Chapter 20

Texture

Giving to the viewer of the photograph an additional
information about the object's tectile qualities, revealed
texture allows us to imagine what it would feel like to touch
this object. Directional lighting plays the most important role
in emphasizing the object's texture, providing us with the
information about the contrast between the hollows of the
shadowed and raised lit areas, and thus, creating an illusion of
a three-dimensional appearance of the subject`s surface. Soft,
diffused, oblique and subdued early morning light, evening
sunshine or an even light of the hazy days work the best.
Weathered wood, as in this photo of the caboose's elements, old
and rusted metal surfaces of the objects, such as this aged and
weathered metal nails in the latch, or these cogs -- all reveal
their texture photographed in the directional and soft light.
Magnified or photographed up close an object's surface reveals
its texture too, as in the picture of the tree-trunks shot right
after the rain. Often side or back-lit objects tend to reveal the
most of their texture. Texture, giving a wide tonal range, is
often used to give a character or convey a sense of realism in
your object.