Patterns and Textures Photography on a Samsung Galaxy

Patterns are best photographed square-on to avoid distortion, while textures call for oblique lighting and a close-up or macro lens.

Patterns and textures side by side

Some of Nikon’s tips for good composition group these techniques together, as both can lend abstract qualities to otherwise mundane subjects. But in our table of settings, we separate them, as techniques that work well for one often compromise the other.

Shooting patterns

Patterns make great photo subjects and are found everywhere in a town, such as windows and balconies on the side of a building, tiles on a floor, piles of crates in a market or the grid pattern on a drain cover.

After you’ve found a pattern, try to keep its lines parallel to the edges of your frame by shooting square-on to the pattern. If the pattern’s on a building facade, you may have to use the 3x or 5x zoom lens to frame your subject without tilting your phone upwards, as this will cause the vertical lines to converge. You can activate Composition guide on recent S-series phones (called Grid lines on A-series phones) to help you line up your shot. It adds a spirit level as well as grid lines.

Sometimes converging lines are desirable, such as when photographing skyscrapers. Shooting a tower with lots of windows straight up using the 0.6x ultrawide lens will give an image full of lines rushing skywards. Our perspective guide covers that approach.

Break the pattern on purpose

If everything in a picture is evenly balanced it can seem a bit static – like wallpaper! An open window in a line of closed ones, a yellow leaf amongst red ones – these little oddities can give the eye somewhere to rest. If there isn’t an obvious focal point, try adding one, for example a fallen leaf against a background of paving slabs or tiles.

Avoid placing focal points smack in the centre of your picture – it’s often better to place them along one of the imaginary thirds lines instead. Our rule of odds guide covers how the number and spacing of elements changes a group.

Shooting textures

Side lighting makes textures pop. If your light source is low and at the side of your subject, even small cracks and bumps will cast a tiny shadow behind them, making textures stand out. On the other hand, if the light source is at your back (shining on your subject’s front), this will flatten out textures. Indoors, try shooting with your subject next to a window and rotate the subject until you’re happy with how the texture pops.

Get up close. As close as your phone’s lens allows, that is. Different models have different minimum focusing distances. This handy table gives you an idea of what to expect from phones on the market now.

Samsung’s support page says Focus enhancer uses the ultrawide camera when taking close-up shots (this can help minimise blur). Tap on the raised area that you want to be in focus. Try to keep the ISO as low as possible, as a high ISO introduces noise which can obscure fine detail. For small subjects, the macro guide goes further.

If you know you’re going to crop in on a texture, then shoot using a higher resolution if available (200MP on the main camera on Ultra models, 50MP on other recent S-series phones, select using the resolution button in shooting options). Our 12MP vs 50MP vs 200MP guide explains when the bigger files are worth their size.

• For peeling paint or rusted metal, pay attention to places where changes in colour coincide with changes in surface.
• Texture stands out especially well in tree bark and moss, so try shooting them in the low light of early morning or evening for maximum relief.
• Indoors, put your subject by a window and experiment with woven material, such as cloth or baskets.
• Go out when the sun is low and look for texture in nature, such as ripples in sand, cracks in dried mud, or anything that throws long shadows.

Fill the frame or show the context

Patterns work best if you fill the frame with them, turning the photo into an abstract graphic. This works well for patterns like tiles or rows of windows, which, as Nikon notes, suggest that the pattern continues beyond the frame. The abstract photography guide takes that idea further.

Textures can also fill the frame, but sometimes a little context is helpful to show what the texture is a part of. For example, a close-up of burlap is interesting, but add a gardener’s hand at the edge of the frame and it’s about planting. In general, fill the frame for patterns, and consider including a little context for textures.

Editing patterns and textures

If you want to add some punch to the rhythm of patterns, start by using the rotate and crop tool in Samsung’s Gallery editor. Use the Adjust angle and Ratio settings to straighten things out (according to Samsung, you can adjust either the horizontal or vertical axis). This type of distortion can also be fixed using the Perspective tool in Snapseed with some well-placed pinches and drags. Next, head to the Tone menu in the Gallery app and try increasing the Contrast.

To add some dimension to textures, Snapseed’s Structure setting (under Details) is, according to Google’s explanation of the feature, used to bring out the texture of objects without affecting their edges. Start with a low setting and increase until the texture looks natural. You can also play with Shadows and Highlights in Snapseed’s Tune Image tool; try decreasing Highlights and increasing Shadows a bit to preserve detail.

Pattern and texture mistakes

• Avoid photographing repetitive patterns at an angle. Tilt your phone slightly and rows of windows or tiles will run downhill across the frame.
• Don’t photograph textures in flat midday light or with your flash. Shadows help define textures and flat lighting doesn’t flatter them.
• Don’t get too close. You may be closer than your phone’s lens can focus, so images will be soft unless you’re using Focus enhancer or Macro mode.
• Don’t crank up Structure or Sharpening, or textures will look crunchy and you may introduce noise into smooth areas.
• Avoid cropping repetitive patterns so that you only show part of a row or column. The final row/column may look like an error.