Photographing Textures
When I started taking photography classes, one of the first assignments was to photograph texture. It’s an interesting ’subject’, as texture is usually associated with touch. There are all sorts of great texture photos out there. One of my favourites is a photo of rippling sand in the desert at sunset. I’m not sure who the photographer is, but it’s a great photo.
I haven’t consciously photographed texture in years, but was recently inspired. Here is one of a ceiling in a hotel - I loved the way the light came through the design - it’s almost enough to hypnotise…
Here is texture in the form of street art. It was a cloudy day, so the colours are a little more dull, but it does provide for more shadow, bringing out the lumps and bumps in the sculpture.
Macro lenses are made for texture - giving you that 1:1 visibility you can get up close to capture every detail. I haven’t played around with macro all that much, but if you have a chance, try it.
Photographing texture, you can play around will all the five senses - taste, touch, smell, sight, and sound. You can visually represent each of these, but photographing colourful food, rough surfances, flowers, art, and musical instruments, just as examples.
Here is a combination of a few senses - the light falls over these jagged bricks and really creates some great patterns. Down lighting always produces great shadows, which, in portrait photography is usually something to be avoided, but in this case, it works.
Texture a great subject, if you’re ever feeling uninspired in your photography. Just grab your camera and head outside to find textured inspiration.