Highlighting different textures in your photos can be a good way to improve your photography, writes Alfonso Calero.
While photography is a two-dimensional art form, texture can be used to create the illusion of depth and tactility. Highlighting texture is an effective way to tap the third dimension, and set your pictures apart from the 2D norm. In a recent project I set out with the express objective of capturing interesting textures. It's an exercise I can recommend to anyone interested in improving their photography as it gets you thinking not only about the surface you're photographing, but also the way lighting, colour contrast and angles all change the way the camera sees and records textures. In this article I've included some examples from my texture project along with some tips to help you accentuate texture in your own images.
01 LOOKING FOR TEXTURE
You may be surprised at how many textures there are around you when you start looking for them. Peeling paint, grainy timber, rusty metal, weathered rocks are a few surfaces that are rich hunting grounds for texture seekers. Surfaces that are rough, smooth, hard, soft, wet or dry can all add a tactile dimension to your images.
02 LIGHTING FOR TEXTURE
The angle and intensity of the light has a huge affect on texture. Look at the angle of the light and how it bounces off the surface. Move around the subject and the light source and watch how the texture appears to change. Side and back lighting enhances texture. Hard light creates stronger shadows and a stronger sense of texture, but might also produce too much contrast, leading to blown highlights or blocked shadows. Soft, diffuse light is easier to control and may make it easier to reveal every bit of detail in a decaying piece of wood. When it comes to texture, the devil is in the detail.
03 CLOSE UP
If you are photographing a surface that is less than a metre away, a steady tripod will let you use a slower shutter speed, lower ISO and narrower aperture. All that adds up to more detail in your photos. Use a cable release or a remote control to reduce the chance of camera shake even further.
04 BEST SETTINGS
It goes without saying that if your priority is detail – and it should be if you are shooting texture – you need to shoot RAW rather than JPEG. Shooting in RAW will help you capture a wider tonal range and makes it easier to adjust the colour temperature in post. A little sharpening will also boost detail and depth. When shooting for texture, use a low ISO (to reduce noise) and an aperture of f/8, f11 or f/16 where possible. While you will get more depth of field at, say f/22, most lenses produce their peak sharpness at f/8 or f/11. Experiment with different settings to see what works best for your camera/lens combination.
05 GENRES FOR TEXTURE
While texture is a natural consideration in macro and close-up photography, there are other genres where texture can also play an important role. Aerial landscape is one that springs to mind, and the best images in this genre often have a strong textural element. Even conventional landscapes can benefit from a good undertanding of texture, as different textural elements are complemented and juxtaposed to lead the eye and create movement and drama.
Alfonso Calero graduated from the Sydney Institute of Technology with an Associate Diploma in Photography in 2001 and has been professionally photographing fine art, food, portraits, landscapes and travel subjects ever since. He is the owner of a travel education and tours company that delivers workshops every Saturday morning in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle. One on one or small group sessions are also available. He also takes groups to Japan, Philippines, Spain and Tasmania once a year for 5, 10 and 14-day photography workshops.