photomatto

Variety, Rhythm and Repetition

I'm happy to be back this month to discuss another "rule" of photography.  As I mentioned last month these rules are not hard and fast, but rather they provide some guidance for taking great photos.

Last month I discussed the "Rule of Thirds".  This month I'm going to cover the importance of "Variety, Rhythm and Repetition".  Incorporating these concepts in your photographs can add greater interest and movement to your photos. 

Tone and Line Rhythm

As an example, the photograph of trees from the article last week.  

Here's the original photo.

I like this photo for the variety of angles in the tree trunks, the different widths of the trunks and the tones from light to dark.

Here's an illustration to highlight the line angles and widths of the trunks.

The tree trunks appear in three widths and they exit the photo at a variety of angles.  Your eye is lead through the photo by the angles.  There's "motion" in the photo due to the angles and widths of the trees.

Here's the same illustration where all the tree trunks are aligned vertically.  Notice how the image appears flat and your eye doesn't move as easily through the trunks.

The above graphic has a very abstract feel to it.  It doesn't feel "natural".

The other aspect of the trees photograph is the variety of tones.  

Here's an illustration showing the tones of the tree trunks.

There are three primary tones in the trunks.  The tones give the photo depth.  There are some dark trunks near the front of the image and some further back.  The combination of tone and angle in the trunks really bring the photograph to life.

Repeating Angles

The photograph below really makes me wonder if the builders on Snoqualmie Ridge took some inspiration from the Cascade mountain range.   The photo was taken about 15 minutes after sunset.  I love the way the mountains fade into the distance with a variety of blue/purple tones.  But what really struck me on this evening were the repeating angles from the roof lines and the mountains.

I've created a couple of illustrations to show the angles.

Here's the illustration with only the lines showing.

And here's the cool part of the repetition.  

Finding repetition whether it be in the angles or perhaps in the alignment of the subjects adds further interest to your photos.  In this case, it made me appreciate the architecture's relationship to the mountains that stand so prominent from many vantage points on Snoqualmie Ridge.

You can learn more about these photos by visiting my Flickr pages for each photo.

Among The Trees

Purple Mountains From Snoqualmie Ridge

Article appearing on Snoqualmie Ridge website homepage

I was just informed that my "Photo Tips" article is appearing on the Snoqualmie Ridge website home page. Thank you to Gary Horn for the encouragement and support.  Be sure to check out my Imagekind gallery to purchase photo prints and framed photos of Snoqualmie Ridge to support local schools!

Summer Evenings

The evenings have been amazing this past week.  We've had 90+, sometimes 100+ degree weather.  It stays really warm until sunset.

I've had the chance to take the kids to a local dog park and some other parks this week.  Here's a video and some photos from these trips out.

I made a little video from one of our trips...

Here are some photos...