The ultimate guide to using patterns in photography

In a world that sometimes seems full of chaos, it can be reassuring to see that there are also many patterns, sometimes repetitive, sometimes simply one-off, to be picked out from the melee of the world around us.

One of photography's great challenges is to spot those patterns in the natural and artificial worlds and then frame and capture them in a single image.

Therein immediately lies the problem for the photographer. Knowing how to spot such patterns can be difficult, requiring a certain eye that looks beyond the literal scene that lies before us and into the details within that scene, picking out artistic, graphic or repetitive elements. 

It's a skill that takes practice and experience, and this article aims to pick out some of the techniques needed, giving pointers for the kinds of things to look out for and then how to frame them in the final images. 

So let's dive into the world of patterns in photography. 

 

Patterns in photography: working with chaos 

It is a central plank of just about all forms of photography that most of the world—no matter how good it might look—doesn't lend itself to great photography. 

We almost always aim to pick out those little vignettes in the world around us that either fall into a great composition or can somehow be 'massaged' by the photographer into a great image.

This is even more true in the world of patterns, where almost inevitably, we're homing in on and picking out details from our environment, focussing the viewer's attention on just that pattern and nothing else. 

The implication is that such patterns make up only small portions of the scene in front of us, but this isn't necessarily the case—they can be quite large. Still, they may be barely noticeable as a pattern until separated and isolated from the surrounding world by the photographer's frame. 

Examples of such large patterns in photography include a spiral staircase, windows in a large building, or a collection of tall tree trunks in a forest, to name a few. 

Before going any further, we need to consider what the term 'pattern' means. 

Although the word implies multiple repetitions of the same thing, such as you might have with the windows already mentioned, it can also be a one-off single artistic detail. 

This could include the pattern created by oil spreading across water or the ripples and gullies cut by water across the wet sand. These are still patterns, but almost inevitably, every component is unique, with little or no repetition.

Then there is the matter of abstract versus 'real'. Of course, with many patterns, it's perfectly possible to see what that pattern consists of, and that's what we mean by 'real'. 

Patterns like the spiral staircase, multiple windows, or forest tree trunks fall within this category. But equally, there are many occasions where a pattern can become just a pattern, with the actual content quite hard to decipher, rendering it abstract. 

This can be particularly so for repetitive patterns, where the same thing is reproduced repeatedly—such as with patterns of light and shadow on a building or bristles on the surface of a plant. 

Of course, there are occasions when a pattern becomes abstract to many viewers simply because it shows something with which they're unfamiliar, such as the close-up details of a butterfly's wings, making it impossible for them to interpret what they're seeing.

However we define these patterns in photography, whether real or abstract, looking for them in the world around us can be quite challenging. Those photographers who naturally have an artistic or graphic eye will find it easier to spot these patterns than those who see things more literally. 

The eye of the artist or designer will almost automatically be drawn to these patterns, almost effortlessly (or so it sometimes seems) isolating them from the chaos and framing them to perfect intent. 

But much of what these people do by instinct can be learned by developing an ability to focus on one's vision and then by endless practice. 

By this, we mean a lot of study to determine what kinds of environments one is likely to see certain patterns and learning to see potential photographic subjects as a series of juxtaposed and interconnected shapes and lines rather than literal structures. For example—buildings, beaches, feathers, or even a reflection.

And then there is practice, practice, practice. One can read about these things all you want, but it only becomes easier with lots of practice. And that, of course, also means lots of failures. 

You often learn more from those images that don't quite work than you do from the truly successful images, provided you're paying attention.

Related: A guide to getting the right shutter speed 

 

Patterns in the natural world

The most important source of patterns for photography lies in the natural world, and by that, we mean everything created by nature, ranging from the weather, through natural landscapes, to plants and animals.

Just about everything contains the possibility for a pattern somewhere in it, ranging from huge river deltas down to the bristles on an insect's legs. Pattern lies everywhere: it's just a matter of spotting it and then being able to isolate and frame it in some images.

The search for patterns certainly keeps you on your toes, and with quite a wide range of kit needed, ranging from a drone to very wide-angle lenses, to strong telephoto lenses down to macro equipment, all depending on the scale of your pattern. 

Drones have come into their own in recent years, enabling aerial photography to pick up on landscape patterns that can be seen only from the air. Check out our guide to drone photography here. 

Some of the most dramatic drone-captured patterns include views shot directly downward onto river deltas cutting across the sand in a myriad network of breaking and rejoining channels.

At ground level and using purely standard photographic gear, more patterns in the sand can include expanses of ripples created in wet sand by a combination of waves and tide. This results in wonderful diagonal patterns, most especially visible when shot back-lit by a low sun. 

In the forest, parallel lines of tree trunks can create a marvellous pattern, particularly when photographed in still, foggy conditions, when all details are lost, clutter is removed, and the trunks are rendered as simple silhouette outlines. 

It's perfectly possible to obtain a great composition by pointing the camera horizontally and having the tree trunks completely vertical and parallel in the frame. But one of the most dramatic compositions can be created by standing right at the foot of the trees and pointing the camera straight up. 

Using this technique, the camera points towards a patch of open sky directly above, surrounded by a host of diagonal trees pointing towards that open sky from 360 degrees all around. It's a pattern that doesn't exist in the world but is created artificially using a wide-angle lens.

Still looking upwards, but without the trees to obstruct things, cloud patterns in the sky can be incredibly effective, especially at sunset or sunrise when the clouds may well be coloured. 

Depending on the magnitude of the pattern created and the effect you're trying to capture, cloud patterns can be shot with either a wide-angle or a telephoto lens. 

One rule to always obey here: photograph only the sky's pattern; don't include any horizon or landscape feature, natural or manufactured.

Macro photographic techniques become important in plant photography, for instance, when homing in on patterns like the hairs on a plant's stem or repeating patterns in a flower's petals. 

Another popular subject revolves around water droplets on a leaf surface. Although this does not always show itself as a pattern, this can become so if you pull the camera away from the leaf to reveal a network of water droplets spread across the one leaf. 

The animal world abounds with patterns to capture in photography. Although, one can struggle here due to the subject's propensity to run or fly away just as you're about to press the shutter button. 

Some well-known animal patterns include the markings on butterfly wings, the colours or light sheen on feathers, and close-ups of a zebra's stripes, which cover a range from macro through to telephoto lens use.

Related: The ultimate guide to panoramic photography 

 

Patterns in the manufactured world

Patterns in the manufactured world tend to be like those in the natural landscape: they're usually relatively static, though they may change (and perhaps disappear altogether) at different times depending on lighting angle and weather. 

Such patterns often involve buildings, with some of the most well-known including the already-mentioned multiple windows across a large building, and patterns of light and shadow across a wall, perhaps created by nearby pillars. 

Success depends on the photographer resisting the temptation to photograph the whole building and homing in on the one part where the pattern is at its strongest. 

Success also depends on a strong contrast between the 'opposing' parts of the pattern, which is usually obvious in the example of sunlight and shadow across a wall. It is also vital in the windows example—they usually need to be quite dark, set against a much lighter wall, or vice versa.

Diagonals are frequently a vital component, as including a coordinated set of such lines adds drama and dynamic energy to what could otherwise feel like a rather static scene. 

I use the term 'coordinated set' advisedly as a mass of crisscrossing diagonals results in confusing and distracting clutter. You need a set of diagonals that are either completely parallel or converge towards one point that can be either inside or outside the image frame. 

Finally, a few manufactured patterns can be seen as a hybrid between truly manufactured and partially natural. Here I include such things as the shimmering and amazingly colourful pattern created by oil spreading across the water (it's incredible what can be achieved with a bit of pollution) and that created by a reflection, perhaps of a colourful boat, in gently rippling water. 

In both examples, I would not photograph the whole scene but would home in on just one facet of the oil or reflection, that part which produces the most artistic or graphic effect. 

You may need some trial and error to come up with just the right composition, but what we're aiming for here is a highly abstract and rather fluid (excuse the pun!) merging combination of colours and shapes. 

These are just a few examples of what can be possible photographically when you start hunting for patterns within our environment, both natural and manufactured.

Now it's up to you to get out there and practise using the examples we've covered here, and then go on the hunt for others in and around your environment.

 

This blog was written by Nigel Hicks, a hugely experienced Devon-based professional photographer. Nigel works with the USA's prestigious National Geographic Image Collection, among many other bodies, and is a Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photography.

Nigel Hicks runs regular photography workshops in southwest England. To find out more about these go to www.nigelhicks.com/photography-workshops-courses/.

To find out more about Nigel's work, feel free to take a tour of the website at www.nigelhicks.com.

 

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