Should You Apply Texture to Your Photo?

I’ve decided to play a little bit more with texture layers in my photos after I read Dorian’s post. You can read about that here. I’ve never been a fan of layered textures in photography but I’ve decided to give it a try. Maybe if I do it more, maybe I’ll like it more. Now, the question is should you apply texture to your photograph or no. First of all, I personally think textures are very trendy at the moment and many are using them. Will they stay trendy long enough to become classics? I am not so sure. Trends change constantly, they come and go in every industry and photography is not an exception. This also applies to pre-made (Photoshop or Lightroom) actions. Some actions are very edgy and rough and if not adjusted for each individual photo they (photos) could end up looking silly.

So, when should you avoid textures (or edgy actions for that matter)? Personally, I would avoid adding texture layers to those photos you’re shooting for a client unless you are sure you know his or her taste and style well. If you decide to go with a texture, I would add a copy without the texture, too. Better to be safe than sorry, right?

Portraits are another photo category that does not handle textures well. Again, unless you are sure your client wants a very trendy portrait, I would avoid textures. Portraits are meant to be clean, classic and timeless and we are not sure (yet) that textures are (or going to be) timeless.

Another photo category that I would keep away from textures is “personal photos”. I’d keep family snapshots texture free. These photos need to last; they need to be preserved as they are to help you refresh your memories 10, 20, or 30 years from now. You know how we look back at photos from 1990s and think “Oh, this is so 90s.”. Thank God they didn’t have textures back then. Imagine if they did! You don’t want to look at your photos in 20 years and think “Oh my! This is SO 2010s!”

So, when should you apply a texture layer(s) to your photo? I say anytime you wanna have fun! Go on and have fun –as long as you don’t work on an original file. Textures are fun and they can enhance your photo wonderfully but they do need to be applied carefully. Not every texture works well with every photo. In my opinion, a texture layer will work the best with a photo that already has some texture in it. Otherwise it could end up looking very artificial, not to say fake or cheap.

Textures will also work great with photos that are meant to be artistic and/or decorative. The fact that textures are quite trendy these days means people like them at the moment. The good news is that you can take advantage of it. Just check out Etsy stores; they are full of textured photos and they are selling well. So, if you know your market, you know the market likes textures, go with the flow while it lasts.

What do you think?

I am joining Kim for another Texture Tuesday this week and I’ve used her new Ugg texture. I have to admit that I already love this texture. I’ve applied UggLove to this shot of onions waiting to be chopped for a traditional Italian tomato sauce – la salsa di pomorodo. The frame is from the CoffeeShopBlog but I’ve adjusted it quite a bit.

Making salsa in late summer or fall to preserve it for cold winter days is a tradition in Italy. I am super lucky to have great neighbors who like to share their tradition (and food) with me. Salsa is prepared of tomatoes, carrots, basil, onions, and garlic. These ingredients are let to simmer for hours on an outdoor stove but the effort to make salsa is well worth. Of course, any time-consuming activity asks for a cup of coffee. : )

A Blogging Tip

I know this post is super long so let’s finish it with some exciting Blogger news. Blogger introduced a new way to view photos in your post (that are uploaded to Blogger, not linked from Flickr or another host). If you click on any of photos in this post you’ll see what I am taking about. Way to go Blogger!

Linking up to FTLoB:Picture Perfect. and liveeverymom