Table of Contents
How do I take pattern photos?
When you want to make a pattern picture it is best to take a photo of the object in situ. This will enable you to make a detailed drawing and show the texture and shape of the object as well as its dimensions. You can then transfer the drawing onto fabric.
Take photos in natural light.
If possible, take photos outside and during the day. Sunlight helps show up detail in the fabric and highlights the patterns. If there is no natural light, take your photos indoors. Remember, too, that bright lighting can affect the appearance of your fabric. Make sure to switch off your phone and turn it to silent mode if it is disturbing you or your child.
Take photos with a tripod.
Tripods can be useful for making pattern pictures. It is important to use a tripod when photographing your object to avoid the fabric looking ‘jagged’. Set your camera to manual focus and shoot in low-light conditions so that you have more control over exposure. Aperture priority settings may work well, with the aperture set to f/22 or f/32. When taking photos on a tripod, you should hold the fabric still for the first few seconds so that you don’t shake it.
Take photos of different objects.
Try taking photos of different objects, such as a clock, a vase, a cup, a spoon, etc. It’s best to keep your photographs simple, but do experiment to see what works best for you.
Use a grid.
Before starting your pattern picture, create a grid on your paper using a ruler or tape measure. This will enable you to draw lines in the right places and make sure the grid is the same size as the object. If you are using a tripod, use a cable release or remote shutter to ensure that the fabric is still before taking your photo.
Do take some photos of objects without a pattern.
If you are photographing something that has a pattern, but doesn’t have a specific pattern to follow, try taking a few photos of the object just to get the general feel of it. Take the photos in a range of lighting conditions and angles, so that you can show more detail.
Draw the pattern first.
When taking pattern pictures, it’s important to draw out the pattern on paper first. This will help you to plan your picture and create an accurate drawing. To do this, use a ruler, or tape measure, and draw a line down the middle of your paper. Next, draw the lines of the design, using your ruler. Finally, use a fine pen or pencil and fill in the pattern in the space between each line. This helps to make your drawing look more realistic.
Make a copy of the pattern.
Once you have drawn out the pattern on paper, make a copy. Then transfer the pattern onto fabric using the photocopier, or if possible, by hand.
What is natural pattern photography?
Natural pattern photography is a process in which we look for and record the natural patterns in the world around us. For example, in the autumn, we may notice that the leaves on trees start to turn from green to a bright red, then to brown, and finally to yellow and orange before falling to the ground. We may also notice that as we get older our hair starts to turn grey. It’s not easy to photograph these changes in the landscape, but we are able to capture them by looking for patterns.
The patterns in nature are endless and we may not have thought about them or noticed them, but if we do, they can provide inspiration.
Natural pattern photography has been used for centuries. We can see examples of it in cave paintings and in photographs taken from the Apollo space missions. The great painter Salvador Dali was fascinated with pattern photography and made over 100 of his own images. He loved to work with oil paints and to make watercolours, which he would then photograph with black and white film.
The first camera to use a self-timer was the Kodak Brownie Box Camera and the first to use colour film was the Kodak Carousel, which came out in 1932. In the 1950s, a company called Polaroid started making instant colour film. A great advantage of this is that it captures the patterns we notice in the world around us. It also means that we can capture a moment without having to take time to develop the film.
When you are taking your pictures you should be thinking about what patterns you are noticing in the world around you. Try to find a view where the sun is shining, but not too bright, so that the leaves and other objects in your image are still well-defined. As well as looking for patterns in your landscape, you could look for them in your family and friends. What patterns do they have in their hair and skin?
Natural pattern photography is fun and you might like to think about capturing a moment when you have noticed something interesting. You can always use the picture to remind yourself of the time and place.
What is texture and pattern in photography?
Texture is the look of a photograph, the way things appear in it. In a landscape, trees and grass can have different textures and patterns. So can water, sand, and snow. When we think about photographs of people, their faces have an overall texture which changes as they talk and move. And the clothes they wear can have texture too. The texture and pattern of a person’s face or a piece of clothing can make them seem more real than if they were just a picture. For example, the texture of a person’s skin and the pattern of the hair on their head can be quite interesting.
Pattern is the arrangement of similar elements (in our example, faces) in the same place (in the same photo). If we take a close-up picture of a person’s face, the patterns in it are made up of the texture of their features. This gives a more vivid sense of the person we are looking at than when we see their whole faces.
When we take a picture of people, the people themselves don’t usually look like they do in real life. We might need to add something to make them look more realistic. For example, if we want to make a photograph of a person wearing glasses, we might have to add some lines to make the shapes of the eyes and nose.
We often make the shape of an object (for example, a human face) in a photo by choosing a camera angle and lighting that highlights the area we want to look at. This helps to make the object look ‘three-dimensional’, with the shape you are trying to capture being more clear and distinct. This is called selective focus. We can also add extra detail to the image by zooming in on it. We can make it look more realistic by putting it into black and white or adding color. This is called toning.
Finally, when taking a picture we must choose whether to photograph our subject from the front, side, or back. It is important to know this because a front-on shot gives the viewer more information about the size, shape, and position of the person’s body than one taken from the side or back. This is called the rule of thirds, a principle that can be applied in all types of photography.
Tips for taking pattern photography
Taking pattern shots involves making sure that your background is clear of distracting features. If there are people standing around, they need to be kept far enough away so that you can easily see what you are trying to photograph without having to move closer or back.
If you want to take a picture of someone’s face, you need to find a way of isolating them from the rest of the scene, such as using a large sheet of cardboard behind them or placing them in a small, enclosed space.
If you are photographing a subject which may not be easily visible, make sure you are confident about what it is. You can do this by making a drawing or sketching the subject first.
As far as lighting goes, it is important to make sure that your subject is well lit – it is often best to have a single, soft light source rather than several lights of different brightness and colour.
It is also important to get your subject’s perspective right, by making sure that they are looking at something interesting and by avoiding any distracting elements such as windows or windowsills.
The last thing you want to avoid when taking photographs is the camera shake. It is easy to overcome this problem by holding the camera steady with one hand while you take the shot with the other. You may find that by using a tripod, the only thing that can shake is the photographer.
Look for unusual angles.
Try to capture your subject in an unusual way and, if possible, make the background completely different to what you usually use. For example, you could take a picture of your subject’s face on a table with their feet in the air. Or you could try using a reflection of them in water or a shiny surface such as a mirror.
It’s always good to keep trying new ideas and techniques and you might even like to share your pictures with friends. It’s fun to see what they think and it could give you new ideas for future photography sessions.
Conclusion
I hope this article has helped you understand how to take patterns in photography and how to find them. If you have any questions about this topic, feel free to comment below!
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