Texture & Pattern

Texture and Pattern 

Definition & Theory

Texture refers to the tactile qualities of the physical surface of the object. In other words, how does the surface of the work feel when you touch it? 

• The challenge of seeing and capturing texture is mostly based on one element - light.

• Texture can be accentuated by the side light of early sunny mornings or early evenings, or by overhead light when the sun is vertical and high in the sky.

• Pattern is an underlying structure that organizes surfaces or structures in a consistent, regular manner.

• Pattern can be described as a repeating unit of shape or form, but it can also be thought of as the "skeleton" that organizes the parts of a composition.

Patterns are simply repeated shapes, colours or objects, ordered in either regular or irregular formations. As a photographer, using pattern is key to good composition and, when used effectively, can transform an otherwise bland image into something dramatic and eye catching. Patterns are formulated all around us - in both natural and man made settings.

Research (of artists and techniques) 

Sebastiao Salgado

One of the photographers that I decided to research was Sebastiao Salgado. Salgado was born on February 8, 1944 in Aimorés, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is a Brazilian photojournalist and social documentary photographer. He has traveled in over 120 countries for his photographic projects. Most of these have appeared in numerous press publications and books. Touring exhibitions of this work have been presented throughout the world. He has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2001.

All of the above images were photographed using black and white film. They are all similar and it is clear that he has his own photographic style when it comes to creating images and putting together his compositions. Most of the images that I have selected as examples are images taken of environment and nature, meaning it is landscape photography. This fits with his work, as he is a social documentary photographer as well as a photojournalist, so he has travelled around the world taking photos of his environment. The images may have been taken using black and white film in order to enhance the texture of the images and make it the sole focus of the composition. Additionally to this, if the images were in colour, it may have taken away from the texture of the images, making it a less capturing composition.

Edward Weston

Edward Weston was born on the 24th March 1886 and was an 20th century American photographer He has been called "one of the most innovative and influential American photographers…" and "one of the masters of 20th century photography." Over the course of his 40-year career Weston photographed an increasingly expansive set of subjects, including landscapes, still lifes, nudes, portraits, genre scenes and even whimsical parodies.Some of his most famous photographs were taken of the trees and rocks at Point Lobos, California, near where he lived for many years.

I gained inspiration from this by producing my own images based on pattern and taking images from various different angles, and then further editing them into black and white, or changing the saturation and contrast using Photoshop.

Image Bank

The following images were added as part of my visual research.

The above pictures are a collection of photographs that represent the visual element of texture and pattern. These are also images that I felt that I could recreate well myself. These images convey various different forms of texture and pattern They are also taken with a variety of different angles which I hope that I am able to do within my own work.

(AO1:  You must ensure that several of the visual ideas/inspirations within the image bank are pursued.)

Selected Images

Contact sheet(s)

My Best Images (target 4 - 6)

I selected the following as my best images:

Images that require improvement. 

(AT LEAST 2 IMAGES)

There were two images that I selected that needed improvement for a variety of reasons. The first image that I selected I decided needed improvement because I feel as though I did not focus on the pattern close enough and it gets lost with the background. Due to the colour of the background and there being a lot going on within the background, the sharpness of the pattern gets lost in it, therefore making it an image that does not show texture and pattern. If I was to create this image again, I would get closer to the gate and try to blur the background as much as possible. I also may have to take it at a different angle to show both the texture and pattern of the image.

The second image is an image that I felt needed improvement for various different reasons. One of these reasons is that I felt as though the image was too far away from any texture and pattern so the image has no primary focus. If I was to get closer to the tree, the windows or to the building in the background, it would have made a better image as I would have had a solid image in texture and pattern. Because I took it at such a wide shot, it does not accentuate any features of texture and pattern within the composition. If I was to improve on this image, I feel as though I would get closer to the building, and try to accentuate the pattern of the windows, as this is the element of the image that stands out most to me. If I was to do this, I feel as though it would fit well within the visual elements of both 'texture and pattern'.

AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.

The main idea that I had and the main reason for creating images with the formal element of  texture and pattern was that I was aware that, throughout harlow, both within and outside of the college, I would be able to produce some good photographs that accentuate both texture and pattern well. I also felt that, with the right editing in Photoshop, I would be able to create photos in a similar style to Sebastiao Salgado. His high contrast images accentuate texture well, and this is what I will aim to do with the images I have taken. A lot of his images are taken close up to the camera in order to better accentuate the texture of the object. I have tried to recreate this using own own objects and other natural elements. 

The images that I retrieved from my time exploring Harlow turned out well and I felt that overall, I captured the visual element of 'texture and pattern' well. I also feel I know my camera in a better way and am able to use it to get the best quality photos as I can. If I was to improve, I would spend more time learning how to use photoshop to better my images, and I would also try and find objects and places similar to those used by Sebastiao Salgado so that I can better recreate his images.

With reference to the Best selected images... 

The image of the brick wall was shot at such an angle that I was able to get close up to show off the rough texture of the brick wall, and to show that in some places it is sharp and rough edged, and some other bricks can be smooth and not so rough. I tried to only get s certain amount of the wall in focus, so that the texture and pattern of the brick wall would only be accentuated more, and that the sole focus would be the brick wall and no background would distract from the visual element.

The image of the tree bark was taken from an extremely close angle to show how textured the bark was, and how it raised in certain areas. I felt as though this was a good image to choose as one of my best images as it demonstrated a lot of texture, but also it showed a certain unique pattern that I thought would be good for this element. It also combines both texture and pattern together.

The image of both the wood and the glass window were taken so that most of the object fit the entire frame of the composition, as I wanted to be able to show the entirety of both the texture and pattern of both images. The image of the windows also shows the reflection of the clouds, which also shows another pattern within the composition. The sharp contrast of the lines on the windows accentuate the contrast of the image and with Photoshop, I could increase the contrast and decrease the brightness to make both texture and pattern a sole focus of this image.

The two images that I chose as my images that needed improvement were images that I felt that I could take again and work on the composition of the image. I would have either placed the camera at a closer angle or I would change the angle in order to accentuate the lines present with the image. I would do this especially with the first image. In order to improve my images, I would also like to understand Photoshop better, as I think this would improve my images a significant amount and make them of a better quality.

AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.

For all of the above images, I used a CANON EOS 1300D. I have not used my camera a lot before so I feel as though I could still learn a lot about the different settings and that this would improve on my image compositions in a hugely positive way, however I feel as though I have developed my skills over the past 2 weeks significantly. For most of these images, the flash was not on due to the fact I was shooting in the daylight. To capture more detail, I would shoot with a flash as I feel like this would capture more detail in the image. However, sometimes the flash can lessen the quality of the image, so depending on what type of image I want to create and how close I need to get to the composition, I will change my flash settings accordingly.

If I were to reshoot this image again I would use a tripod to hold the camera steady and try to improve on the sharpness of the image, as I feel that I would be able to create a better composition in terms of contrast and detail.

In order to improve on the images that I took, I decided to import them into Photoshop in order to enhance them and improve on their composition and the way that they have been shot. In order to do this, I decided to put them into black and white in order to accentuate the contrast within the image. I also altered the brightness and contrast of these images.

The screen grabs that I have selected show how I used Photoshop to create a high contrast black and white image as I felt this would accentuate the texture and pattern of the images well. To do use this, I used the Curves tool and the Black and White tool, gradually adjusting the colour sliders to get the clear contrast effect.

AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding. 

The artist research that I did was extremely helpful in the fact that I was able to gain an understanding of the different artists and their different styles. Knowing about when they were born and where they were born helps me to interpret their work and understand what they were thinking when they took a certain image. Researching images that they have created helps me to try and recreate these images and then shooting my own images in their style. For example, my research on Sebastiao Salgado helped me to choose to take photos close up, rather than just at the normal central angle used for most images. Because I did this research, I was also aware that his images contain a lot of contrast, and are usually in black and white. I tried to convey this as much as possible within my images. Additionally to this, I was able to get a better understanding of the visual element 'texture and pattern' and how different textures and patterns convey different emotions and feelings.

AO4:Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements. 

Overall, I think that I have produced a good series of images inspired by my research of texture and pattern, composition and the images of both Sebastiao Salgado. The final images produced were changed by developing the contrast and converting most of them them into black and white images, with the exception of the first image, where I just increased the contrast and decreased the brightness. If I was to improve, I would think about what these images may convey to a person and what feelings would come across.