Finding Patterns in Photography

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PHOTO CHALLENGE | Take photos that represent repetition and pattern.

Submit photos below by Saturday for feedback.

I’ll be the first to admit that patterns in photography can seem dull while also being difficult to document. If you do a quick search for patterns in photography, you’ll be greeted with some of the most unhelpful ideas of abstract, nonsensical images. Here’s how we’re going to challenge the concept…

  • Look for repetition in color and objects

  • Texture

  • Shadows

  • Light

  • Look for layers and depth

  • MICRO & MACRO

    • Look up close

    • Scan the bigger picture

It’s important to take the time to look in depth to your surroundings, at your subject, and see where repetition and balance are. I think of repetition as some kind of repeating element within a composition, ranging from very subtle (like repeating colors in the background of the last photo below) to very obvious (like the repeating tree limbs in the photo directly below). If you do not naturally recognize repetition, study each photo included to see how many forms of repetition you can identify. Then, next time you are shooting, you will have some ideas of where to start in looking for similar ideas.

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Finding repetition and patterns, and then organizing them with balance in mind, is a primary way to organize the messiness of nature into cohesive, calming, and harmonious compositions. I encourage you to take some time to look for and then incorporate these ideas into your compositions.

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Photographer, Sarah Marino, is brilliant at composing a scene with repetition and seeing patterns in nature.

Need more inspiration? This resource is very helpful!