What lighting setup helps keep texture in still life photos?

[Luke76]

I’ve been trying to get better at capturing the subtle textures in things like weathered wood or fabric in my still life shots, but I’m struggling with the lighting. My single softbox just seems to flatten everything out, losing that sense of depth I see in other people’s work. I’m wondering if a different light modifier or maybe adding a second, weaker light source would help bring out those fine details without creating harsh shadows.

[RyanS]

My single softbox ended up flattening the value range. I tried adding a second, lower powered light at about a 45 degree angle to carve the texture rather than flood it. The idea was to skim across the grain and leave tiny specular spots that catch the eye without throwing harsh shadows. I kept a flag handy to kill spill and kept the background quiet so texture could breathe.

[NicholasS]

I pulled in a small LED kicker from the side and used a white card to bounce a little light back, just enough to bring out the weave in fabric. It wasn’t dramatic, but the micro-contrast in the weathered surface crept in, especially in the midtones.

[Layla56]

There were times I moved the light back and forth and still felt like the shot looked dull even with more contrast. I suspect the problem could be distance or the angle more than the gear, and I sometimes give up and shoot with fewer shadows just to get a readable image.

[StevenM]

Do you think the problem might be focus or lens choice rather than lighting?