Examples of Texture in Photography: Settings & Tips

You can find examples of texture in photography in nearly any image you see. Whether it’s a sculpture, furniture item, artwork, or something even more mundane like a bush, sand, or clothing.

Texture can be a powerful tool for making your photos more creative and engaging, and the advice below will teach you how to utilize it properly.

These textures can be found anywhere the moment you venture outdoors and include tree bark and foliage, stones and cliffsides, water surfaces, sand, dirt, and even the sky itself. Textures that are found in nature photography frequently serve to emphasize the beauty of the world whether it's its serenity or harshness.

The smaller details of different elements – be it the rough surface of bark, the calm surface of a lake, or the intricate patterns of a leaf – present countless options for you to enrich your photos with.

• Work from up close: Get a macro lens to take photos of smaller details in flower petals or the surface of bark.
• Pay attention to patterns: Search for repetitive patterns, which can be the veins in leaves or interesting rock arrangements.
• Employ leading lines: Include lines found in nature, be it walkways or streams, to navigate the viewer's gaze through the scene.

Urban textures cover a broad range of objects in a city such as brick walls, cobblestone, concrete, metallic surfaces, and glass. Such texture examples in urban photography help convey the character of the city, providing a unique look at its history or culture. For instance, old brick can highlight the age of a structure while large glass panes help add a sense of modernity. Urban textures come in different styles, making it easy to find a suitable option for your ideas regardless of what mood you’re going for.

Contrast and juxtaposition: Take pictures of contrasting textures, like transparent glass against aged marble to add tension to the scene.

Find reflective surfaces: Employ reflections found in puddles or glass to achieve a multilayered composition.

Experiment with multiple perspectives: Take photos from several angles to highlight the texture of different subjects and create a more compelling visual narrative.

• Soft lighting: Employ soft, diffused lighting to ensure the texture preserves its detail without suffering from rough shadows.
• Emphasize details: Capture specific elements, like the wrinkles on woven fabric or the intricate texture of a sliced strawberry.
• Add color: Feature-rich colors to ensure the textures have a stronger visual hook.

Abstract photography texture examples are usually found in random locations, such as a paint splatter, rust on a tool, or any other unconventional surface. They draw the viewer's attention with their color and shape without representing something specific.

By implementing various abstract photo ideas, you can produce aesthetically captivating photos that speak directly to the viewer’s imagination. By focusing their attention on a shape or pattern, you can turn a mundane object into an interesting artwork.

• Try out different angles: Experiment with various perspectives to achieve creative compositions that focus on texture.
• Emphasize color: Prioritize patterns with rich colors as they are likelier to evoke emotions or introspection.
• Consider macro: Close-up photos help uncover small details that can’t be seen from a distance.

Textile textures involve the surfaces of different fabrics like cotton, silk, leather, and wool. By using such textures, you can have your photos evoke a sense of familiarity, comfort, and coziness. They’re especially popular among fashion, still life, and product photographers, allowing them to emphasize the detailed craftsmanship that goes into producing different fabrics.

Experiment with light: Employ side lights to emphasize the texture and weave of the fabric.

Feature layers: Place the fabrics in a layered manner to add dimension to the shot.

Look for patterns: Highlight the patterns found in different fabrics to make the photos more aesthetically pleasing.

• Close-ups: Approach the subject to uncover the intricate details of various surfaces that are hidden from the naked eye.
• Add side lights: They can make the texture look more pronounced by producing shadows and highlights.
• Find patterns: Search for repetitive or distinct patterns that can become the visual hook of your photo.

• Close-up photos: Approach the subject to capture the skin, hair, or fabric texture in finer detail.
• Prioritize soft lighting: Soft, diffused lights can beautify skin textures without creating any strong shadows.
• Capture emotions: Take photos of the model’s facial expressions to convey their personality and mood, emphasizing the texture of their facial structure.

Knowing the texture photography definition does nothing without putting it into practice, which is why you should visit different photo locations and urban scenery can be a great start. Search for eye-catching textures in street art, aged surfaces, and different architectural elements. Nature is also the perfect source of inspiration, as you can snap close-up shots of leaves, tree bark, or stones. Water surfaces also tend to have amazing texture.

Another avenue you can explore is food. Take pictures of the skin of different fruits and vegetables. Alternatively, you can look for interesting textures in the comfort of your home, by examining different furniture and your clothing. You can also go to Instagram and Pinterest and type in hashtags like #texturephotography and #macrotextures. Another option is to sign up for a local photography class or workshop to gain even more insights into how you can utilize texture for your work.

Lastly, teach yourself to attentively abserve your surroundings wherever you are, and pay attention to how the lighting affects textures at different times of day. Consider starting a photography journal to note down all your ideas and inspirations.

By enhancing the textures in your photos, you can make them look more eye-catching and professional. Some of the main edits you can do include:

1. Enhance Contrast: Boosting the contrast will make the textures pop more, as it will strengthen the shadows and brighten the highlights, achieving a wider dynamic range.

2. Sharpening: By increasing the sharpness, you can boost the clarity of your images. It’s important to find a balanced approach here since overly sharpened photos will have visual noise.

3. Dodge and Burn: Use dodge and burn tools to choose which parts of the photo you want to lighten or darken. This technique can add dimension to your textures, directing the viewer’s focus to specific elements.

4. Texture Overlay: Try applying a texture overlay, for instance, dust texture overlays, to enhance the photo with a creative effect. Blend it with the help of layer modes in an application like Photoshop, tweaking opacity to achieve a harmonious mix with the original photo.

5. Color Grading: Try out different color correction techniques to set different moods in your photos. By tweaking the colors and saturation, you can alter the perception of your textures, making them more or less defined based on your vision.

6. Use Filters: Some editing software lets you apply filters for enhancing or adding diferent textures. Get creative with such filters to learn how they can help make your texture photography more interesting.

7. Emphasize the Details: Zoom in on individual parts of the photo to fine-tune specific elements. Employ features like the clone stamp or healing brush to get rid of unwanted elements and highlight the most important details.