A set of primary colors is a small, arbitrary set of pigmented physical media, lights or purely abstract elements of a mathematical colorspace model. Distinct colors from a larger gamut can be specified in terms of a mixture of primary colors which facilitates technological applications such as painting, electronic displays and printing. Any small set of pigments or lights are “imperfect” physical primary colors in that they cannot be mixed to yield all possible colors that can be perceived by the human color vision system. The abstract (or “imaginary”) primaries X, Y and Z of the CIEXYZ colorspace can be mathematically summed to specify essentially all colors that can be perceived but these primaries cannot be physically realized due to the underlying structure and overlapping spectral sensitivities of each of the human cone photoreceptors. The precise set of primary colors that are used in a specific color application depend on gamut requirements as well as application-specific constraints such as cost, power consumption, lightfastness, mixing behavior etc.

As an experiment in color and photography, a single drop of each color (blue, green, yellow, and red) was added to a container of cold 7-UP. Photographs had to be taken quickly as the fizzing bubbles melded the colors together quickly. The result of this experiment can be witnessed in the photo, which ended up being more of an abstract than anything.

EXIF Data

Camera Type: NIKON D3100
Lens: 18.0-55.0 mm f/3.5-5.6
Date Taken: 1/24/13
Aperture: f/8.0
Shutter Speed: 1/6
ISO: 400
Exposure Mode: Manual
Focal Length: 55.0 mm
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Center Weight
Light Source (In Camera): N/A
Flash: N/A
Light Source (External): Indoor natural light
Size: 891 KB
Location: 4361 Custis Avenue, Sacramento, California
Latitude: 38,32.7424N
Longitude: 121,29.8172W
Elevation: 7.70 m