Photo Tip Of The Week: Patterns & Shapes

There is a range of different elements which can help you create interesting pictures. Here Robert Keeley discusses the value of using shapes and patterns to boost your images.

Photographers use a wide range of concepts to compose their images and to add impact to them. Everything from the most basic element – light – through to more esoteric ideas such as the ‘golden mean’ can be used in designing a picture, often instinctively, by creative photographers. The use of patterns and shapes falls somewhere between these two. It’s relatively easy to pick up patterns and use shapes in your image composition; the real trick is to see them first and then incorporate them in a way which will add to your picture. That’s not as easy at it might seem. Often the appearance of patterns in nature will be fleeting, though in man-made structures they can built in, and thus easier to spot.




In the examples seen here, some were ephemeral, whilst others were relatively permanent, waiting to be seen.

Patterns can be very useful for photographers, because they can create impact without necessarily having a centre of interest, which most of the time is a key element in creating a strong photograph. Patterns have their own interest, and symmetry, so they offer an alternative approach. The key to shooting strong patterns is to really concentrate on the area where the pattern exists. You need to carefully pare down any distractions as much as possible. To do so, a telephoto lens is often useful. Zooming in will allow you to flatten perspective, and get in tight where you see a pattern. It’s worth noting that a jarring element in a pattern image, whilst not necessarily being the key point of focus, can still lift your image. It might be a person crossing a pattern, an unusual shadow, a different plant or some other element.


Patterns in nature can be found in many different locations. In this instance, with low light, I braced the camera with my elbows firmly to my side, and breathed out before pressing the shutter. A boost in contrast and lightening helped.

Shapes work in different ways, though they can be combined with patterns (as can a lot of image elements). Shapes work best in your image when they are distinctive and clear. A lot of amateur photographers make the mistake cluttering their images up with lots of different shapes. Bold shapes stand out, cluttered shapes simply confuse the viewer. Both these elements (patterns and shapes) can be effectively combined with silhouettes (as seen in the image of camels at sunset seen here), but to work best the silhouette has to be bold and sharp. Many people make the mistake with silhouettes of blocking up part of their scene with non-descript land masses or other silhouettes which muddy the definition of their subject. Silhouettes work best when people almost instantly recognise what they are looking at.


These rows of trees created a strong pattern; the only creative decision required was on which angle I should photograph them, but this decision was important for securing the most impact.

By the way, the Golden Mean (or Golden Ratio), refers to the mathematical relationship of 1:1.618 and is widely held to be a “perfect proportion”. It’s closely related to that old favourite of photographers, the “rule of thirds”, which is used by many in composing more pleasing images.


Silhouettes make excellent subjects, but they must be distinctive shapes. Some shooters make the mistake of losing part of their outline against a blocked out area, or confusing several different silhouettes. They must be distinctive.


Man-made patterns allow you plenty of time to photograph them. But you still need to see the pattern, and then use the best available light to gain maximum impact from the pattern.