The Flow
Everywhere in nature we can find lines and patterns. Most of the times, we don’t notice these things but hopefully after this lesson, you’ll begin to develop an eye for noticing natural patterns.
There are three directions for lines to occur in nature: horizontal, vertical and diagonal. And with patterns, there is a natural flow in one (or more) of these directions. So when looking through your lens or behind the screen, two things can be seen. Either you’ll notice a movement (or flow) of objects or people in one of these directions or you’ll see static (non-moving) objects along a certain direction. These directions may be obvious at times or they will appear in your frame when you move into position.
Lines
Often when looking at lines in a photo, we will follow it from one end to the other. They can divide, unify, or highlight certain parts of a composition. If they are interesting enough, they can become a visual topic in themselves. Depending on the direction in which the line is shaped, it can be of great help to lead our eyes to or from the subject or point of interest. This is what is considered a leading line. The shape of the lines can have great significance upon the mood of the photograph.
The following are examples of lines.
This photo was actually of the ceiling but I rotated it 90 degrees clockwise to give the illusion of a hallway.
Here the reflection of the wall caused a mirror effect. The wall acted as a line causing a flow towards the door.
Patterns
A person with a trained photographic eye will develop the ability to notice patterns even when he or she does not have a camera in hand. Whether the patterns are man-made or natural, patterns bring a sense of visual rhythm and harmony to photographs that, like a series of repeating notes in a melody, attract the attention of the human mind. Patterns appear whenever strong graphic elements such as lines, colours, shapes, or forms repeat themselves. The key to emphasizing patterns is to isolate them from their surroundings. By excluding everything but the design, you create the illusion that the repetition is infinite, extending beyond the frame. Telephoto and longer zoom lenses are excellent tools for isolating and extracting patterns by enabling you to exclude extraneous images. (Fodor’s: Focus on Travel Photography).
The following are examples of patterns.
Here each floor had the same layout giving rise to a repeating pattern.
This repeating pattern can either cause the eyes to start from the front and lead towards the back or vice-versa.
This is both a combination of lines and patterns causing the eyes to want to flow toward the center of the photograph.
I like pattern.
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