Repetition and Rhythm in Your Photos
Posted on August 10, 2009
Filed Under Camera Problems, Canon Problems | Leave a Comment
Usually, subjects are preferred to be in contrast with the background. Photographs of this kind have their point of interest set on your subject grabbing all the attention to it. But not all photos have to be the same. Creating a rhythm between all the image’s elements works very well in many cases. Using this technique will make the observer travel through the whole photo very smoothly.
Think of poetry or songs and the role rhymes play in both of them. In photographs, rhythm is usually a result of the existence of a certain pattern . These patterns can be due to repetition in shapes, colors, or even positions of objects. This adds interest all around your photo making the observer look at it over and over.
Patterns are everywhere, and they can be created easily too. In the streets, in gardens, on sand, in water, there are a lot of possibilities. A lot more patterns can be created out of similarities in colors, shapes, or even arrangement of any kind of objects. At closer range, many new patterns will appear. This is because many solid objects at very close range will show some sort of repeated textures on their surfaces.
While patterns are good compositional tools, they don’t always seem as good in simple compositions. So, breaking a pattern is sometimes desired too. This will create some degree of imperfection in the rhythm introducing tension to the image. Another usage of patterns is to fill the background, only to be broken by the subject in the foreground. As a result, the point of interest will be on the subject.
Colors are also used for creating a sort of rhythm in photographs. Strong contrasts are substituted by different shades of a dominant color, or by the employment of different colors in harmony with each others.All this grabs the different elements of the whole photo together.
The placement of objects inside a composition affect the rhythm of the photograph in a big way too. Objects with similar positions will relate to each other, and those arranged in a certain scheme will create a feel of continuous flow. Both situations create some sort of comfort to the observer’s eyes.
The process of producing photos with rhythm may seem a little difficult to grasp, as it is a bit different from other compositional approaches. But as you improve your photography further, you will know exactly when to make the rhythm and when to break it.
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