There are patterns everywhere we look. We may see them in the smallest things like the wings of a butterfly. Or we might be able to see patterns in much larger objects like city buildings. The fact is that patterns are created in nature and by humans and are abundant. Photographing patterns will make you a better photographer,
A pattern occurs when any of the other elements of design – line, shape, form or texture – are repeated.
Even though the masks all have different designs, they form a repetitive pattern.
There is something about a pattern that is pleasing to our mind’s eye. Maybe it is the fact that it is repetitive. Maybe it is because the rest of the image is predictable to the viewer. Whatever it is, we find comfort in patterns because of their regularity and stability.
Patterns can have more impact if we can’t see the edge or end of the pattern. So try framing the pattern so that it takes up the entire frame. That way we don’t know how far the pattern goes and the viewer can imagine how far the pattern extends.
The viewer isn’t sure how far the pattern of jars go as they extend to the edges of the frames.
A Focal Point in a Pattern
Sometimes when there is a large number of items in a pattern, the viewer can lose focus. If you have something else that is different, that breaks up the pattern and by default, that becomes the focal point of the image. This is something I really like to do when capturing images of patterns. Think about a field of yellow flowers with one red flower in the image. Your eye will explore the field of yellow flowers but ultimately it will keep coming back to the red flower. You have a focal point for your image and a place for your viewer’s eye to rest.
The pattern is broken up by the person and she becomes the focal point of the image.
What type of light do we need for patterns?
Unlike shape, form and texture, any type of light (side-lighting, front-lighting or backlighting) can be used to capture pattern images. However, a silhouette pattern can be a bit difficult to capture.
This is where you might want to try to incorporate two or more of the elements of design in your image. Having side-lighting that shows off the form and texture of your subjects that are in a pattern will add impact to your image. Any lens can be used to create pattern images but telephoto lenses work better to isolate objects. You can also find patterns when getting close with a macro lens. It can be more difficult to isolate patterns with a wide angle lens because it isn’t as easy to isolate the pattern.
Workshop: Recognizing and Capturing Patterns
For this workshop, the time of day is not as important as in other workshops because any type of light can work to capture patterns. Of course better quality light will help you capture more pleasing images. A great place to look for pattern images is at a market. You can use any lens to capture patterns but I would start with a telephoto or macro lens as they can easily isolate your subject.
