Repetition in Photography Tips

Repetition is a great way to create photographs, and there are patterns all around us we can use.

Repetition and patterns in photograph create a sense of order and balance, and are therefore a pleasing and calming influence. They are removed of chaos, disorder, and randomness, giving the eye an easy and pleasant journey across the canvas image. The uniformity of even the most boring object can give it real interest and depth if photographed well. Factory settings can provide wonderful examples of this, though easier places to access may be a parts department of almost any description, a supermarket, or examples in nature using trees or plants. Other examples may include the arches of a bridge or viaduct, performing dancers, and electricity pylons.

As much as creating a uniform and orderly photo canvas of a repetitive pattern is popular and can look very professional you may, in contrast, also wish to consider creating a photo canvas where the point of the image is that the pattern has been broken. A random brown egg in a tray of white, a blue bottle in a carrier box of clear ones, a man wearing red in a line of men wearing black, all of these create an interesting point which the eye is immediately drawn to. The calm feeling is not lost in these images, but the break must be well placed. Apply the rule of thirds when deciding where to place your 'odd one out' in the frame, be it in nature or created by yourself. Our article Taking a Great Photo explains how you can use the rule of thirds to improve your photographs for canvas print.

When photographing either of these styles you will need to follow a few basic rules to get the most from your image. If you are looking to apply the photo to canvas you will need to use the highest resolution your camera offers to get the highest quality photo canvas print.

Zoom in on your subject and fill the frame with them. If photographed correctly you can trick those who view your photo canvas into thinking there are many more of your chosen subject than there really are. For example, if you take a photograph of a large tray of uniform glasses close up, so the ones on the edge bust out of the photograph as if there simply isn't enough room, your viewer may automatically assume there are hundreds of bottles when in fact there were only twenty or thirty. You will have created a photo that is far more impressive in the viewer's mind than the subject was in reality.

Equally a line of 6 chairs with some slightly out of shot can lead the viewer to assume the line of chairs goes on for miles. The angle and shape of your pattern will shape how it is seen. Most photographs of repetitive patterns will need to be taken close up for maximum impact, but this is not always the case. Try to take many photographs at various distances to decide which looks the best. Use lighting to change the feel of your pattern. For example if photographing a bus stop queue of people on their way to work you may wish for a grey, potentially dreary setting, whereas if you were photographing a queue of people waiting to go on a fairground ride you may wish for bright lights and a more positive feel.