Photography Tips – repetition

Today’s entry is another in a series of photography tips. Repetition of an image to draw the viewer’s eye into your image.

These are cormorants which are very common in Orange County. I spied them one day while I was out looking for feature art for the newspaper I used to work for. Feature art is slice of life photos that could potentially run anytime.

I saw them all lined up, but every time I got close they would fly away. So, I crawled up on these fowls. A little bit at a time and in about 5 minutes or so I was close enough to nab this image.  When you want to make sure someone understands you, we often repeat ourselves.

When you want to make something stand out in photography, you repeat it. Thus, repetition! The birds create a pattern for the viewers eye to follow.

Here, I used the pattern of the window pane’s shadow to create repetition that is interrupted by the figures. Repetition  can be all about the pattern or the breaking of that pattern. For example, in the first image, it’s all about pattern. In the shadow image it’s about the breaking of the pattern by the figures. Either way, achieves an effect for the viewer.

Another example of breaking the pattern with the woman in the orange/red dress. The pattern of the signs really makes for a great repetition. This was taken before the last night at the 2000 Republican Convention in Philadelphia. I was able to take a look inside the hall before most of the conventioneers were let in.

Finally, I have an image taken of a student studying at Chapman University in Orange, CA. The pillars of the building exude strength, stability and all the things a university should. The tiny figure of the student gives context to the size of the pillars and dwarfs the human condition. Again, another example of breaking the pattern with the student.

Try incorporating repetition of image into your next photo shoot and you will be rewarded with another technique in your arsenal. Enjoy!