So, I decided to give this whole ‘patterns and repetition’ thing a shot with my camera the other day. Wasn’t really sure where to start, honestly. Just felt like trying something different, you know?
First thing, I just grabbed my camera, didn’t even think much about lenses or settings, just the standard one I usually have on. Walked out the door and started looking around my own street. Felt a bit silly at first, just staring intently at walls and fences like some kind of weirdo.
Finding the Stuff
It took a while for my eyes to adjust, to actually see the patterns instead of just ‘wall’ or ‘fence’. Then, things started popping out.
- Bricks: Obvious one, right? But I tried getting different angles, focusing on the texture, the lines of mortar.
- Windows: Looked at apartment buildings. Rows and rows of windows. Some neat, some with curtains slightly off, breaking the pattern. That was kinda interesting.
- Nature bits: Went to a park later. Found patterns in leaves on the ground, the bark of certain trees, even ripples on the pond.
- Man-made things: Parking lots full of cars lined up, stacks of tires at the garage, even the grates on the sidewalk. Stuff you walk past every day.
Getting the Shot
Just pointing and shooting didn’t always work. A lot of the first snaps looked pretty dull, just… a lot of the same thing. So, I started messing around.
Getting close was one trick. Filled the whole picture with just the pattern, like the texture of a metal fence. Made it more abstract, less about the actual object.
Stepping back worked too, sometimes. Showed the scale of the repetition, like a huge wall of identical windows. Needed to find a good viewpoint for that, make sure the lines looked straight, or intentionally crooked if that was the point.
Breaking the pattern often made the photo better. Like finding one red brick in a wall of brown ones, or one open window in a row of closed ones. Gave the eye something to focus on.
Wasn’t All Easy
Honestly, sometimes it felt forced. I’d find a pattern, take the picture, and just think ‘meh’. It looked repetitive, sure, but not interesting. Finding that sweet spot between simple repetition and something visually grabbing was harder than I thought. Spent a good chunk of time just deleting photos that didn’t quite hit the mark.
Weather didn’t help either. Flat, grey light made everything look kind of drab. Bright sun created harsh shadows, which sometimes worked, sometimes just made things messy.
What Came Out Of It
Ended up with a folder of photos that are… different from my usual stuff. Some I really like, especially a close-up of peeling paint on an old door and another of stacked pipes at a construction site. The textures and lines just worked.
The main thing, though? I definitely look at boring, everyday stuff differently now. I catch myself noticing patterns everywhere – floor tiles, rows of books, fabric weaves. It’s like it unlocked a new way of seeing the mundane things around me. Didn’t expect that, but it’s pretty cool.
So yeah, that was my little experiment with patterns and repetition. Worth trying if you’re feeling stuck or just want to force yourself to look closer at the world.
