Texture Photography

[pinakibaidya]

Recently i tried my hands at texture photography.I am not quite satisfied with my achievement.I want to improve it .I am posting two pics which i have taken by Nikon5100 with 90mm Tamron macro lens.C&C are welcome.
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[oleleclos]

I love texture in pictures (as explained in my album: https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...p?albumid=2582), so I may be able to shed some light on the subject.

Pun fully intended (sorry!) - because it's mostly about light. The strong sidelight in this picture makes the roughness of the bark stand out:



and this "ice cone" would not have come off without the texture introduced by the shadows:



On the other hand the texture of this smooth bark in diffuse light comes from the strong colouring of the object itself.



So to sum up: Unless the object has naturally occurring contrasting elements, use light and shadows to create the illusion of structure in a two-dimensional picture.

One other thing I have found important in showing texture is sharpness. Not through oversharpening basically unsharp images but through very careful sharpening of pictures which are in themselves sharp.

Hope you'll find something you can use in my comments.

[Mike Buckley]

Using High Pass sharpening at about 25 pixels and 35% opacity might also serve as a point of departure to emphasize the texture in the image. Depending on how your software works, you might need to use a different number of pixels.

[Bobobird]

Thanks for bringing on the subject. I learned something today thanks to Ole and Mike.

[pinakibaidya]

Thanks Ole for your helpful advice.I want some more advice regarding texture photography.If don't have strong side lighting or contrasting colour what should I do?Another thing as you suggested compression of pic may cause loss of detail .I have seen your album and the pics are inspiring for me.Thank you mike for your pp advice.

[Mike Buckley]

If don't have strong side lighting or contrasting colour what should I do?

Many situations don't present the characteristics we look for. If you don't find the right light or color, make a different kind of photo or look for a scene that does present the characteristics you require. As for the side lighting, you could use a flash that is not attached to your camera.

[oleleclos]

If don't have strong side lighting or contrasting colour what should I do?

Many situations don't present the characteristics we look for. If you don't find the right light or color, make a different kind of photo or look for a scene that does present the characteristics you require.

Mike is right. There are basically two ways to make a picture. And a million ways in between, of course, but let's examine the two extremes:

One is the classic, "Group f/64" mantra of "found objects". This allows no interference with the subject, and there are only two ways to influence the outcome. One is to wait patiently until the natural conditions are right - the sun is in the right place, the surf is up, the wind has died down or whatever we need for the picture we want. The other way is to walk away and choose another subject.

The second approach is what commercial photographers have to do, because they or their client haven't got the time to wait for things to happen naturally, or the image they need may never occur naturally: make it all up (or nearly all). Change anything you like, bring your own lights, props, sets, models. Do anything that's needed to get the image your client wants (and is willing to pay for).

Then there's all the ways in between. If the light you need isn't there, either wait until it is or choose another subject or - as Mike says - add some light of your own. Flash, mirrors, reflectors, in fact anything from searchlights to candlelight. Whatever is at your disposal (and don't be shy) to get the light you need to the place you need it.

I was a commercial photographer in a dim and distant past, but these days I enjoy the freedom to be able to walk away from a subject that won't play ball and find another that will. But that's just me; others enjoy finding solutions to difficult situations. And I have to admit, it can be very satisfying.

[pinakibaidya]

Thanks to Ole and Mike for your valuable advice.Can you please do me a favour by posting some links to this subject of of photography?