Photography Tutorial 6: Spotting Patterns

One of the simplest ways to create a dramatic image is to take advantage of repetition. Here I will be spotting patterns to explore how different images stimulate the mind. The first collection simply repeat elements. The second questions whether abstract images can also contain repeat elements.

This first shot is of the facade of what was Welbeck Street Car Park for Debenhams’ department store located behind Oxford Street in London. Sadly the carpark has been demolished to be replaced with yet another identikit hotel. I think the developers missed an opportunity to reuse the identical concrete elements to cover the new hotel.

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Spotting Repeat Patterns

Welbeck Street Car Park

This is the simplest form of symmetrical pattern, where elements repeat horizontally and vertically to cover the entire building. Shot straight-on there is no perspective involved to distort the pattern.

Balconies, Miami Beach

Making the shot black and white strips out other elements that might spoil the repetition. The balconies and shadows are vertically identical. Keeping in the palms at the bottom has slightly softened the repetition but help to show the location is hot and ordered.

Tower Blocks, Boston Financial District

With this pattern, each floor is vertically identical. From this angle the right hand circular tower appears to be part of the same building, but it’s a separate tower.

Reflections in Water

This graphic image has simple origins – it is just a painted fence reflected in the river below. Shot in Gdansk, Poland. I moved my viewpoint so that all of the reflections were vertical, which has made it appear more abstract.

Fireworks in Frankfurt

Fireworks create totally unique patterns. They appear to be random, but looking at each individual spark it appears to be revolving in a similar way to the others.

Non-Repeating Patterns

Mosaic of Streets in Gdansk

These house gables shot from a church steeple form a complex pattern, reminiscent of a mosaic. I like how the centre of the image has a more clearly defined pink house.

Wet Tyres, Stuttgart

Each tyre has its own tread pattern of course, but I was more attracted to how the different shapes overlapped. I chose the diagonal tyre as the focal point of the photo.

Bracken, Fern Leaf

In mathematics, a self-similar object is exactly or approximately similar to a part of itself. So on this bracken leaf the smallest part is similar to the whole leaf.

Black Line Mural in Lodz, Poland

Nothing repeats at all in this mural, but the use of just black line on a white background gives the pleasing effect of a pattern.

Bulgarian Typewriting

As soon as type is in a different alphabet it has the effect of a pattern. This Bulgarian type was shot in a museum in Sofia.