August 19, 2022
Contrast through Textures
I have spent some time studying the many types of contrast in photography; this week, I concentrated on finding contrast in textures.
Before, I rarely thought much about contrast through texture in photography, I understand now how effective it is in adding depth and interest to an image, and how it helps us to get a sense of what something feels like when we look at an image.
I think, like conceptual contrast, textural contrast calls for subjects with key differences, like patterns, variations in tone and color, contrast of light and shadow, and the use of depth of field.
This is how textural contrast helps make the photos in this diptych interesting to me. The softness of the background contrasting with the beautiful pattern and texture of the flower makes the flower pop up. In the other picture, a photo I took last June on a road trip to Mount Greylock in Massachusetts, the rough textures of the gatehouse at the Mount Williams Reservoir in North Adams, is amplified by the smooth body of water around it.