Photographing Textiles

I love to photograph my own textiles and here is the method I have devised afer years of trial and error. It’s another good excuse to deeply look at textiles.

I like low, natural lighting so I always photograph on a bright but cloudy day. This is more for Australian conditions as the light here is very bright and throws strong, deep shadows.

I just set up near a window, which sometimes has to have greaseproof paper taped to it to soften the light. I use another light source to counteract with the window light if necessary or use a large sheet of white cardboard. This lights up the shadows of the draped textile to varying degrees.

I use a good digital SLR camera with a tripod and remote shutter release. These accessories are important because my photos require a long exposure. Too long to hold the camera still.

I use a manual setting on the camera with the aperture set at F16. This is not negotiable, as I want the entire depth of field to be clear – no blurriness. I then set the shutter speed to achieve an appropriate exposure. This may be quite long.

To make sure the exposure is good I take a photo either side of the chosen setting (called bracketing). With digital photography I don’t have to wait for the photos to develop and can enjoy them immediately. How great is that!