Texture and Color

Overview

In this lesson (7 of 9) students extend their composition skills by focusing on two photographic qualities: texture (surface detail and depth) and colour (mood, emphasis, and relationships). Students will plan and capture a short set of images that demonstrate how texture and colour strengthen photographic composition, building toward a final portfolio.

Learning intentions

• WALT use composition choices to highlight texture and colour in photographs.
• WALT experiment with lighting, camera position, and framing to make texture visible and meaningful.
• WALT select and justify colour decisions (contrast, harmony, saturation) to guide the viewer’s attention.
• WALT review images using specific criteria and improve them through reshooting or editing.

Success criteria

• I can photograph a clear subject where texture is the main visual feature.
• I can show at least one colour relationship (e.g., contrast or harmony) that supports the composition goal.
• I can explain why I chose my camera angle/framing and lighting to bring out texture and colour.
• I can give and act on feedback to improve one image.

Curriculum links

• Art: Students develop ideas through exploring visual qualities such as texture and colour in photography, and communicate meaning through images.
• Art: Students refine work by responding to feedback and improving compositional decisions.
• Key competencies: Thinking (making choices, justifying decisions), Relating to others (peer critique), Using language, symbols, and texts (using visual and photographic terminology).

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up prompt. Teacher shows 2–3 printed examples (or teacher photos) and asks: “What do you notice first—texture or colour—and how does the photo make you feel or focus?” Students quick-write one observation.

2. 5–15 min · Mini-lesson: texture and colour. Teacher explains and models three ways to make texture stand out: side lighting, getting close while still framing well, and choosing angles that reveal surface. Teacher also models colour choices: contrast (opposites), harmony (similar hues), and controlling brightness/saturation. Students annotate a class template: “Texture strategy” and “Colour strategy” with one example from the images.

3. 15–23 min · Plan and set goals. Students choose one texture theme (e.g., fabric, bark, stone, rust, food surfaces, hair/grass) and one colour focus (e.g., warm vs cool, complementary contrast, monochrome accents). Students draft a quick plan: subject, background, lighting approach (where they’ll stand relative to the light), and intended framing (close-up, mid-shot, wide showing context).

4. 23–40 min · Photo capture (round 1). Teacher releases students into small groups and reminds them of safety (moving carefully, handling equipment) and respectful shared spaces. Students capture 6–8 images per goal, intentionally varying angle/distance/lighting. Teacher circulates, checks for clear texture visibility, and prompts students to adjust one variable at a time.

5. 40–50 min · Peer critique using criteria. Students trade one selected “best candidate” photo with a partner. Using a 3-point feedback routine (Glow: what works; Grow: one specific improvement; Why: link to texture/colour strategy), partners provide feedback. Teacher models how to use language like “The side lighting reveals…”, “Your colour contrast draws the eye to…”.

6. 50–58 min · Improve and reshoot/adjust. Students choose one image to improve based on feedback and either reshoot immediately (new angle, different light position, tighter crop) or make a quick edit choice (straighten, crop, adjust exposure/white balance) consistent with their school’s editing guidelines. Students record one decision: “I changed ___ to improve texture/colour.”

7. 58–60 min · Exit ticket. Students submit a brief reflection: one sentence explaining (1) how texture was made visible and (2) which colour relationship was used and why it helps composition.

Resources

• Printed example photos or teacher slides (texture and colour focused)
• Student devices/cameras (fully charged) and camera straps/lanyards if used
• Photo editing app access (if available) and school-approved settings list
• A one-page planning sheet: subject/theme, texture strategy, colour strategy, framing notes
• Peer critique cards with the 3-point routine (Glow, Grow, Why)
• Tripod/phone stand options (optional) and simple props (fabric, small objects) if needed
• Natural/light sources checklist (where to stand to access side lighting)

Assessment

• Formative: Teacher observes during capture, using quick prompts to check texture clarity and deliberate colour choices.
• Formative: Peer critique focuses on specific evidence linked to texture and colour strategies.
• Summative for this lesson: Exit ticket plus students’ improved image demonstrates targeted compositional decisions.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters for planning and critique (e.g., “I made the texture visible by…”, “The colour contrast helps because…”). Offer a “starter list” of subject ideas and colour themes.
• Support: Allow students to follow a single strategy first (e.g., one lighting position) before trying additional variations.
• Extension: Challenge students to intentionally break one rule (e.g., choose low contrast colours but argue why it works for mood) and justify their choice.
• EAL/SEN: Use visual word banks for texture terms (rough, smooth, ridged, patterned) and colour terms (warm, cool, complementary, contrasting). Reduce writing load by allowing bullet points for planning/exit ticket if appropriate.

Extension (optional)

• SKIP