Why does texture matter in an image

We use texture in an image to add visual interest and different patterns to the image, it adds levels to the image and helps represent shadows and light in different ways, this ties in with many different types of photography which I will represent in this post.

A photographer who looks at texture – Jerry Reed

Jerry Reed is an English photographer who claims it is his goal to keep the viewers attention and interest through his images. The image you can see above is part of his paperwork series one. You can see he achieves his goal of enticing the viewer through texture created by layers and shadows in his image.

some more of his images –

my contact sheet –

As you can see in the image above I have taken a wide range of photos with different ISO aperture and shutter speed and different lighting conditions along with this to get the best results.

Here are some images that I selected –

As you can see I have used varied light and camera conditions to create images with texture, I took inspiration from Jerry Reeds images using the varied and unique texture that is created by something simple such as a piece of paper. I will now edit the images and represent them next.

Image selection process

as you can see above I used P and X to flag my images to filter out the bad ones from the ok and good ones, next I rated these images 4 or 5 stars as 4 being ok ones and 5 being good ones, finally I gave them the colour yellow or green, green being the best and yellow being good. I will now edit these images that I selected and present them bellow.

My edited images

above you can see I have edited the images and I attempted to enhance the whites and the blacks to separate the texture much like Jerry reed did in his work.

James Welling began taking pictures in 1976 using a 4×5 view camera. In 1978, he moved to New York and started a sequence of abstract photographs like: Aluminium Foil, Drapes and Gelatine Photography. He has become known for a relentlessly evolving body of images that considers both the history and technical specificities of photography.

I decided to focus my photoshoot and take the black an white tone aspect to my photos as the light shows a strong contrast between the two colours. I also chose to take the pictures in natural and artificial light to see the difference it makes to the shot. Furthermore, I took pictures in front of a black and white background to see how the paper ball would contrast with a different background.

My Contact Sheet:

Original Photos:

Edited Photos:

Technical:

I started this photoshoot by working out how the light would have the specific effect I wanted on the paper ball. I used a mix of artificial and natural light to see how big the difference would be. I used a range of different ISO’s to see what it would look like how big the contrast would be and how the shadows would lay out.

Visual:

I preferred using a black background instead of a white one as it showed no shadows behind the paper ball. I chose to do the paper ball to show the texture of it scrunched up and how every fold has a different look to them. The use of the black background and the 3D ball makes an illusion as the paper looks like is floating when in reality its just the effect of the lighting.

Contextual:

When choosing the paper ball envisioned the artists (James Welling) work and the paper ball which is the cover of the ‘Core Skills + The Formal Elements’. I liked the cover because it shows a range of different tones like: black grey and white. This inspired me to create my own to see how it would compare against it. I chose this photo as my favourite one:

Artist Research

Paul Jackson is a specialist in origami and the folded arts. He was one of the pioneers of folding/origami as Fine Art lots oh his work has been put in galleries and museums.  He has also curated several ground-breaking exhibitions of origami, undertaken many commercial commissions for print, screen-based media, festivals and more, and has been a consultant for companies such as Siemens, Nike, Tetra-Pak and Tata.

I took the inspiration from the origami and decided to make a white paper crane. I did this because I would be able to play around with the colour of it in Adobe Lightroom. I also chose to create a landscape with torn paper. This is because the torn area gives the photo good texture and I worked with different lighting to see how that would effect the shadows.

My Contact Sheet:

Original Photos:

Edited Photos:

Technical:

I started by taking photos in the photography class using the artificial light. I tried using the flash however, with the white background the paper crane got washed out. I also used an F-stop of 4.5-5.2 to see how it would differ from each image.

Visual:

I used a red light to give the paper crane a colourful effect, this is because the light would be able to emphasise the shadows on the paper crane. The light was sometimes put closer and further away to see how opaque the colour would be, like the third and fourth image. I used shape when taking pictures of the paper to make it seem like mountains or sand which was my main idea for this photoshoot. Adding on, the form of the paper crane allowed for shadows to appear in other areas because of its 3D shape.

Contextual:

When taking these images my inspiration was Paul Jackson an origami artist and photographer. The mountain and sand pictures followed a different artist however they weren’t as detailed as those specific images. Jackson used colourful animals whilst I decided to do colourful background and animal to make my work different from his. The picture I chose reminded me of is photography the most:

we did a experiment with the ISO (sensitivity to light) using paper as our subject, we used a range of ISO’s to be able to clearly see a difference between the photos.

This photo has a low ISO, we also used a dark see through piece of plastic to give us a brownish tint to the photo which we did for these next two photos as well as we found it to be aesthetically pleasing.

This photo has a medium ISO, you can clearly see the subject

This photo has a high ISO, this has caused the subject to become overexposed

This photo we decided to put a red see through plastic sheet half over the spotlight, leaving half of the light how it was and the other half red, this gave us a really unique image

I really liked this photo and had the idea to try and make it look like the French flag so I went to experiment in light room and gave it a go, here is my outcome:

I this project we were told to scrunch up paper and photograph it in different lights and settings to try create interesting shapes and shadows.

this was the first photoshoot, I scrunched paper in different shapes and moving the lights around to the light and shadows were different.

these were my two favourite favourite pictures there isn’t much difference other than one being more zoomed in than the other.

This was the picture I ended up choosing to edit and work with because there is a lot a texture coming from the paper and think she shadow made an interesting shape, there is also a lot of dark and bright spots which I like to have in my images.

Jerry Reed

Image Analyse

This image is taken using artificial lighting which was smartly positioned to make the right shadows. The depth of field in this image is focused and sharp. And the aperture that was used to create this image mas about an F8.In this image there are only 3 different colours them being black, white and different shades of grey. The tone in this image in dark in the background but the actual focus point is very light this choice by the artist makes the image contrast very well and . There is little to no texture in this image everything is quite smooth. Jerry reed talks about his ” paper work series 1 ” he says that this series took him 3 years to create and it consists of 26 black and white images. the paper sculptures were crafted by Reed. In the the woven tale press website they say ” His studio background is evident in the creative use of Fresnel lighting techniques, which can accentuate sharp or soft edges as well as master shadows, their often sensual and quite subtle tonal gradients.” This image reminds me of a flower. In my opinion is one of the only images in this series that don’t actually look like paper and I think that’s really interesting how he used a simple material lie paper and made it look like something so interesting and beautiful. His knowledge in art history could also help him know how to look at simple things and have the creative mind to transform them in something so artistic and creative.

work inspired by Jerry Reed

for this photoshoot I used more structured paper and photographed it in different angles and ISO and lighting.

these were my favourite pictures, the ones that have better quality and are more interesting.

I then labelled it green or yellow to get closer to the best one.

Editing

photoshoot 2 in the style of jerry reed

In this photoshoot I liked more the pictures that were taken using a red light I like how the unfocused is in the right places.

these were my favourite pictures that I took, the more interesting ones and I like how they don’t look like they were made from paper.

these were the 4 pictures which I liked more I this the shapes are interesting the light is well positioned next step is to choose my 2 favourite ones so then I can edit them.

These were my favourite ones I think they kind of look like rose petals I really like that.

Editing

Experimenting with photoshop

I used photoshop to make this and I used an tutorial on the blog to do this. The name of this effect is Kaleidoscope​ Effect Which is basically using the same image ad stuck it together to make an interesting effect.

An artist that works with this effect is Amanda Buck she takes pictures of nature and then uses the Kaleidoscope Effect to edit the photo.

expedition created by me on art step

what is ISO – ISO (or international organization for standardization) is how sensitive the camera is to light, the higher the number is, the more light the camera lets in. From this we can imagine that the higher the number in a lighted condition the lower the quality of image, and in dark conditions it will benefit the image.

We will most likely see results like this from an example I have found on the internet of ISO –

what you can see above is something known as visual noise or white noise, this can be created by a high ISO in an image making it less visually appealing.

I will take picture with ISO in both light and dark conditions to represented which can be seen below.

contact sheet

ISO in a lighted condition –

ISO in a dark condition –

Final image selection and edited images

as you can see above I used P and X to flag my images to filter out the bad ones from the ok and good ones, next I rated these images 4 or 5 stars as 4 being ok ones and 5 being good ones, finally I gave them the colour yellow or green, green being the best and yellow being good. I will now edit these images that I selected and present them bellow.

conclusion

from the images I have taken I can prove what I said in the beginning and represent how ISO effects an image. on top of this I found out that also upping the shutter speed on the camera will also increase the brightness of the image while still keeping high quality in a dark environment. This perfectly represents how you must use all 3 ( ISO, shutter speed and aperture ) to produce a high slandered image.

in conclusion this task has taught me a lot of key skills and has shown me how ISO effects the image.

Shutter speed is the speed in which the shutter of the camera closes.

Fast Shutter speed

• Shorter exposure
• Lets in less light
• No motion blur

Slow Shutter speed

• Longer exposure
• Lets in more light
• Motion blur

Eadward Muybridge- fast shutter speed

Eadweard Muybridge was a groundbreaking photographer who made a name for himself in the late 1800s with his studies of motion. His biggest achievement was using high-speed photography to capture how animals and people move, which was pretty revolutionary at the time.

One of his most iconic works is The Horse in Motion, where he documented a horse running through a sequence of images. This not only highlighted how the horse moved but also prompted fascinating questions about the nature of movement itself.

Muybridge’s techniques opened up new doors for photographers. He proved that photography wasn’t just about snapping still shots, it could also capture movement and explore how things actually move. His work also impacted sport science, biomechanics and animation.

In summary, Muybridge’s clever use of shutter speed and his technique of capturing movement in a series really shook things up in photography.

Harold Edgerton- fast shutter speed

Harold Edgerton was an American engineer and photographer famous for his groundbreaking work in high-speed photography. He created techniques and gear that let him capture super fast events, allowing him to freeze motion like never before.

Edgerton created the electronic flash, or strobe light, which let him produce a quick burst of light. This was key because it allowed him to freeze motion in an instant, making it possible to snap photos of fast-moving things like bullets, dancers, and falling objects.

He used super short exposure times to reduce motion blur. By syncing the strobe light with the camera’s shutter, he could get exposure times in the microsecond range. This allowed him to capture details that you wouldn’t normally see.

By mastering shutter speed and lighting tricks, Edgerton really took photography to the next level, showing off the beauty and intricacies of motion like never before. His work opened up new paths for both science and art.

Hiroshi Sugimoto- slow shutter speed

Hiroshi Sugimoto is a famous Japanese photographer and artist known for his awesome and thought-provoking work. He often explores cool themes like time, memory, and how we see things in his photos. One of his popular series is “Theatres,” where he takes long-exposure shots of old movie theatres, really capturing the vibe of light and shadow.

Hiroshi Sugimoto plays around with slow shutter speeds in his long-exposure photography. This technique lets him capture moving light and shadow over a longer time, giving his images a cool sense of time and movement all in one shot.

In his “Theatres” series, for example, he keeps the shutter open long enough to let the projector’s light hit the screen while the rest of the theatre stays dark. This creates dreamy images that mix stillness with a sense of motion, making you think about time and memory.

In his “Seascapes,” the slow shutter speeds smooth out the water, creating peaceful, almost abstract landscapes that feel really calm and timeless. Overall, his approach with slow shutter speeds adds a lot of depth and a unique vibe to his work.

Francesca Woodman

Francesca Woodman was an American photographer known for her haunting, dreamy black-and-white shots. She often used herself as the subject and explored themes like identity, femininity, and the passage of time. Her work really captures feelings of vulnerability and has a unique vibe.

Francesca Woodman often played with slow shutter speeds in her photos to create a sense of movement and a dreamy vibe. This technique let her blur parts of her body or the background, giving her images a magical quality. By capturing herself in motion, she highlighted fleeting moments and the passage of time, which really adds to the emotional punch of her work.

In a lot of her shots, the long exposure creates ghostly effects, since she’d move around or let the light linger in the frame. This not only brings attention to her presence but also adds a layer of vulnerability and depth. The mix of sharp and blurry elements in her photos makes you think about identity and existence, giving her work that haunting, personal touch.

My experiments with shutter speed:

Studio

Outside

What is Shutter Speed?

Shutter Speed is the length of time your cameras shutter stays open, which also determines how much light the sensor is exposed to. The longer the shutter is open then the longer the light will have to hit the sensor and brighten the image, The shorter the shutter is open then the shorter the time the light will hit the sensor which could result in darker images. Shutter speed is part of the exposure triangle which is the three factors that determine the exposure of a image.

By adjusting and controlling your shutter speed it can determine how sharp or blurry your moving image is. By taking images with a fast shutter speed you can capture a moving image and it will essentially be frozen in place so you end up getting a clean and sharp photo of your subject. By taking images with a slow shutter speed you end up getting images of your moving subject being blurry.

Examples

By using a fast shutter speed it makes your moving subject freeze in place in your image so you end up getting images like these below.

All photos used in the examples are not mine

Francesca Woodman

Francesca Woodman experimented with slow shutter speed and was able to create an amazing series of photos. Her photographs were taken at her parents farmhouse in the countryside of Florence Italy where they would spend their summers. The European culture and art had a huge influence on her work. The influence of surrealist art in the photographs of Man Ray and Claude Cahun can be seen in the themes and style used in her photographs. Her ideas and skills were developed at the Rhode island school of design. Her photographs was important and had an influence for American artists. Especially since in the 1970s the status of photography wasn’t really as big as paintings and sculptures. However in 1981, Francesca Woodman ended up taking her life at the age of 22

Her images below:

My Photos

Thanks to the low shutter speed (2 Seconds used) I was able to create light trails using flashlights and led lights which in return made some interesting and spectacular photos.

definiton

Shutter speed is exactly what it sounds like: It’s the speed at which the shutter of the camera closes. A fast shutter speed creates a shorter exposure the amount of light the camera takes in and a slow shutter speed gives the photographer a longer exposure. This is shown underneath

Raw images and examples

Francesca woodman:

Here we took inspiration from her work that often portray ghostly and eerie feelings

photo info : 8/5 seconds f/5

Editing

I then repeated this process with the other select photos , the outcome is displayed bellow

ISO-ISO is a number that represents how sensitive your camera sensor is to light. The higher the ISO number, the higher your camera’s sensitivity, and the less light you need to take a picture. The trade-off is that higher ISOs can lead to degraded image quality and cause your photos to be grainy or ‘noisy.

This is how I put the flagged filter.

Shutter speed is the speed at which the shutter of the camera closes. A fast shutter speed creates a shorter exposure and controls the amount of light the camera takes in and a slow shutter speed gives the photographer a longer exposure.

Eadweard Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge is remembered today for his pioneering photographic studies of motion, which ultimately led to the development of cinema. He was hired to photograph a horse’s movement to prove that a horse’s hooves are clear of the ground at a trot.

To take these clear shots of a moving horse he used a high shutter speed to capture the act. Shutter speed is the amount of time that the shutter is open and how much light it is exposed too.. A fast shutter speed creates a shorter exposure ,the amount of light the camera takes in and a slow shutter speed gives the photographer a longer exposure.

This is a photo I took with a high shutter speed. This is a torch being moved in a shape of a star.

This is a photo i took with a low shutter speed you can tell as it is quite blurry and not a clear image.