EXERCISE –  RHYTHMS AND PATTERNS

The purpose of this Exercise is to take at least 2 photographs, one to convey rhythm and the other pattern.  I have selected 4 photographs, all of them of muted, almost monochrome, pallette so that the the design stands out more clearly.

 RHYTHM

RHYTHM IMAGE 1.

Whilst driving through Goodwick in north Pembrokeshire looking for subjects for the course exercises, I noticed some floral displays which I thought would be ideal for Assignment 2.  Having stopped and taken some floral shots, I looked around for other subjects and found several in the detail of nearby houses.  Image 1 is one of those details, a painted concrete lattice in front of the small window above a front door.  To my mind this image could be viewed as either a rhythm or a pattern.  The eye is carried over the small arcs of the design as if over waves as it travels from the left to the right of the frame.  If the viewer concentrates on the design for any time, an optical illusion takes place whereby the dark spaces seem to be to the fore and then to the rear with the pale lattice being to the fore.

 

 RHYTHM IMAGE 2

There are a number of rhythms at work in this image of a rock face detail, including the diagonal and, more subtly, the horizontal cracks and fissures.  The most obvious rhythm, however, is created by the narrow diagonal bands of white quartz when viewed from left to right across the frame.

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 PATTERN

 

 PATTERN IMAGE 1

Another find during my visit to Goodwick was this painted brick wall. Whilst at first glance it appears pretty bland and uninteresting, one almost immediately picks up on the fact that the bricks create a pattern of horizontal and, to a lesser extent, of diagonal lines.  The fact that the bricks are not completely accurately laid adds to the interest of the image.  As the bricks are not all laid on exactly the same plane or position in relation to each other, some appear to stand proud and others to recede, and the vertical interfaces between alternate bricks are not always accurately aligned. These subtle variations make each brick, however similar, have an individual character of its own.

 

PATTERN IMAGE 2

At the same house as Rhythm Image 1 above I noticed a plastic curtain at the front window which seemed to have all sorts of photographic possibilities.  After experimenting with exposures for a short while I settled for a decrease of 2 f stops in order to create greater contrast and make the pattern stand out better.  The folds in the material break up the rigid lattice design of the interlocking hexagons to create a vibrant and dynamic effect which is enhanced by the way that the light is reflected differently throughout the frame.  The result for me is an intriguing mix of order and randomness which I like a lot.

 

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