What Does Blue Say About You?

On By Suzanne@PictureRetirementIn florida, photography, Uncategorized

This week Terri Webster Schrandt has suggested Glacier Blue for her Sunday Stills photo Challenge. I could not live farther away from a glacier, or ice, or even freezing temperatures, for that matter. My offering this week is brought to you from sunny South Florida – with a few notable exceptions.

Glacier Blue is likely depicted somewhere on the chart below, but, any shade of blue is pleasing to me. In fact, it is my favorite color. I actually wrote a full post about it here.

People, much wiser than me, (or who have nothing better to do) have actually spent time analyzing color, and how it translates to personality types. I marvel that my color preference reveals the mysteries of who I am, but in many ways I am not surprised. Clearly, there are colors that enhance moods and others that make one feel anxious. Blue, almost any shade of it, makes me feel relaxed and calm.

Most of us experience the color blue every day. Just walk outside and look up. I probably see it more than most, because I live in Florida, near the Atlantic ocean, and a grey cloudy day is very rare here. Scenes like the one below are commonplace in my little corner of the world, and I am pretty sure glacier blue is out there somewhere.

Depending on light and clouds, this lake might look dark and gloomy, but the sun warms it to just the right shade of blue. The reflection of the dock is an added bonus that makes me smile.

Did you know that people who prefer the color blue are said to be reliable, tidy, and sensitive? We value stability and solitude and are sometimes mislabeled as ‘snobs’. Personally, I can see how quiet indifference might be wrongly interpreted that way. We are generally even-tempered but can be moody and emotional. Sometimes self-confidence and control mask our vulnerabilities. We inspire trust and produce calm reactions in others and are attentive listeners.

Rigid, is also used to describe a Blue Personality. I don’t like to claim that one, but it is true. I can be a bit stubborn, especially when I think I am right. A lot of articles I read about the color blue state ‘resistant to change’ as a trait of the blue personality type. I can’t claim that one at all and get bored with a predictable routine.

I love the colors of sea glass, which are predominately shades of blue, and when I found this mosaic in a local park, I had to take a few close-ups. I used this image as a background page in our 2020 photo album. Blue is a dominant color throughout most of my annual books, but especially this past year. Even the worst day looks better with blue in it.

This is a man-o-war that washed up onto our local beach. The color and opacity of the creature looks so pleasing that your first thought might be to pick it up. Don’t. These are best appreciated from afar.

You might be wondering if this image is of water or ice. The swirls of blue, reflection of light and abstract quality make it difficult to discern the subject. It is actually a school of fish in a feeding frenzy just below the surface of crystal clear water on a bright, sunny day. If you look closely at the darkest shade of blue, you will see one of the larger fish from gills to fin. This image was a ‘happy accident’ that makes me smile.

This image is one that I staged for Terri’s Glacier Blue challenge. It has many shades of my favorite color, and looks a lot like sea glass. It is actually smashed up ice cubes that I colored with blue food coloring. I scattered the pieces over a black towel and used my 200mm lens to take a close-up. I set the pieces in a shadow on the patio and used natural light as the only light source.

This is the real deal. Blue ice, from an ice cave in Iceland. Now, that’s Glacier Blue! Photo credit goes to my daughter who took the photo while on a trip there last year. She wrote a guest post about it here.

Want to know what your favorite color says about you? Check out this article.

Also shared with Trent’s Weekly Smile and Natalie’s Weekend Coffee Share.

70 thoughts on “What Does Blue Say About You?”

      1. I grew up close to water and do have a place on Cape Cod close to water, but I have spent most of my adult life closer to the mountains in NH. I think I need to move to New Zealand so I can be close to both 😉

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  2. I love all of your blue images! The water and sky with the dock is so calming… I love the staged blue ice cubes! So dramatic! The room where I spend my time working on my blog is painted my favorite color yellow.

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    1. Hi there! Thanks for stopping by Picture-Retirement and for leaving a comment. Glad you liked the man-o-war. That translucent blue definitely stopped me in my tracks. I just went over to check out your blog. We seem to have a few things in common, most notably travel and photography. I followed and will be back to read more later. Have a great day!

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  4. Absolutely stunning images of blue, Suzanne. I love what you did with the ice and your discussion of how color might affect our personality. Glacier blue can be found anywhere, who needs glaciers? Thank you for sharing your talented lens this week!

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  5. What a great selection of images! The ice cube one is really effective but I think I like the lake with the reflected jetty best of all. At the moment I envy you your blue skies. London in January this year has so far been very dull, grey and chilly 😦

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    1. Hi Sarah, we are fortunate to have blue skies on most days. My daughter loves London in January, mostly because of the Christmas lights, I think, but definitely because of the grey/chilly weather, which is a stark contrast to Florida weather. Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you enjoyed my photographs. That reflection in the lake was a lucky moment on an early morning walk.

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  7. I’ve always liked the color blue. A while back I did a poll on my blog asking my readers which was their favorite color. Blue won by a landslide. I was surprised because I thought red, the color associated with energy, would win. Anyhoo, lovely photos, fun post.

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    1. Ally, red is also associated with aggression, and I don’t think most people would admit to that part of themselves – at least not publically 🙂 Blue is so dominant in nature, it doesn’t surprise me that most people preferred it in your survey. I would think green would be a close second, but it isn’t. This was a fun post to write and I enjoyed all of the interpretations on Terri’s blog. Some folks submitted photos of actual glaciers. So cool. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

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  9. So many shades of blue, so many great pics. Loved this one. What you call man-o-war we call bluebottles. They look lovely on the sand in pics such as this, but yep, don’t touch!

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  10. Suzanne,
    OMG! Your pictures are stunningly beautiful. I really liked the feeding frenzy, but I love to fish. Thanks for sharing. I hope you’re enjoying the “Bluebird” weather we have here in Apalachicola today. Have a great week! Joe

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    1. Thank you, Joe. It seems like blue is a constant in my life, so this was an easy challenge for me. Our weather has been pretty perfect all week and we expect more of the same for the next few days. I hope you are enjoying the island and Apalachicola. Think of us when you have your next dozen! Color me green!

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  12. Denyse Whelan Blogs

    Wow! What an approach you took with this Sunday Stills. Loved your warm weather shots which are a lot like what we are experiencing now in Summer in Australia,
    Denyse

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  15. Thank you for sharing the lovely blue sky photos. It is almost always gray and cold here in PA, so the blue sky definitely lifted my mood. I thought at first the man o’ war was a piece of sea glass. So pretty!

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  17. Love your Blue photos, Susanne. Your staged photo is very clever. The sunshine and clear blue skies make a big difference any day but especially in the winter here. Some of our coldest days where I live have brilliant sunshine and blue skies. Thank you for linking up with #weekendcoffeeshare. if you could mention the link up somewhere in your post, that would be great.

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    1. Hi Natalie, I am glad that you are having lots of blue skies, even in winter. It does lift our energy a bit doesn’t it. I’m still getting used to you hosting the coffee share and will update this post to include a link. Congratulations on attracting some amazing bloggers. I have enjoyed reading what they have to say. Enjoy your weekend!

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  18. I place zero stock in colour psychology as I think we draw our own meanings to these types of things… but I love blue. I cross a long bridge to get home from work and being over the ocean is my relaxation switch.

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  19. I am a blue person too, and the description is pretty close! I didn’t realise that our favourite colour had so much to do with our personalities. Your photos are beautiful. The colour of a glacier is stunning in real life. We were lucky to visit Franz Joseph Glacier in New Zealand. We took a helicopter to the top of it – an experience I will never forget. Visiting from #weekendcoffeeshare, regards Christina

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    1. A helicopter ride to the top of a glacier, in New Zealand would check two major things off my bucket list! That must have been an incredible experience. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos and nice to meet another ‘blue’ gal. Who knew that color has so much to say about us.

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    1. I am surrounded by shades of blue where I live, so it is hard not to notice how I feel on a gray day. I see a lot of green too, but it doesn’t have the same effect on my mood. Funny thing, as much as I love blue, I don’t have it in my home at all. It is decorated with shades of beige, or sand, as I call it. Thank you for complimenting my photographs. The one my daughter took is very special and authentic! Thanks for visiting Picture Retirement and please come again.

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    1. Royal blue, when paired with brick is energizing. I can imagine that your kitchen was a fun place to be. Blue for bedrooms seems to be a popular thing to do – calming and peaceful. Jackie, thank you for stopping by today and for leaving a comment. I’ll check to see if you have a blog and return the visit.

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  24. Oh, I love your explanation of what your favorite color says about you. Mine would be either blue or green. I learned about color preference-personality associations a bit in my year studying psychology and I’m indeed a blue/green mix.

    Your explanations of the photos are so cool too. I am blind so cannot see the actual pictures, but I can totally envision them in my mind’s eye. Thanks! #weekendcoffeeshare

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    1. Hi Astrid, I always like to give a little background about the photographs I post, and then let the viewer decide for themselves if they are pleasing or not. I am so happy that my descriptions help you to envision what is pictured. You have inspired me to take extra care with my descriptions.

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      1. I didn’t go back into comments but I sent this post to a dear friend who lost her mom yesterday. She collects sea glass, writes and paints, a very dear friend. I thought something about your pictures would bring her comfort.

        Liked by 1 person

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  31. Hi Suzanne. In contrast, I have lived most of my life not far from a glacier or two. My hometown is at the foot of a tall mountain, which has a big glacier visible from town, and which I have hiked up to a number of times. Over the course of my lifetime, sadly, I’ve watched it recede. Northern blues are different than southern blues, but we see blue in the sky, the water, distant mountains, snow shadows, and, of course, glaciers.

    Jude

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    1. Jude, that must truly be a sight. It is sad to know that one day it might not exist. Living near the ocean in sunny South Florida and being surrounded by blue every day is something I fully appreciate. I can only imagine living near a glacier. The blues and whites must be intense.

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  32. Wonderful photos showing an amazing gallery of the color blue. I have a four-season porch that was painted a nice shade of light green with a white ceiling and brown wicker furniture with matching blinds. I enjoyed it for about ten years and then decided to repaint. I painted the walls a very light aqua blue with a much lighter version on the ceiling. I then repainted all the furniture white and made coordinating cushions and bought matching rugs. That has been my go-to room during this pandemic. It helps to keep me in a good place. I can just go sit there for a while, and I’m good to go for a while longer. Blue – it’s a good color.

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    1. Judy, your porch sounds like an inviting space. Tidbit: Blue ceilings on porches are a Southern thing. My outdoor furniture is white wicker with blue canvas cushions, anchored with a blue and white rug. I love spending time there, especially on a day like today – sunny with a slight chill in the air.

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