at least imho

in response to some comments i've heard lately regarding the subject, i wanted to share some thoughts,,,

for the record, let me state that an image is never good or bad (successful or unsuccesful) solely because it has or doesn't have texture.

the use of texture is one of many darkroom tools (yup, i did say darkroom - *where i first discovered and used textures myself*) that affects the composition and elemental ingredients of your image.

we call images successful when their elemental ingredients work together to communicate something in a powerful, provocative or pleasing manner.

off the top of my head, here are list of other tools/image-ingredients that also can affect your image:

- your 'subject' and/or other objects in frame
- light, and things that make it (like suns, flashes and fireflies)
- use of color and/or selective toning (or the lack thereof)
- dodging and burning
- retouching/airbrushing
- spaghetti thrown at printed image (or monitor) from distance,,, (i know you're curious, and you're right: there's only one way to find out...)

to say that some ways of affecting your image are 'photography' and others aren't is a matter of semantics and perspective.

i prefer to bypass that whole mess, and go to the root of things:

i'm a communicator. i'm interested in communicating. no matter what tools i use, whether a strobe or an overlay macro image of an aardvark tongue, when it comes down to it, i am simply shaping the composition and therefore communication of my image.


some of my work *has* texture,,, none of my work is *about* texture. a key difference : )


some of the recent trendification in portrait and wedding photography is *about* texture, which is why some of it is not as successful as it could be, imho i refer back to my first statement.

ask steven spielberg if the girl in the red coat was a statement about spot coloring,,, i don't think so. he used it because it helped him achieve his vision,,, his communication. for me at least, it worked extremely well.

making powerful, provocative or pleasing images is not a trend. and whatever method you use to get there,,, you arrive : )


i have spent time exploring textures and other alternative post processes and have consequently become skilled at using them to help me communicate. many others can say the same of their ability with strobes or b&w or even with words for that matter. they're all ways of 'getting there'.


it seems antiproductive for people to argue about how this or that vehicle isn't the 'best' or 'real' way to get there,,, or even how long it will take before the vehicle someone is riding will be considered outdated. imagine if we worried about those kind of things before getting into our cars on the way to a wedding... "hmmm,,, when will this maserati be considered outdated?" (ok, ok, a guy can wish ; )

i think the same amount of energy invested towards your own journey would yield a much more satisfying & beneficial fruit. and what is 'your own journey'? of course, only you can know. as with buying a motor vehicle, research and try a few out,,, see what fits with your particular style, preferences and needs.


i think it's kind of funny that some people think of me as 'the texture guy', but i don't let it discourage or trap me. i'm not the vehichle i've been using, and i'll only use it as long as it helps me get where i'm going.

i think the people who connect with my work know that textures have nothing to do with it.

why do i use them then, you might ask? because i have found them to be a perfectly wonderful and useful tool for communicating, as perfectly valid as mastering a flash or video light. it's been exciting playing in an area i wasn't familar with, and i've enjoyed sharing my explorations with others.

i think movement is important.

it's not about the vehicle,,, it's about the journey. it's about communicating : ) i do my best to mind the vehicles, learning to use them to my advantage, but try not to let them become distractions or limitations for me. this has worked well for me.

much love friends,,,

jesh ; )

p.s. as i seem to be offending people with posts lately, let me please disclaim that it is not my intention to offend or belittle anyone's views or practices. do what works best for you, and only you can possibly know what that is : )


*

Jesh, I largely agree with you; and I'm sad that it seems that textures are being killed like a Celine Dion song on the radio on the 90's. (If you know what I mean...)

I started playing with textures as soon as I found the overlay option in my layers pallette several years ago! Others have been using them much much longer than I have. But a trend can come in and oversaturate/drown a perfectly valid image making technique.

(Interesting that you used color select as an example... I still think that there is SOMETIMES a time and a place for such a treatment, but it's pretty well panned by all pros anymore, because it was SOOOO overused a few years ago.)

It's so interesting to see this. I started out quite a few years ago developing digital scrapbook kits, my personal work being mostly collage and artistic masking, when I started focusing on photography solely I dropped all the techniques I'd learned creating collages and using texture or overlay and masking. I would apply a light texture or mix in a bit of this and that but not so often it felt like I was cheating. This was something I'd done "before" and it was soooo easy (and all of a sudden something I had done but wasn't doing was now trendy in the photography community, trends sometimes scare me off)

Then I got comfortable with my photography and realized that I was cheating myself , I wasn't not using off camera flash because it was popular. If I wanted to create a piece, and that entailed perhaps incorporating texture, or a border or another image even, so be it. I am not doing this to pump out another image to sell (though that is of course a means that allows me to do this) I'm doing this because it makes my heart sing, and creating with textures or hell with anything else, my holga or experimenting with double exposure you name it it's part of the art that makes me love doing this. So now, if I feel like I want to add a texture, I do, and if a client wants me to work with a more creative palate and create a collage wonderful.

I agree with you Jesh There are a zillion different ways. Beating up on one is just silly.

Carrie, selective colour, yes I think that anything that is so trendy or so overdone can get played out, every once in a while though I'll see a use and be surprised at it's creativity. That is a good reminder to never count anything out of my palate!!

Wow, very well said--thank you, Jesh

Carrie: thank you for sharing : ) i love to see color select done well too!

Melissa: good for you Melissa ; ) glad to hear your clients trust you to be creative. thanks for sharing : )

Katie: thanks!

much love,

jesh : )

SUCH A good post, Jesh.

I think it's funny that you're considered the "texture" guy. Even though I have your textures, when you come to mind, "textures" aren't the first thing that comes into my head.

emotion, experience, relationship, connection...

those are the things that come to mind. The emotions come to mind first, then some images of yours that are burned into my brain (a couple on a train car, a wedding party on a roof, an indian couple sharing a first touch). Your images are powerful and evocative, and the textures you use enhance that.

The textures don't evoke emotion. The textures gently weave their way around the relationships in the photos, bringing the viewer even further into that world. It's really stunning how you do that.

As I'm working on family photos in Photoshop, I don't find myself putting in texture layers very often, or changing the scene much at all, really. There are some images that "tell me" that textures could enhance the image/scene/emotion/memory (gosh, that sounds so goofy), but not many. I think that's OK for now, as long as I stay true to myself & my clients. I guess I'm trying to say I'm finding my own journey, without a whole lot of layer blending and it's still a fun ride!





How on Earth could any post of yours be construed as offensive or belittling?! Maybe I'm missing something (was that the big whooshing sound going over my head?), but come on, how could anyone who 1/2 knows you think you would ever set out to offend anyone!?

GREAT post Jesh. Took the words right outta my mouth.

I pretty much couldn't add anything to this if I tried. lol




Great example! I think it was a brilliant use of spot coloring.

jesh

i agree with alot of what you said. i feel compelled to write on your post-script. this is a subject dear to me since i have afew close friends, many acquaintences and a google of on-line relationships.

for starters, i feel that anything written in an on-line forum needs to be weighed against the fact most people would not speak in person the way they try to communicate on-line. something about seeing it in a forum makes sense to us, but can be confusing to others.

my wife really gets on me for this. as a chemist, we are required to be precise, coherent and brief in communicating essential info. within our jargon and colleagues, this can be great or explosive depending on egos. when i am in chemist mode, i get strange comments, charges of arrogance, and a general sense people dont like me. i am trying to work on it, but the medium and audience are difficult when people are passionate aobut their interests. as a work in progress, i hope the posters and lurkers are patient with me and offer help when they deem worthy.

personally, i am not offended and i hope that when i ask for constructive criticisms, you will be bold, honest, direct and not worried about offending me.


regards
matt

Apparently you have to use lots of "smiley faces." " "

Carey:



beautiful way to express that : ) thanks for sharing!

Alyssa: thank you ; )

Matt: i appreciate you taking the time to comment. i find the written word a difficult way to communicate. it is not that i am worried about offending people, just that i would rather be able to make my communication as accessible as possible to anyone interested, and find myself going out of my way to clarify things to prevent misunderstanding,,, which of course happens anyway, lol.

life is sooo wonderful!

John:



a wise outlook on life my friend : )

jesh ; )