Tip of the Week: Use Patterns to Elevate your Photography

Did your eye head straight to Breaker Novogratz? It’s not the lightest or the brightest object in the image, in fact it is nearly the darkest. What draws your eye in is the shape. The rest of the photograph is dominated by vertical and horizontal lines. The grid window frames, the shadows, the railing, even the skyscrapers in the background are perpendicular or parallel to each other. Breaker and his skateboard echo the linearity but at 45 degrees to everything else. This is why your eyes probably went straight towards him.

When shooting, look for patterns in your environment. Place your subject so it repeats that pattern. It could be an urban, grid pattern like this one, or a mountain ridge, rolling hills, or an architectural detail that is repeated in a building. For a more dynamic image, place the subject at odds with the background, for a harmonious image have it echo it.

Try some of the exercises by Darren Rowse to practice looking for and emphasizing patterns. They are everywhere you look!

Thank you to the Novagratz’s for the gracious opportunity to shoot inside your home, I will never forget the experience.