Fabric Photography
Fabric Texture
Working with fabric subject matter can be challenging. Photography is often all about light and its inclusion in the image capture. Lots of light can cause overexposure, but almost no subject matter returns such a good photographic investment. Fabric makes an excellent photographic subject. Textiles bring a surprising amount of texture to flat sites and can convey a richness that plain white backgrounds cannot possibly communicate.
Learning to photograph light properly can lead to a lot of work, especially if you can freelance easily with minimum notice. Finding people who are available is easy. Finding people with experience to render a sharp and densely resolute image of silk and knowing how to light the area beforehand is not. Fabrics that are not composed of natural fiber content will need more strategic positioning to reflect equivalent color values.
Fabric that is positioned in the foreground can be the subject of the image, or fabric material like drapes or textiles in a couch or bedcover can provide needed color in an otherwise utilitarian shot. Display professionals in retail jobs know the value of filling space with volumes of fabric. But website professionals and webmasters are not likely to have access to the fabrics for the sites that they compose. For this they rely on microstock portfolios online.
Historically fabric has been used as a way to reveal depth or soften a harsh display in composition. Draping fabric used to be a classic convention in still portraiture photography. Luxuriant fabrics like silk satin or raw silk convey bright colors and brilliant saturation that creates an instantly impactful photograph.
In fashion photography, custom dyed hues of luxe colors to match retail makeup or haute couture seasonal designer colors are used. These fabrics are either made into garments and photographed on models wearing the product, or draperies are made for the “set” that showcase the desried colors for later product insets.
Professional photographers know that luster and texture can reflect well in shots taken under proper amounts of light. Fashion photography includes use of natural and silk fibres that allow perfect shine in well composed photography.
Complementary subject matter or still life compositions with objects of the same color also create textural contrast. The slope and angle of the lighting is especially important when lighting fabric based subject matter. Setting up drape and fabric sloping in variable light will either reveal fabric defects or show it to advantage.
