Vivid examples of using texture in photography that actually stick in your brain

Let’s start where most photographers actually live: out on the street, chasing good light and weird details.

One of the best examples of using texture in photography is a close-up of a weathered brick wall at sunset. Side light rakes across the surface, carving tiny shadows into every chip and crack. The wall becomes less of a background and more of a character. Add a sharply dressed person walking past in a clean, modern outfit and you get a delicious contrast: smooth fabric against rough stone. This is a textbook example of how texture can tell a story about old vs. new.

Urban explorers have been leaning into this for years, but in 2024–2025 you see it all over Instagram and VSCO: photographers framing peeling posters, rusted doors, and layered graffiti so tightly that they read like abstract paintings. These real examples show how you can:

• Use shallow depth of field so one strip of peeling paper is razor sharp while the rest melts into blur.
• Shoot from an angle so shadows exaggerate the wrinkles and tears.
• Let bold color patches sit on top of all that texture, so the viewer’s eye jumps between color and surface.

If you’re hunting for your own examples of vivid examples of examples of using texture in photography, walk a single city block and pretend you’re only allowed to photograph surfaces: no faces, no cars, just walls, sidewalks, doors, and trash cans. You’ll start seeing textures you ignored for years.

Food photography: examples of vivid texture you can almost taste

Food photographers are absolute texture addicts. Some of the best examples of texture in modern photography are sitting right on your plate.

Imagine a close-up of a crispy fried chicken sandwich. You’ve got:

• The jagged, crunchy coating catching hard light.
• The glossy sauce pooling in tiny pockets.
• The soft, pillowy bun with a slight sheen.

That contrast between crunchy, glossy, and soft is what makes you hungry. This is a perfect example of using texture in photography to trigger a physical response, not just an aesthetic one.

In 2024, short-form video gets most of the hype, but still food photos on platforms like Pinterest and recipe blogs are quietly winning with texture. Think about:

• A macro shot of powdered sugar dusted over a stack of pancakes, every grain visible.
• The bubbly surface of a pizza crust, charred in spots, with stretchy cheese pulling away.
• The smooth swirl of ice cream against a crunchy waffle cone.

When you study these real examples, you’ll notice a pattern: photographers use directional light (often from a window or a softbox at an angle) to skim across the surface, not blast it head-on. That side light creates tiny highlights and shadows on every bump and crumb.

If you want your own examples of vivid examples of examples of using texture in photography in the kitchen, try this: place a single strawberry on a dark background near a window. Shoot from the side so the little seeds and dimples light up. Suddenly that everyday fruit looks like a tiny red planet.

Portraits: skin, fabric, and the art of not over-smoothing everything

Modern portrait photography walks a fine line: we have tools that can erase every pore, wrinkle, and stray hair… and that’s not always a good thing.

Some of the most powerful examples of using texture in photography come from portraits that celebrate real skin. Think of a black-and-white close-up of an elderly person’s hands. The wrinkles, veins, and calluses tell a life story that no caption can match. Side light from a window turns those lines into a landscape.

Recent portrait trends (2023–2025) are quietly pushing back against over-retouching. You see more photographers leaving in:

• Freckles and pores instead of blurring them away.
• The texture of natural hair, from tight curls to flyaways.
• The subtle weave of linen shirts, denim jackets, and wool coats.

A strong example of this: a studio portrait where the subject wears a heavy knit sweater. The sweater’s chunky pattern is tack-sharp, while the background is soft and simple. The viewer can almost feel the warmth of the fabric. This shows how texture can support mood: cozy, intimate, honest.

When you build your own examples of vivid examples of examples of using texture in photography for portraits, try pairing:

• Smooth skin against a rough blanket.
• Shiny jewelry against matte clothing.
• A clean face against a cracked, textured wall.

Texture is not just about surfaces; it’s about contrast between surfaces.

Nature and landscapes: from mossy rocks to cracked desert earth

Nature is basically a free texture library.

One of the classic examples of using texture in landscape photography is a shot of cracked desert mud taken at golden hour. The low sun slices across the ground, and every crack throws a tiny shadow. From above, the pattern looks like a giant jigsaw puzzle. This kind of image relies almost entirely on texture and pattern to hold attention.

On the opposite end of the moisture spectrum, you get mossy forest scenes. A log covered in dense, soft moss photographed in diffuse, overcast light becomes a green carpet. The softness comes through because the light is gentle and even, with almost no harsh shadows.

Some real examples include:

• Tree bark macros, where the bark fills the frame and becomes an abstract pattern.
• Rocky shorelines, where wet stones glisten and dry ones stay matte.
• Frost on leaves, tiny ice crystals sparkling in early morning light.

Research on visual perception from places like the National Institutes of Health has long shown that our brains are wired to detect patterns and textures quickly. That’s why these scenes feel satisfying even without a dramatic sky or epic mountain. Texture gives the eye something to explore.

If you’re building your own best examples of vivid texture outdoors, pay attention to angle and distance. Get low to the ground. Fill the frame with a patch of grass, a single rock, or a cluster of leaves. The more you simplify the composition, the more texture becomes the star.

Architecture and patterns: when repetition becomes texture

Architecture offers some of the best examples of turning patterns into texture.

Picture a modern glass building photographed from below so that rows of windows stretch into the sky. From a distance, each window is a shape. But as you get closer, reflections, dirt, and tiny imperfections turn that pattern into a textured surface.

Examples include:

• A stairwell where each step casts a shadow on the one below, creating a striped texture.
• A parking garage with repeating concrete beams, photographed so the lines compress into a dense pattern.
• Old subway tiles, some chipped, some shiny, forming a patchwork of light and dark.

In 2024, a lot of mobile photographers are using ultra-wide lenses to exaggerate these textures. Shoot a brick building from a corner with an ultra-wide lens, and the bricks near the camera become huge, detailed blocks of texture while the building tapers dramatically into the distance.

These are strong examples of vivid examples of examples of using texture in photography because they show how scale changes everything. A pattern that looks flat from 30 feet away becomes a rich texture from 3 inches away.

Everyday objects: real examples from a normal Tuesday

You don’t need a mountain range or a glamorous model. Some of the best examples of texture are hiding in your apartment right now.

Think about:

• The wrinkled sheets on your bed with morning light spilling across them.
• The bubbles in a sink full of soap, each catching tiny reflections.
• The grain of a wooden table, especially if it’s scratched and worn.

A fun exercise: pick a single object — say, your favorite pair of sneakers. Photograph:

• The frayed laces, fibers sticking out.
• The rubber sole, with its patterned tread.
• The scuffed leather or canvas, showing wear.

By the time you’re done, you’ll have your own mini-series of examples of vivid examples of examples of using texture in photography, all built around one object. This is how you train your eye: not with theory, but with small, repeatable experiments.

If you’re interested in how our brains respond to this kind of detail and repetition, visual cognition research from universities like Harvard has explored how pattern and complexity affect attention — which is exactly what you’re playing with when you lean into texture.

Light, angle, and color: how to make texture actually show up

All these real examples share a few quiet tricks. Texture doesn’t magically appear; you have to coax it out.

Side light vs. flat light
Side light (from a window, a lamp, or the sun near the horizon) skims across surfaces and creates tiny shadows. That’s what makes roughness visible. Flat light from directly in front tends to smooth things out. If your texture looks boring, move your light — or move yourself.

Angle of view
Shoot along a surface, not just straight at it. A wooden floor photographed from a low angle shows long streaks of grain and tiny gaps between boards. The same floor shot from above might look like a flat brown rectangle.

Color and contrast
Sometimes color fights texture. A busy multicolored scene can distract from subtle details. Many of the best examples of texture-heavy photos are either:

• Monochrome or black-and-white, where texture and pattern take over, or
• Simple color palettes where one or two colors dominate.

Photographers often convert high-texture images to black-and-white to emphasize shape and surface. This aligns with long-standing ideas in art education from places like MIT’s OpenCourseWare about separating value (light and dark) from color to better understand form.

When you’re building your own examples of vivid examples of examples of using texture in photography, try shooting the same scene:

• In color with soft light.
• In color with hard side light.
• In black-and-white with boosted contrast.

You’ll see three completely different moods from the same subject.

Texture trends in 2024–2025: where photographers are pushing it

A few current trends are giving us fresh examples of how texture can carry an image:

Hyper-detailed macro on phones
Smartphone makers keep adding “macro” modes and sharpening algorithms. Photographers are using these to capture the texture of fabric weaves, plant leaves, coffee foam, and even fingerprints. Social feeds are full of these micro-worlds that feel almost surreal.

Moody, gritty editing styles
The ultra-clean, over-smoothed look is fading. You see more presets and LUTs that add grain, emphasize shadows, and keep skin texture. This shift is basically one giant love letter to texture.

AI and texture reference
Even artists using AI tools are feeding them real-world texture references: crumpled paper, rust, brushstrokes on canvas. That feedback loop is pushing photographers to create more tactile, reference-worthy images. Texture has become a visual currency.

All of these trends give you modern, practical examples of vivid examples of examples of using texture in photography that go way beyond textbook diagrams.

FAQ: quick answers about texture in photography

Q: Can you give a simple example of using texture in photography for beginners?
A: Yes. Put a single coffee mug on a wooden table near a window. Focus on the rim of the mug and frame so the wood grain fills most of the background. Side light will reveal the table’s texture, while the smooth mug gives contrast. It’s an easy example of how two surfaces play off each other.

Q: Do I always need strong side light to show texture?
A: No. Side light exaggerates texture, but soft, diffused light can show gentle textures like skin, fabric, or fogged glass. Overcast days are great for subtle texture without harsh shadows.

Q: Are black-and-white photos better for texture?
A: Not automatically, but black-and-white often emphasizes texture because color isn’t competing for attention. Many photographers convert high-texture images to monochrome to highlight patterns and surfaces.

Q: What are some everyday examples of textured subjects to practice on?
A: Try brick walls, tree bark, denim, knit sweaters, bread crusts, citrus peels, and bathroom tiles. These real examples are easy to find and respond well to directional light.

Q: How close should I get when photographing texture?
A: Close enough that the texture is clearly visible but not so close that the viewer loses context (unless you’re going for full abstraction). Experiment with a series: wide, medium, and close-up. Each distance gives a different example of how texture shapes the image.

If you start paying attention, your entire world turns into a gallery of textures. Brick, skin, leaves, glass, pastries, sidewalks — all waiting to become your next examples of vivid examples of examples of using texture in photography. The trick is to notice, move your light, change your angle, and let surfaces do the talking.