I’ve been taking most of my own photos throughout the years. I’ve learned a few things just by way of trying. I have primarily photographed my mosaics on my back porch early in the morning in indirect light. I would either lean them or lay them flat on the ground. I managed to get pretty good front-on shots.
A few years ago, I was photographing the above work in this manner. I leaned it on our kitchen windowsill. It must have been closer to noon, with the sun overhead, and the effect was to provide lighting from above, as opposed to from the front. The difference was remarkable. This happy accident showed me a way to capture texture which I had clearly not been thinking about before. The image on the right looks flat in comparison, don’t you think?
This morning, I reshot my Rhythms series’ January and February, below. A few weeks ago, I had hung them in my studio bathroom beneath a skylight. The images on the left are from 2008. What a difference, eh?
January, top lighting
January, front lighting
February, top lighting
February, front lighting
Below is another example. I like both of these images for different reasons. The one on the left shows some texture, while the one on the right highlights the metallic reflection of the turquoise gold. I’m guessing that if I were a more experienced photographer, I might be able to capture both the texture and the gold reflection in a single photo.
A Little Love Story, top lighting
A Little Love Story, front lighting
Now I really pay attention and try to get top-lighting on my mosaics with a textural surface. Sometimes it works better than others. Anyone have any tips to improve capturing texture in mosaics?