Added a new page to the software section covering "Curves" (see "Software - Page 3").

Are there any hints on how to photograph the texture of your work? I like to wet turn bowls/platters. These then have, after drying, a texture that corresponds to the pattern(s) in the wood.

I do have a light tent, two lights, a canon 20D with standard 18-55 mm lens and a tripod, but I haven't found out how to get the texture in the photograph. And since the texture is a selling point (I hope), I would like to get it in the pictures. I tried to take another picture more from the side, but the platter still appears flat.

Here is an example: Maple, 18" across, 2,5" high, 1/8" thick, sanded until 1500, finished with my own blend of Walnut/Orange oil.

I hope someone has the Eureka Idea here!

I agree with PapaDave.  Texture is difficult without a close up.  A VERY sharp lens and perfect DOF might show the texture at high resolutions but when you resize the pic for web presentation you lose most of that effect.

Image sharpness is the key.  I would use your sharpest lens at its "sweet spot" aperture setting.  This is usually around f/8 to f/11 depending on the lens.  That will probably be the case on your 18-55.  I'd suggest you use a mid-point focal-length such as 35mm.  I'm not familiar with the Canon 18-55 but some lenses can lose a bit of sharpness at max focal length (i.e. 55mm in your case).

Use only one light source and position it to the side.  Then focus on one particular high contrast area of the piece.  Position the camera close enough so that this area fills your viewfinder at 35mm (or whatever focal length you choose) as suggested above.  Be sure to use your tripod and time delay (or remote clicker) to get the sharpest shot possible.  Then use your software to touch the image up with a bit of cropping, contrast, and unsharp mask to bring out the textures.

Hope that helps!  I'd be interested to see your results.