How Side-Lighting Can Bring Out Better Texture in Photographs

We talk a ton about front-lighting and backlighting quite a bit, but of course, you do not always have to work with the sun directly behind you or in front of you. Side-lighting is another option, and it offers a powerful tool for bringing out the texture in your frame. This excellent video tutorial will show you how side-lighting can be used to highlight the texture in an image.

Coming to you from Chris Sale, this great video tutorial will show you how to use side-lighting to bring out more texture in an image. Of course, though Sale is discussing this in the context of landscape photography, the lessons apply just as much to other genres. We often think about front-lighting and backlighting for different effects, but both of these either wash out most of the shadows or throw most of the frame into darkness. The trick for bringing out texture is finding lighting that can bring the depth of elements into relief, which is done by having light on one side and dark on the other, which is exactly why side-lighting is so useful. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Sale. 

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Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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