The world around us is filled with interesting visual patterns, but they can be easy to miss if you’re not actively looking for them. A visual pattern is an arrangement of lines or shapes that are repeated. They can be found in everyday places—anywhere from architecture, to food arrangements, to store displays. Once you take the time to find them, they can be fun to capture!
Here are some helpful photo tips that can help you explore patterns and repetition in the images you take.
1. Shoot straight on.
One of my favorite ways to showcase a strong repetitive pattern is to photograph straight on. To do this, place your camera so that it is parallel to the pattern. To help keep the vertical and horizontal lines in the scene lines straight, try turning on your camera grid. Once you all the pattern is level, it’s time to click the shutter!
2. Get close and fill your frame.
Once you find a great pattern, try to emphasize it by filling your camera frame with the repeating subject matter. Get close enough so nothing else fills the frame. The resulting photo will showcase the texture, size, and shape of the objects, as seen in the detailed photo of sweet treats below.
3. Highlight patterns through symmetry.
Patterns and symmetry can often be found when looking at architecture, just by exploring a building’s lines or shapes. To feature strong patterns you find in architecture, see if you can compose your photo by utilizing symmetry. Symmetry is created when half of the scene balances or mirrors the other half.
In the photo taken at the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France below, the repetitive lines in the structure’s design are successfully emphasized through the use of symmetry.
4. Surround the pattern with negative space.
When you find a repetitive pattern, you can draw attention to it by taking a step back and including negative space around it. Negative space is an area in your scene that has little to no subject matter, and can help your main subject matter stand out. By balancing the repetitive subject matter with negative space, you will create a sense of visual balance in your photo.
In this everyday scene below, the repetitive lines of the metal carts are successfully balanced by the simplicity of the rest of the frame. Your eye is drawn directly to the carts and their repetitive elements.
5. Capture at a diagonal.
A great way to explore repetition and patterns is to shoot from a side angle and create a diagonal. A diagonal line will help to emphasize your pattern, create depth in your photo, and make your image more dynamic. Try moving around your subject matter for the best side angle, so that the lines of the pattern lead your eye into the scene, such as in the color photo of the Old Hill Street Police Station in Singapore below.
Have you explored patterns and repetition in the photos you take? Share your photos and experiences with us in the comments below.
