Why do landscape photos look flat and how can I add texture?

[LukeG]

I've been trying to get better at capturing the subtle textures in my landscape shots, like the grain of weathered wood or the softness of moss on stone, but my images keep coming out looking flat. I'm not sure if it's my lens choice, my lighting, or if I'm just missing a technique in the field or in post.

[Richard.L]

I kept chasing the right lens and learned the grain in weathered wood showed up only when the light was raking across it. A few shoots with a narrow aperture and moss tucked into a shadow line still looked flat until I boosted local contrast and a touch of micro sharpness in post. The change felt more about light shifting than swapping glass.

[AriaGG]

I tried stepping in closer to the foreground details, then pulling back to include a leading line, and the flatness would flip sometimes. Morning side light did more for mood than any lens choice.

[Scott27]

Could the real problem be that I'm chasing a look instead of a mood, and the light never lines up with what the subject is doing?

[PaulS]

I bracketed a couple of shots and checked highlights vs shadows; the versions with preserved detail in highlights felt less flat, even if they weren't the most dramatic.