If you are in the healing or wellness area and want to emphasize these professional aspects in your portrait, green can be very effective as a background color. Green has many shades from blue-green to olive green. Although both shades belong to the green family, they are very different in their psychological effect.

Blue green is the color of water and is very earnest and more introverted. As a background color, it can indicate that the person being portrayed is very receptive and listens carefully. The olive and yellow greens are the colors offreshvegetation and have a reassuring effect upon most people. These shades of green are cordial and express helpfulness, patience, involvement and understanding. They are therefore excellent as backgrounds for portraits of therapists, coaches and people generally in the healing professions.

It is important that the shade of green suits the person being portrayed. A primal blue-green is an ideal shade for people with dark hair. The softer shades of blue green are more suitable for those with lighter complexions and lighter brown or ash blond hair colorings.

Olive and yellow greens are particularly attractive for people with red hair or reddish highlights in their hair. This also applies to those with golden blond hair, often accompanied with freckles. A strong blue green would overwhelm their subtle colorings and make them appear very pale. Whereas the olive and yellow greens would make those with dark colorings look very drab.

Green has beautiful dark shades, such as forest green. These are great for contrasting with the lighter, fresh yellow greens or blue greens, if more contrast is required for the portrait. This could be achieved by matching up the clothes of the person in the portrait with the background. If the person has green eyes, having this hue in the background will certainly accentuate this attribute. Green looks very fresh when contrasted with white. Whichever shade of green is applied, the total effect will echo the gentle qualities of this hue.