Through Dirty Windows and Digital Layers: How I Build My Textured Photography

As promised, I'm going to lay out how I create my texture-layered photography. Bear with me as I try to show this without boring your eyeballs out — and maybe even give you a peek into the chaotic magic behind the scenes.

Step 1: Spot the Bird (and Mutter at Yourself Mid-FaceTime)

So, there I was, FaceTiming with my mom on my iPad—juggling coaster-making at the same time (because chaos is my sidekick). I’d been watching this Stellar’s Jay going full snack-mode in the maple tree—buds popping, bird munching away through my not-so-pristine windows. Yep, the same ones that inspired the title of this blog: Through Dirty Windows and Digital Layers.

Right in the middle of our chat, I blurted out, “Why the hell am I not shooting this Stellar's?!”

So I did.

The “before” shot. Early spring light, maple buds, and one very busy jay — all captured through very dirty windows. Still turned out ok, though. Go me!

Step 2: Choose Your First Texture Layer

This first texture layer is a close-up of one of my abstract paintings. I keep a window open next to the photo so I can just drag and drop the texture image into the subject image (to get all technical and stuffy).

And now—the blend mode magic begins. It’s always a bit of a gamble. Think of it like seasoning soup: a dash of this, a sprinkle of that, taste, adjust, repeat.

The usual suspects? Multiply, Overlay, Soft Light, and Hard Light. Each one brings its own flavour, changing how the texture image plays with the main image—sometimes subtly, sometimes with all the subtlety of a marching band.

I used “Hard Light” blend mode at 100% opacity. Why? Because it gave this golden vibe in the lower right and slightly blew out the background — which I oddly liked.

Step 3: Time to Mask (Cue the Tiny Feather Drama)

Next comes masking. I add a layer mask so I can brush out parts of the texture — mainly to let the bird shine again. And by shine, I mean manually fuss over every single edge of his ridiculous little feathers.

I use a function that shows where my brush has been — red equals “brushed,” no red equals “still needs love.” I set the opacity of the texture image down so I can really see what I’m doing.

Getting up close and personal with the back-beak whiskers I didn’t even know Stellar’s Jays had. Funny what you learn when you're this close up.

Can you see the heart reflections in his eye?? That is definitely going to have to be part of the title if this guy makes it to the finish line.

See all those fine little feathers? Yeah. Good times brushing those wispy little threads of fussiness.

Bird fully brushed in. No fancy auto-selection here — just me, a soft brush, and questionable life choices. Yes, Photoshop has tools that could speed this up, but they always feel too... linear. Too mechanical. And let’s face it — I don’t work in straight lines. Yes, I make things harder for myself. No, I’m not stopping now.

After turning off the red mask display, you can see the texture has been removed from the bird — he’s back in the spotlight.

Step 4: Let the Texture Party Begin

After I finish the layer mask, I start introducing more texture images. And every time I do, I imagine them awkwardly shaking hands — each with their own vibe, silently wondering who’s going to end up on top. Some are bold, some moody, some just kind of loiter in the middle hoping not to get deleted. It’s a whole social dynamic in there. Weird? Absolutely. But welcome to my brain.

Snort.

I don’t always resize the texture image right away — partly to avoid extra work if it turns out to be a dud, and partly because I like seeing if something weird and wonderful shows up when I least expect it. Call it lazy… or call it strategic. I’m fine with both.

I love the dripping yellow streaks in this texture layer image and I do use it a lot. You may not know it's there....but I do because it usually adds an extra bit of depth.

This last screenshot shows where the piece is now.

Layers stacked on the right.

Who’s still in?

One’s gone stealth mode.

Drama!

There are a few more layers than what I bothered to screenshot—because let’s be honest, my trusty audience can fill in the gaps.

You get it.

Layers on layers.

Photoshop nesting dolls.

Final Thoughts: It’s a Process (and That’s the Point)

That's a quick look at how the texture layering magic happens. There are other things I do too—but let’s be honest, every relationship needs a little mystery. Still, this gives you a pretty solid idea of what I mean when I say “layered textural images.”

I know someone out there is thinking, “You could save so much time if you just…” And yeah, probably. But this hands-on approach lets me feel the image. I notice stuff I’d miss otherwise—like the tiny heart reflection in this jay’s eye. (Seriously. I zoomed.)

Is it efficient? Nope. Is it mildly chaotic? Absolutely. But it works—and it keeps things interesting. For me and the bird.