There are several elements that make this shot appeal to me. The strongest element to me is the repeating patterns. It is those patterns that grabbed my attention when I took the shot, but I also very much enjoy the interplay of light and shadow on the two sides. There is something satisfying about the way light wraps around curved objects and, when it has a lot of identically-curved objects to wrap around, it is even more satisfying. And then there is the symmetry between left and right. Usually, it is best not to center the subject in photography and to consider the rule of thirds, but in a case such as this where the symmetry is something you want to capture, I think centering is the way to go. This was taken at Harborwalk in Destin, Florida
This shot appealed to me on two levels—first, the repeating patterns of the buildings in this little town square in Riedenberg, Germany, and second, the repeating patterns of the yellow leaves scattered on the cobblestones. Then I just needed something to tie the two together, so I framed it in such a way to include the tree. I liked the shot a lot at that point. But then this guy on a bicycle came along. I took a shot with him in it. He was the town baker and was curious as to what I was doing taking pictures in his little town square at that time of the morning, so he stopped to chat. I think we were the only two people awake. I showed him the picture with him in it and he liked it a lot, but he was too far to the right when I caught him, so I asked him to ride through the square again. It took us two more rides to nail this shot. We were both thrilled with it.
The repeating patterns of these doorways and windows grabbed my attention while I was sitting on a bus at a stop across the street. I took the shot through the window of the bus. There’s something about the arrow that just pulls it all together. This was in Southampton, England, where both the Mayflower and the Titanic sallied forth to their dates with history.
Nature is especially good at patterns, as evidenced by this stand of saguaro cacti overlooking the Avra Valley near Tucson. I made sure to shoot from low enough for the cacti to cross over the repeating lines of the background, again tying the parts together. The white building stop the mountain is the main observatory at Kitt Peak.
Shooting just one of these rusty old Tonka trucks would have made for a boring shot, but put two of them next to each other and patters begin to emerge. Cropping the shot down emphasized those patterns. I had one of these trucks many years ago and spent countless hours relocating sand from one pile to another in my backyard.
The pattern of the repeating archways, both in the ceiling and the floor, drew me to this shot in Fort Pickens, Pensacola Beach, Florida. Old Civil War forts are treasures of repeating archways like this, coupled with the rustic brick and lime deposits to give shots grit and texture.
What it all comes down to is that patterns are attractive elements and can add interest to your photography. Pay attention to details and you will see them everywhere. You can highlight them by controlling light and lines and through judicious cropping. It is also helpful in situations where there are multiple elements that they be tied together somehow.