Texture and Pattern

Texture and Pattern 

Definition & Theory

• Texture refers tot 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?
• Pattern is an underlying structure that organizes surfaces or structures in a consistent, regular manner. Its described as a repeating unit of shape or form, also be thought of a s the "skeleton" that organizes parts of a composition.

Texture

Theory and Research

The major challenge when trying to capture the texture of something is the light. Texture can be accentuated by where the sun or light your using is, example sunrise, early evening, overhead lighting.

Tonal and colour contrast can be used effectively with texture the key to this is too enhance the detail in texture and make that stand out. To do this you need to have a good contrast between different things, example colour and light. The easiest way to do this is to have a background that contrasts with the area of texture, making it stand out. 

Pattern 

Theory and Research

When pattern is used effectively it can transform a bland image into something more dramatic and eye catching. Patterns can be found in natural and man made settings.

Where can you find it?

• It can be anyway and everywhere but you can only capture it in daily life if you have a camera on you and you keep your eyes open.
• Its important to get in close to capture all the detail of the pattern, if on a small scale. However on a large scale the best way to view it is from a birds eye view. 

Different types of patterns.

• Regular some of the most rewarding to shoot where shapes, lines, colours repeat in a strict formation filling the frame, a consistent geometric formation with clear cut lines.
• Irregular can be found in the natural world where there is no direct contrast to regular formations.

Pattern is very good at getting attention but that can fade if its simple. As a result sometimes it is good to use two or more patterns in one image to break the pattern. However this has to be done so it strengthens both of the patterns. The other option is to break the texture pattern, a single rock in a field of clovers as an example.

Image Bank

Texture 

Pattern

Photographers 
Edward Weston and Aaron Siskind

The first photographer Edward Weston is an American Photographer who between 1927 and 1930 developed his series of close ups and landscapes. This included seashells, peppers anything natural with different textures, he believed that a camera should be used for recording life.

The first image is one of his most successful and one that i find really inspiring.  This is due to the fact that at first glance for me i saw what seemed to be a cloth that had been place over something so it had folded. Where as it is really an upside down cabbage leaf. As a result he has made something that is so ordinary into a beautiful wave like surface that is graceful as it presents the idea of movement. There is no trickery behind the image, he has just used a black and white filter and great precision and a wide range of tone. In the second photo he uses high contrast again to help the inside of the mushroom to stand out. This shows the texture of the mushroom, where the stork is smoother than the inner folds on the inside. This is shown through the stork being lighter as it has next to no dips and peaks, however the inside does resulting in it being much darker. In the third image he has set the camera to the smallest aperture setting to ensure maximum sharpness for both foreground and background. Allowing him to retail details otherwise lost in the images. This image as a result is a perfect example of irregular patten as the sand has been pushed by the wind into this ripple effect that has no regular formation. The final image of the shell was taken around 1929 when he moved to California as this is when he focused on monumental close ups of shells, among other things. The way he has photographed the shell its patten creates a perfect spiral which is enhanced with the black and white filter. It does this by making the dips and slits darker. Making it look a little like a spill staircase. 

Aaron Siskind (my second photographer) is an american photographer that found objects that were simultaneously true-to-life and abstract. 

The first image shows paper pilling off a broad from weather and decay a bit like a metaphor for life where there are layers to a person. The way he has framed the photo makes the texture seem like it if you touch it the image will just crumble apart.The image of the wall has been taken at an angle as a result making the wall look abstract. The low aperture setting aloud the whole image to stay in focus and bring out the rough texture of the bricks, as well as the regular patten of the brick work. He has put a black and white filter over the image which has made the brick darker and the cement lighter creating a contrast. The next image is oft bark on a tree which has been taken to fill the whole frame. The black and white filter enhances the deeper curves and cracks in the bark, this makes the image appear rough. It also shows off the irregular natural pattern. The last image shows a regular pattern on wood, however it has been cut into square pieces as a result it looks irregular. The black and white filter brings out the difference between the dark circles and the lighter background.    

Contact Sheets

My Best Photos

Images that need improvement

I have chosen these photos because they didn't turn out how i had imagined them to come out. 

In the first photo there was a reflection from the light used. This resulted in a glare across the final image and it is hard the make out the regular pattern. So i moved the paper to a different location with better light and also tried with a different angle. Which is how i got DSC 1321, this cut out the glare of the light allowing the pattern to be better seen.

The next photo wasn't framed correctly so it ruined the checkered pattern on the floor which is used as a chess board. I tired to frame the picture but you cant get high enough to look down on the checkered pattern. As a result i tired to zoom in to the pattern but couldn't get the same effect. 

In the third photo my ISO setting was to high as a result the photo turned out rather dark. This makes it very hard to see the rough texture of the rock so i tried a different ISO setting and took more photos from different points. These are shown from DSC 1436 - DSC 1440 on my contact sheets. 

The last photo could could have been one of the best however it was framed incorrectly, resulting in sky showing through on the left hand side of the photo. If i was going to go back and retake this photo i would take a tripod with me and more carefully frame the photo so it sat in the centre and filled the whole frame. 

( AO:3 ) - Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress

I really found texture and pattern hard because getting inspiration for my photos was difficult. As a result i really had the full back on my research i focused on Aaron Siskind and his true to life photos. This gave me the idea of photographing the everyday things like paving and buildings for patten. Then for texture i looked at both photographers so like Edward Weston i focused on the natural world, taking photos of fruit and veg. 

With reference to my Best Photos...

For my first photo i used inspiration from Aaron Siskind and using his style of abstracting photos like the brick work. However to make the photo relevant i based it on patten unlike Aaron, the inspiration came in the angle i took the photo to get the same effect. The pattern forms diagonal leading lines by using the white spots as the focus point, making a regular patten.

The next photo was taken of the ground outside the college this is has been put down to stop people form slipping over when it has rained. This was inspired by Aaron Siskind and how he uses textures that are around him to take his photos. However Aaron has a higher contrast so later i will photoshop my photo to bring out the different tones. I am very happy with this photo as it portrays and rough, uneven surface with alternating shapes.

The photo of the mushroom was highly inspired by Edward Weston and how close he can get to and object and keep the sharpness. As a result of this is i wanted to take a photo of the underneath of a mushroom to show the texture underneath. So i used a tripod to keep my camera still, add a small aperture it allowed me to zoom right in a still keep as much sharpness as possible. This is my favourite photo as the difference in the textures between the stork and folds contrast with the stork seeming harder and the folds soft. 

( AO:2 ) - Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and reiewing and refining ideas as work develops

I used my Nikon D3100 set on manual to take my photos. I used different ISO's depending on where i was shooting however the lighting was still poor in places. As well as this i have learnt from my other formal elements to use a tripod to help keep my camera still allowing me to take sharper photos. Using the tripod has helped however i need to take more time to work on framing the photo better while using a tripod. 

To improve my best photos i imported them in to photoshop and used a black and white filter to help link it to my research better. After that if the photo needs a higher contrast i will use curves or dodge and burn. The information on how i did this is shown below. 

The images shown where taken by screen grab ( Ctrl, shift, 4 ). They show step by step how i used photoshop to edit my photos to get a higher contrast and how i put the black and white filter over the photos to link them with my research.

( AO:1 ) - Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sorces, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding

My research helped me immensely in this part because i didn't know what i should take photos on. Though now i know that texture and patten can be taken in different ways but the best way of taking them is to use everyday recurring objects. Aaron Suskind helped me look at texture and patten in a different perceptive and look for different angles to try and distort everyday things to get interesting images. Edward Weston allowed me to understand how black and white photos are just as powerful as coloured ones however can show more details and a wider tonal range. Both have allowed me to see my are of Harlow differently and that there are a lot of unnoticed textures and patterns. This is what allowed me to take photos on texture and patten and put my own twist on it.

All of my research was important to allow me to understand what i needed to take photos of and grasp the correct concept of texture and patten. Knowing all the information helped me through this part because with out it i would have struggled. I would have struggled with getting new ideas and i wouldn't have thought of trying different angles in my photos. 

( AO:4 ) - Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements

I believe that i have a reasonably strong series for texture and patten which was inspired by my research on different photographers. There different styles allowed me to focus in on the everyday textures and pattens. The final images produced where refined by converting them to black and white and changing the contrast to allow a higher level of detail.