Patterns, Texture and Lines

My favourite things to shoot are landscapes and scenic shots, but sometimes I’ll try to find some different, but interesting things to shoot. I think this is what helps us to continually challenge our creative ability.

Now, I’m the first to admit that creativity is not something that is natural to me. Some people have an innate creative sense, and others, like me, have to work hard at it.

One of the things that helps me is to remember some of the basic elements and principles of design (there are a lot of resources available - all you need to do is a Google search). I’m not a design expert, but I’m going to share some of the things that work for me.

I tend to focus on the simple stuff and look for patterns, texture, lines, colour, etc. If you take some time to look around you’ll notice these everywhere. The more you pay attention, the more you’ll see and this will help you develop a more creative eye over time.

Here are a few of my attempts:

I really like this shot for its simplicity. There are a number of elements that I found here starting with the texture of the coconut, the colour from the green and yellow leaves on the ground as well as the texture of the ground.

Look for a repeating pattern that this tile roof offers. I also like the feeling of waves that it creates. The other photo is a series of phone booths all lined up together. There’s symmetry to them and the blue colour really makes then stand out.

For this shot, I liked the contrast in the shades of the rocks. We have a lighter colour rock in the centre surrounded by the darker tones. There is also a nice sense of texture and randomness.

Lines can always make for interesting compositions, too. The mid-day sun high in the sky was throwing shadows all over, all you need to do is see it. These are the shadows from the railings on our cruise ships that the sun was throwing across the deck. I really like the way the lines draw you around the photo.

Enjoy!

DC