TEXTURE & PATTERN-
Texture refers to the tactile qualities of the physical surface of the object.
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.
Texture photography is one way of drawing the viewer's attention into the image. When used correctly, the effect of the texture of the elements in the image can become as commanding as the use of pronounced colours, dramatic scenery or induced movement by lines. When talking about photography texture refers to the visual quality of the surface of an object, revealed through variances in shape, tone and colour depth. Texture brings life and vibrance to images that would otherwise appear flat and uninspiring. Capturing high levels of detail is extremely important when attempting to capture lifelike textures making exposure choices critical. Underexpose and texture will be lost in shadow and blurring, overexpose and it will be lost in blown highlights and lack of dynamic range. The texture of an object, as seen through the lens of a camera can be heavily manipulated by the use of supplemental lighting; Changes in directional lighting alone can dramatically effect the visibility and depth of texture within an image.
Texture Photography can sometimes be challenging, since composition, light and depth work differently than in, for example, landscape photography. In texture photography, it's all about patterns, colours and depth, and every single detail of a texture plays a significant role in the overall perception of the photograph.
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.
Pattern photography utilizes elements that are repeated. The repetition of lines, shapes, tones or colour can create interesting images. There are photographers who use the pattern as the main subject of an image while others use it to enhance the overall composition and look of the photograph.
Patterns, both natural and man-made, bring a sense of visual rhythm and harmony to photographs that, like a series of repeating notes in a melody, capture the imagination. Patterns appear whenever strong graphic elements—lines, colours, shapes, or forms—repeat themselves.
A repetitive pattern that fills the frame gives the impression that the pattern is massive and goes beyond the image even if the pattern or repetition is only enough to fill the screen. This is done to take images of people’s faces in a group or crowd or an assembly of arranged bottles in a factory.
Another technique is capturing the disruption in the flow of a pattern. Using the previously mentioned examples, photographers can have one person wear a yellow shirt in a crowd wearing purple. These disruptions can happen naturally or can be manipulated to appear as such. The break can be achieved by introducing an element in a contrasting colour, with a different shape or texture. Removing one of the elements that make up the pattern can also work. Focus on the break to create emphasis
Aaron Siskind-
Aaron Siskind was born on December 4, 1903 in New York. He was the son of Russian Jewish immigrants and the fifth of six children. After receiving his Bachelor of Social Science degree from the College of the City of New York in 1926, he went on to teach high school English in the New York public school system for 21 years. His first loves were music and poetry, but he took an interest in photography after his 1929 wedding, when he received his first camera as a honeymoon present. He began his career in photography as a documentarian in the New York Photo League in 1932. From 1936 to 1940, he oversaw the League’s Feature Group as they created documentary photo essays of political importance, fuelled by a desire for social change. On the invitation of Harry Callahan, Siskind joined the faculty of the Institute of Design in Chicago in 1951, taking over as head of the photography program in 1961, when Callahan left. Siskind and Callahan, famous for their synergy as teachers and photographers, reunited in 1971 when Siskind left the Institute of Design for the Rhode Island School of Design where Callahan then taught. Siskind continued to teach at RISD until his retirement in 1976. He travelled broadly, making multiple trips to Mexico and Italy, including a stint in Rome, funded by his 1966 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship.
In the photos I see natural items that represent the theme of texture/pattern. It makes me think of how these things are around us all the time however we never seem to acknowledge them till you actually research into it. I think the photographer is trying to communicate how easily some things can be broken like for instance the last two pictures over time they have slowly degraded. The images communicates this from how they look and the effects used to create the shade darker. The emotions represented are stressed and maybe a bit anxious from the way the backgrounds are slowly falling apart. I would like to know why the first image is taken from that angle because if it was facing forward and more of an 90 degree angle it would still represent the texture just a bit clearer however its represented well from the angle he has taken it at. I like how even though its not too far zoomed in you can see the effect of the texture/pattern still. I dislike how he changed it to black and white because it might of made it a bit more realistic of how its degrading. I think its been achieved by finding items that represent texture and pattern taken a photo of it and turned it black and white. The first photo looks like bricks and from the angle/shade it has it brings a different vibe then with colour. The second photo has been taken alongside a road or a parking space, I think the photographer enhanced the brightness on the white or it stands out because it is surrounded by black. In the third photo it looks like someone has painted over wood and over time it starts to flake off representing damage. The fourth photo looks like someone has taken a hammer to a wall and its slowly crumbling off.
Contact Sheet-
(AO1. You must ensure that several of the visual ideas/inspirations within the image bank are pursued. )
The green circle represents one of the five best photos and the red circle represents one of the photos that could be improved.
My intentions for this shoot was to take photos inspired by the photographer Aaron Siskind, who takes pictures quite zoomed in on the theme of texture and pattern. I followed his style of work however I wanted to put my own little spin on them taking photos that went with texture and pattern but just on a different scale.
I chose images 3956, 4221, 4226, 4278 and 3960 as the five best photos because I feel they represented his work in a way that is very different and unique however it’s a nice twist to show the possibilities you can create with an idea of someone’s work to make it your own, which I tried to do as you can see from the photos.
I chose images 3928, 3961, 4253, 4246 and 4277 as my photos to improve because even though I feel they are good pictures, I don’t feel like they fit in with Aaron Siskind’s work of being quite zoomed in really focusing on the texture and pattern of the photos, which these are quite the opposite of it.
This is the photographers ideas on how he photographs images, -Aaron Siskind worked carefully, making sure to frame his image the best way he could in order to obtain something not immediately identifiable.
Siskind moved beyond the social realism of his early work as he increasingly came to view photography as a visual language of signs, metaphors, and symbols—the equivalent of poetry and music.
Five Best Photos-
AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.
I chose these pictures as my best five because I feel as thought they portrayed Aaron Siskind’s work very well from the use of the angles and the objects used to give a quite rustic character towards them, in my edits I made my photos more like his by turning them black and white however adding some other little features like changing the brightness and which colours I want to stand out and be eye-catching. I like that on the photo with the tree the background is blurred out so you focus mainly on the detail of the tree trunk. I mostly concentrated on surfaces that had a lot of detail or were quite simplistic because when it turns black and white and change the settings it really changes the whole of the photo and the concept behind it, leading to it representing both texture and pattern.
Five Photos That Need Improvement-
I chose to pick these photos to improve because I feel they didn’t really represent Aaron Siskind and his work, even though the fourth and fifth kind of looks like his work it wasn’t from the correct angle so I chose to place them in improvement because if you got them from a different place/angle it would have been one of the best photos and that’s the same concept for the fourth image.
I added in the last photo however even though it fits in with the category of texture and pattern it doesn’t fit in with the photographers images. On the second image I feel like to improve it I should of cropped it and taken the photo from a low shot so if the camera was on the floor to improve this photo. On the first image I don’t really know the idea I had for this photo, yes it does represent texture and pattern however it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the images and the photographers, to improve it I would maybe zoom in on the bench and the surroundings of that.
Edits-
I edited these photos using Photoshop to represent Aaron Siskind’s work, I made the photos black and white each with there little adjustments, as the photographer does that with his work and with these images I feel like it looked better with the effect on it. The first photo I took a photo of a tree trunk and edited it in the style of Aaron Siskind, even though its not like his normal work I still feel like it represents it. The second photo, before it was edited you couldn’t really see the details in the bricks so I decided to enhance them considering I wanted to make it stand out. On the third photo I took more of a zoomed in shot of the brick wall to see the comparison between the both of them. On the fourth photo yet again you couldn’t see the detail on the floor so I detailed to enhance it. The fifth photo I darkened the more deep colours.
Editing Process-
AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.
During this editing process I wanted to try and keep the tree trunk lighter and the deep parts of the tree darker to show a contrast between what happens on the inside compared to the outside. Firstly I went onto adjustments and made the photo black and white just like Aaron Siskinds work, then I changed the settings of the colours to make certain parts darker than others. Then I moved onto curve which took me a while to make it the light they way I wanted. After that I moved onto brightness and contrast which made a difference between the pictures and the transitions. I wanted to deepen the parts that were already dark as it shows a different light to it.
Final Image-
AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.
I used this image as my final picture because even though its not a exact representation of Aaron Siskinds work, its still in his style due to it being black and white, and focusing on the texture and pattern aspect of the work, trying hard to enhance that so its what you focus on.