Pattern and Texture

Pattern and Texture

Definition and theory

Texture: the feel, appearance or consistency of a surface or substance. In photography, texture will be in appearance rather than the feel or consistency as we can only visualise it. 

Pattern: a particular way in which a decorative design is formed.

Regular pattern: a decorative design in arrangement and repetition. 

Irregular pattern: a pattern without arrangement or repetition.

Image bank

I searched the internet to find 'pattern and texture photography' that follow the above theory so I could get a correct visualisation of what I should be aiming for when taking my pictures:

Research

Ansel Adams

Adams was born in San Fransisco, California, in 1902. In 1906, when Ansel was only 4 years old, San Fransisco was hit with an earthquake. He wasn't injured in the initial shaking of the earthquake, but hit a wall face-first only 3 hours later during an aftershock. He broke his nose which left scarring. In the following year, the Adam's family lost its wealth and were in a financial crisis. At the age of 12, Adams taught himself to read music and play the piano. He continued to play piano for a good part of his life, intending on making it his profession, but he later gave it up for photography. His artistic love of music influenced his creativity of being a photographer.

In later life, Adams joined the Sierra club, where he met his wife, Virginia Best. The got married in 1928 and had 2 children together. The Sierra club was important for Adam's early success as a photographer. In the late 1920's, Adams came to the realisation that he would be able to earn enough as a photographer to survive for himself. In 1927, Adams made his first fully visualised, Monolith, the Face of Half Dome, and took his first High Trip. He also became under the influence of Albert M. Bender a San Francisco insurance magnate and patron of arts and artists, who published Adam's first portfolio.

Below are several examples of the work Adams produced:

This image shows a collection of leaves which are all different shapes and sizes. The focus of the image is the texture that the leaves show. There is one leaf in the centre that is the biggest and draws the most attention. The leaves look as though they have sharp edges which could suggest there are negative components to this image.

This image is similar to the previous image but consists of only one type of leaf. The texture is hard to see as there are no leaves close enough to the lens, but a pattern can be identified by the way that the leaves form shape. The leaves seem to be pointed at the ends which could imply they are sharp at touch, therefore giving the image negative connotations.  

This image shows both pattern and texture of a rock. The pattern is very irregular and the texture looks really rough. This implies that it could be dangerous to be around, which give the image negative effects. 

This image shows a rose on a table. There are a few sets of pattern going on in this picture. The first is the pattern that the petals makes, which is in a kind of spiral shape. The second is the pattern on the petals which is just irregular lines. However this isn't too visible as the flower isn't close enough. The third pattern is the surface that the rose is on, which looks like a wooden table. The rose itself looks rather smooth, so the connotations are positive because if touched, the rose wouldn't cause harm. It is hard to identify the pattern on the table but it is most likely to be smooth as tables always are. 

This image shows irregular pattern of sand. It looks as though it was captured in a desert as there is nothing else in shot other than the sand. The texture of the sand loos rough in this image which adds to the negative effects that this image gives. 

I carefully selected images by Ansel Adams that I thought I would be able to take inspiration from and take images that relate to his style. 

Selected images

Contact sheet

Best images

Below, I have selected several images which I think are the best and fit all criteria:

Images that need improvement

I didn't like the way the light came into this image; it was far too bright in some areas of the ivy and then darker in other areas. I initially captured this image because it shows irregular pattern of the way the ivy is on the tree. If I were to retake this image for improvement, I would take the image from a different perspective of the tree in a way that the light wouldn't show so much. I could, however, edit this picture by cropping the bottom third off to get rid of the section where to light is too much and make the picture how I intended it.

I took this picture because I saw regular pattern in the window and wanted to capture it. I later realised I had gotten my reflection in the image which I didn't think looked quite right. I also didn't like the angle I had taken the picture at as it doesn't quite make the pattern so regular, so if I were to take the picture again, I would take it from a different angle, such as a side-on angle so that I don't get my reflection in it and the pattern will look more regular.


AO3 Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress
My idea for recording pattern and texture was to capture things that visibly show texture and also things that show pattern, either regular or irregular. I tried to capture a variety of both, but some overlapped, showing both pattern and texture in one image, for example, the first image shown in my 'best images' shows irregular pattern but also texture of soft but solid. I was inspired by Ansel Adams for this image and I took this image initially for pattern, but it showed an aspect of texture too, giving me an overlap. I would link this image to the one of Adams' of sand, as they both show irregular pattern. I took this photograph from a bird's eye view.

The second image from 'best images' shows leaves in no particular form. This makes the leaves an irregular pattern, which fit the criteria of 'pattern'. The image was inspired by Adams, in particular, inspired by the second image from the research section. Adams' picture shows leaves in a bush with the leaves going in all different directions, which is exactly what I captured. I would say that the images are almost the same, the only difference being the type of leaves and the position of the leaves. I took the image from a frontal perspective and a low angle.

I captured the third image form 'best images', the log, from a low, frontal angle. This photograph shows texture in the log. The tonal contrast in this image makes the texture look how it is, such as the darkness on the inner log brings out the lightness on the outer part of the log. The texture appears as hard and rough. With this image, I was inspired by Adams image of a rock (third image in research section) in the way that the rock shows the same texture: hard and rough.

For the fourth image in 'best images', I captured a nettle as it shows regular pattern. There could also be interpretations of texture in the leaf, but my initial reason for capturing was the pattern of the nettle leaf. There is pattern on the leaf itself, but also the shape of the leaf forms pattern. The pattern looks like a zigzag all the way round, making the leaf look sharp. The first image found in the research section shows a big leaf with similar aspects to my image, such as the points on it making the leaf seem sharp. I took my image from a bird's eye view. I didn't need to use the zoom tool on the camera as I was able to get up close to the leaf to take the picture.

The final picture in my 'best images' shows a rose amongst leaves. This image was inspired by the image of a rose by Ansel Adams. I took the picture for its natural forming pattern, the inside of the rose. I wouldn't say that the image shows texture, but if I had taken it from a different angle, such as side angle, I might have been able to capture the rose petals in more detail for texture. However, this isn't how Adams captured his rose, which I was trying to imitate. The background of each image is different, but the main focus, the rose, is very similar. I took this photograph from a fairly high, frontal angle with the camera slightly titled downwards.

AO2 Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops
To take my photographs, I used a Fuji Fineopix S9600. For some images, I would kneel down, others I would stand. I would move the camera in different angles to capture the item so that I could experiment and see which angle looked best to capture pattern and texture. I used the zoom tool for a few images to capture some things more closely, but also physically got close if possible. I didn't have use for a tripod but would consider using it for improving images or other future projects.


I used Photoshop to edit my best 5 images that I captured. Below are print screens and explanation of how I edited the images:

I imported one of my best images into the app and selected 'black and white' from the adjustment panel. This automatically changed the image to black and white rather than the original colour it was taken in.

My intentions for this image was to darken the wood and lighten the other parts of the image, so the screen capture above shows the adjustments I made to the level of colour in the image. I experimented with the level of colours in the image until I thought the image looked at its best.

The last thing I did was change the overall darkness of the picture by selecting 'curve' from the adjustment panel and moving the points on the line around the graph. I did this until I thought it looked most like the style of Ansel Adams' work.


AO1 Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other resources, demonstrating analytic and critical understanding
I found that the research of photographer Ansel Adams helped my own photography production ver well. The images I found of Adams' work gave me the most inspiration for capturing my own things in Harlow. The research helped me focus on photographing pattern in different forms, such as regular or irregular patterns, and also photographing texture with tonal contrast. The research about his life didn't help my own work so much, but the actual photography I found was a great help for visualisation of what to capture.

AO4 Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions, and where appropriate, make connections between visual and other elements
I would say that I have been able to produce a strong series of images inspired by my research of pattern and texture. Regarding pattern, I initially intended to capture mostly regular pattern as I thought that this would be easiest to find and capture, but once I was out taking photos, I realised that there were more irregular patterns found outdoors as nature isn't regular. Regarding texture, my intention was to capture things that visibly look like they have some kind of texture to it, which I was able to do. It wasn't until I uploaded my images to the computer and looked at them on a much bigger screen that I realised that some images shared both pattern and texture in them. This overlap means I had more images than I thought, giving me more to analyse. By editing all of my images to black and white, I am able to get a closer link between my images and Adams' images.

Below are the results of all of my best pictures after being edited via Photoshop:

Colour

Colour

Definition and theory

Saturated colour

Color saturation is the intensity of colour in an image. The term hue refers to the color of the image itself, while saturation describes the intensity (purity) of that hue. 

Muted colour
A colour with a lack of saturation

Analogous colours
Adjacent colours on a colour wheel. Analogous colours that are next to each other on the colour wheel supposedly go well together and are referred to as being harmonious. 

Complementary colours
Opposite colours on a colour wheel. When combined, the colours cancel each other out and produce a grey-scale colour such as black or white. 

Colour and meaning

RED: Physical.
Red is a powerful colour and is used to represent courage, strength, but red is negatively shown as being aggressive.

BLUE: Intellectual.
Blue is a soothing colour and can imply intelligence and calmness. It can also show coldness and loneliness.

YELLOW: Emotional.
Yellow is a stimulating colour and suggests confidence, self-esteem and friendliness, but too much of it suggests fear and depression.

GREEN: Balance.
Green is shown as a restful colour and implies peace, harmony and reassurance. Opposing to peace, green is well know to represent jealousy and also boredom.

VIOLET: Spiritual.

 David LaChapelle
This image uses a lot of colours which are saturated. The colour that grabs the viewers eye the most is yellow. This is because there are various things things in the picture and the majority of them are yellow. This use of colour implies friendliness and happiness, meaning the picture is supposedly a positive scene. The other colours used such as white suggests innocence which adds to the positivity of the picture.

Navad Kander

The main colours used here are muted colours, blue/grey, making the image seem dull. These colours instantly lean towards negativity when you look at the picture. Blue can be interpreted as lonely, which relates to the person's facial expression where she is looking rather gloomy/sad. However, blue can also be interpreted as calming, and her facial expression could be recognised as being completely still yet calm. 
The grey tone in the picture suggests depression and lack of confidence. This links to the impact of the blue colours coming through, making the overall view seem negative rather than the idea of calmness. 
There are small bursts of other colours such as pink and green which could suggest an uplift for the person. 

Image bank

I found the following images on the internet as apart of my visual research

I selected the several images above from the interent by searching colour photography and other similar searches. These images helped me to understand what kind of things, regarding colour, to look out for when taking my own images. I hoped to take a similar approach to the examples above when capturing my images. With these pictures in mind, I took my camera locally to take pictures of things that had colour. 

Research

William Eggleston
Eggleston was born in Tennessee in 1939 and raised in Mississippi. He had artistic hobbies growing up such as playing piano and drawing. He came across visual media at an early age and found a passion for it. Eggleston was sent to a boarding school when he was 15. He never felt as though he didn't fit in there, despite the fact that his peers were usually into hunting and sports whereas Eggleston was into music and painting. Years ahead, he went to Vanderbilt University in Tennessee for one year and, Delta State college in Mississippi for one semester. He next attended the University of Mississippi for around five years. However, he never achieved a college degree from his time in Universities. But, it was within these years that  his interest in photography progressed. He was given a camera from a friend at one of his previous universities and he proceeded to discover abstract expressionism. 

Eggleston took inspiration in his photography work from another photographer, Robert Frank and French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson's book, The Decisive Moment. Eggleston quoted that he didn't understand this book at first, but soon figured it out and realised it was "great". Eggleston started to experiment photography in colour, as apposed to black and white, in 1965. In 1973 and 1974, he taught at Harvard University and his own work was exhibited in 1976. Since, he has published books and portfolios.

Below are some examples of his work in colour:

This image is of a petrol station in the 70's/80's. The scene has many colours, but mostly primary colours. The main gas pump is bright red, the other is yellow and the car behind is blue. The sign is green with red and yellow. The shop itself is an off white colour. All these colours put together show simplicity.

This image shows several condiments on a table which is placed next to a window. This image looks as though it was taken in a cafe/restaurant because this setup is unusual for a home. The colours black and white seem to be the majority in this image with a few other colours displayed. There is a candle holder on the table which is bright red. This could suggest love and passion, perhaps if people were to be on a date at this table. Through the window, it shows to be daytime, which could show positive effects for the image as it looks like the weather is clear.

This image shows the back of a car which is parked next to a pole. There is a lot of litter on the part of the road that is visible to the viewer. The litter could suggest negativity as it is very commonly known that littering is wrong and bad for the environment. There is a lot of blue colouring in this image as the car is blue and the litter is also blue. This could imply depression and sorrow. The colour blue is also a symbol of cleanliness, which is ironic in this picture. 

This image is of a field of flowers. There are only 4 colours evident in this image with which 3 of them are very bold. The main colour is yellow, which is the flowers on the fields. This colour could suggest happiness and relaxation. There are multiple patches of purple flowers amongst the yellow flowers. The colour purple could suggest spirituality and mystery. The other main colour is the blue sky, which is cloud-free. This tells the viewer that the weather is good, therefore it adds to the positive connotations given off from this image. The colour that isn't so bold is the green patches in the fields. The brightness of these colours give the image positive effects. 

These examples of Eggleston's photography work show various use of colour use such as the last picture using complementary colours. I used these images as inspiration for my own photography work on colour.

Selected images

Contact sheet

Best images

Images that need improvement

The issue I had with this image is that it is out of focus on the whole of the item, as it is only focusing on the rear part of the item. The reason for capturing this is because the item has a variety of colours that are analogous and complementary. I took 2 pictures of this item but from different angles and different positions. I preferred the other image as it had a better angle capture and is more focused. The angle used in this image shows the lines of the table going in a different direction which makes it look irregular. If I were to take this photo again, I would make sure the focus is correct and perhaps use a different background setting, such as a plain table without lines, so that the angle used here would look more efficient for the item.

This image shows two colours that complement each other, but the composition of the items makes the image seem uneasy. The items aren't straight therefore the lines on them are going all over the place. Also, the chair legs in the background make the image seem poor as they are uneven and scattered about. To improve this image, I could have moved the chairs out of the capture completely, straightened out the items and taken the picture from a different perspective such as bird's eye view.




AO3 Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress
I intended to capture everyday things, such as flowers and signs, that have colour in it. To achieve this, I went around Harlow College campus and also into Harlow town centre taking pictures suiting this criteria. I did this because I was inspired by William Eggleston's work and tried to imitate the type of photographs he took, but in my own style. The difference in style that I interpreted was how modern my images were compared to Eggleston's.

With reference to my best images:

The image of the sign was taken from a lower up-tilted angle than the sign itself. I took this at the front of a building on Harlow College campus as it reminded me of the image by Eggleston of the petrol station. The reason I thought this had some similarity is because both images show part of a building with a sign using block colours. Eggleston's image grasps more in the image involving colour, but the simplicity of my image focuses on the colours in the sign, which was one of my intentions.

The purple headphone image was taken as an interpretation of William Eggleston style images. The interpretation made here is that it is of common things that have colour. I linked this to the image by Eggleston of table accents. Given that there are quite a few differences between the two images, such as what items they are and the variety of colours used, the main focus is of the things on the table having colour.

The purple flowers image was inspired by William Eggleston. I found an image in my research by Eggleston of a field with purple flowers, so I captured this image with Eggleston's image in mind. I took the image from a low, frontal position to capture the flowers with the leaves behind it. I did this so that I didn't only capture the flowers, just as Eggleston had done with his picture, capturing the field as well.

The image of the orange berries seemed similar to the image I had taken of purple flowers. I took this image with inspiration from Eggleston. The image Eggleston had taken of the flowers in a field was what I had in mind when taking the image. I was trying to capture the nature aspect of it with one dominant colour, orange (purple in Eggleston's image). I captured the image from a frontal angle standing directly infront of the plant. I needed to use the zoom tool on the camera for this.

AO2 Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops
To take my images, I used a Fuji Fineopix S9600. I used the zoom lens for a few pictures that I wanted to capture up-close. I didn't use a tripod for any images, but if I were to retake any images again for improvement, I would perhaps use a tripod. Instead, I took my images from different positions, such as kneeling down.



AO1 Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources demonstrating analytic and critical understanding
The images I took were all inspired by photographer William Eggleston. I did some research on Eggleston, finding out about his early life up to his adulthood when he took upon photography. I also found some examples of his work that I could visualise whilst going out and taking my own images. What I found was that he took pictures of things we see everyday that have a colourful aspect to them, such as a petrol station with a red petrol pump. Eggleston's images were taken in the 20th century, which they actually look old fashioned. From the images I selected, it is most obvious in the image of the car as it clearly shows the back of an outdated car. Cars these days typically have a different structure to the one in this image. I took inspiration from Eggleston's images and interpreted my own being more modern looking. I think my image that looks most like an image Eggleston would take would be the purple flowers. I think this because I found an image during my research of a field of purple flowers. Eggleston captured a field with numerous purple flowers whereas a I captured a bush covered with purple flowers, but both being completely different types of flower. These two images that I have compared have the same main feature which links them together.


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

Based on my research on William Eggleston, I took my pictures intending to capture colour in common things. I would say that I achieved this for all of my images as I took pictures from within the local area which were 'common' things such as flowers and signs. My images also linked to the images I found within research for my image bank. I selected images of everyday things that had colour in it. This, along with Eggleston's images, helped me to visualise what I was looking for when capturing my own images.










I edited my best 4 images using Photoshop to improve them. I imported them in the application and enhanced the colours in it.

To make these edits, I chose 'selective colour' from the adjustments panel. This allowed me to change the colour amounts. The main two colours that I changed were white and green. In white, I increased the level of magenta to brighten the purple in the flowers. My intention was to make the whole image appear more saturated than it originally was when I captured the flowers.

To adjust the level of green in the image, I increased the amount of cyan from 0 to +76, increased the level of magenta to +39, yellow to +29 and black to +33. These numbers weren't intended to be specific, I experimented with the different levels of colour until I found what I thought was best. The only other colour I changed in the image was yellow as this was in the green leaves and the centre of the flowers. No other colours were found that would make a huge difference to the image, so after this, the picture was complete. The result of the edited images are shown below: