Musings in the Realm of Colour

Kia ora tatou:
I thought I would pick up on a comment by Pete McGregor on the 2-cigarette method post
He writes:
I admit to an irritation with the hegemony of Velvia and similar ultrasaturated films, particularly when they're used for landscapes. They have an important function, but their mindless use (because that's what editors want and it's what we're now used to viewing) annoys me. Subtlety allows me the opportunity to think for myself rather than be shouted at.

Pete, I totally agree-mostly. Extracting subtle colour from an image is way more difficult than just using super-colour. It requires a much more considered approach and considerable searching.
That said, we have a choice of palette. Now I am going to stick my neck out and say this:

Too few photographers have given much thought about colour and what it means to them personally.
It shows in their images, in colour schemes that grate, or add nothing to an understanding of the image. Worse still the palette interferes with a reading of an image.

Because we all grow up with colour, we tend to take it for granted. Because colour has emotional power, it easy to try and inject extra power into an image, especially if we are trying to influence a competition judge. The result can be sickly, sentimentalist and/or in bad taste.
Understanding colour takes time, study and practice. Picasso did it for blue during his blue period. Matisse developed and passed on an understanding of red that was extraordinary. They focused on an aspect of colour and deepened their understanding and hence practice by working with it, digging deeper and deeper until…well, actually there is no until. The layers continue on.
You can do the same. Pick a colour and stay on its case, growing your understanding. Colour is music for the eyes and mind. If you see red as heavy metal, then yellow may be rock ’n’ roll. And blue?
My own palette varies. But I have made a choice. Let me explain.
It began with this image by Magnum photographer Costs Manos, lifted from his book American Color. The humour of the image appeals, as well as the cultural references to Back to The Future and Americana. But it is the strong palette with the intense reds and deep shadows playing off against the softer colours near the back. The lines of red soldiers suck you into the image, As I read through the book I realised how he uses colour in a larger-than-life-way to underscore the larger-than-lifeness of American culture.
Then I went for a drive. A nice sunny day, with hard-edged shadows, intense blues and a steely edge to the light. And I saw what my own palette should be. This is a country of strong contrasts and exquisite intensity. The colour range is somewhat limited however. So my palette has tended to reflect this. I want to replicate the intensity of my feeling for my country and the clarity of its light.
That was then. This is now, and I confess to a move to a softer palette. Rainy, grey days are a challenge and a side of the palette I personally want to explore.
Whatever you choose, at least make a choice. Colour is not something twee that has sensationalist value.
No, it is way more dangerous than that.
Ka kite ano.