. This comprehensive 52-week challenge will transform how you see, understand, and use colour in your photography. You’ll find photo assignments on this blog, new ones every month for the whole year, right up there under Assignments , designed to inspire and improve your photography skills in 2026.

Why Focus on colour?

Colour is emotion. Colour is psychology. Colour is storytelling. Yet many photographers treat it as an afterthought, focusing solely on composition and light. This challenge flips that script, making colour your primary creative decision and teaching you to wield it with intention and artistry.

How This Challenge Works

Each month explores a different aspect of colour theory and application. You’ll work through 4-5 weekly assignments that build your understanding progressively, from fundamental colour relationships to advanced creative techniques.

This isn’t just about pretty pictures—it’s about understanding why certain colours work together and how to use that knowledge to create more impactful images.

Understanding the colour Wheel

Throughout this challenge, you’ll work with the colour wheel as your guide:

Primary colours: Red, Blue, Yellow (the foundation) Secondary colours: Orange, Green, Purple (mixing primaries) Tertiary colours: The six colours between primaries and secondaries

Key Relationships:

• Complementary: Opposite on the wheel (maximum contrast)
• Analogous: Next to each other (harmony)
• Triadic: Equally spaced (balanced tension)
• Split Complementary: One colour plus two adjacent to its complement

Tips for Success

See colour First: Train yourself to notice colour before subject. Ask “What colours are here?” before “What’s the subject?”

Carry a colour Wheel: Keep a physical or digital colour wheel handy. Reference it when planning or reviewing shots.

Shoot in RAW: colour work requires latitude. RAW files give you maximum flexibility in post-processing.

Study the Masters: Look at painters (Rothko, Matisse, Kandinsky) and colour-focused photographers. Analyze their palette choices.

Create a colour Journal: Save colour combinations you love from everywhere—magazines, nature, websites. Build a reference library.

Practice colour Grading: Don’t just capture colour—learn to enhance and adjust it intentionally in post.

Challenge Your Eyes: Do the assignments even when the required colours aren’t obvious. This forces you to see differently.

What You’ll Gain

By December 2026, you will have:

• Deep colour theory knowledge applied practically, not just theoretically
• 52 intentional colour studies documenting your evolution
• A trained eye that sees colour relationships automatically
• Technical skills in colour grading and manipulation
• Your signature palette - a recognizable colour voice
• Confidence to make bold colour choices
• A portfolio that demonstrates sophisticated colour understanding

Getting Started

Before You Begin:

1. Familiarize yourself with the basic colour wheel
2. Set your camera to shoot RAW
3. Learn your camera’s white balance controls
4. Find a colour wheel app or print one to carry with you

Each Week:

1. Read the assignment
2. Study the colour relationship involved
3. Scout locations or subjects
4. Shoot with intention
5. Review and refine in post-processing
6. Reflect on what you learned

Beyond the Technical

This challenge isn’t just about knowing that blue and orange are complementary. It’s about understanding that warm sunset light (orange) against a deepening sky (blue) creates the feeling of transition, of day surrendering to night, of warmth fading into cool.

colour is language. This year, you’re becoming fluent.

Starting Late?

Don’t worry if you’re joining mid-year. colour theory doesn’t care about the calendar. Start with Week 1 and work through at your own pace, or jump in wherever we are and circle back later.

The best time to start was January 1st. The second-best time is right now.

Ready to See colour Differently?

This challenge will change how you see the world. You’ll start noticing colour relationships everywhere—in your morning coffee, in street signs, in the sky at sunset. You’ll become obsessed with that perfect complementary pairing.

That’s exactly what should happen.

Grab your camera. Open your eyes to colour. Let’s make 2026 brilliant.

Share your colour discoveries using #colour2026Challenge and connect with fellow photographers on the same journey.

Have fun!