Patterns
Patterns are graphic images that have the same subject duplicated over and over within the frame. Repeating lines and shapes make up these patterns. Nature, in all her beauty, provides us with endless patterns to photograph.
The intricate design of a dahlia provides great patterns as petal after petal unfolds to reveal the flower's beauty (Figure 4.11).
![Figure 4.11](/content/images/chap4_9780321741325/elementLinks/th04fig11.jpg)
Figure 4.11 Using a telephoto zoom, I focused at minimum-focus distance to fill the frame with the flower.
The wake from a boat created a pattern of waves that caught the light and my attention (Figure 4.12). I used a telephoto to fill the frame with the repeating pattern, excluding everything else.
![Figure 4.12](/content/images/chap4_9780321741325/elementLinks/th04fig12.jpg)
Figure 4.12 I increased my ISO to 400mm to be able to achieve a fast shutter speed because I was photographing the wake from a moving boat.
Sometimes even the simplest subjects become compelling when another element is added, such as the icicles hanging from the rock wall in Figure 4.13. The vertical lines of the icicles contrast with the round rocks.
![Figure 4.13](/content/images/chap4_9780321741325/elementLinks/th04fig13.jpg)
Figure 4.13 Icicles on a rock wall created a pattern of vertical lines. I like the warmth of the rocks and the way they contrast with the cooler, blue colors of the icicles. Blue conveys coldness in an image (more on color in Chapter 5).