A pattern is a repetition of form or shape. It is a strong visual element for any work of art especially in photography.
Patterns are common visual elements. However, we simply move past them and failing to take notice. A photographer really has to open his or her eyes and be sensitive to them.
Patterns invoke a sense of stability, consistency and belonging in the viewer. They are already compositions by themselves.
Composition is the arrangement of the visual elements in a photograph, arranged in a way to evoke a sentiment from the viewer. Below are sample pictures of patterns. Most of them were previously published here, but I would bet that you have not noticed that they contain patterns.
Repetitions of garlic.
Repetitions of bricks.
Repetitions of dew drops and blades.
Repetitions of pots.
Repetitions of straws.
Eventhough pure patterns are compositions by themselves, breaking these patterns is also another effective compositional style.
The pattern here is the rectangular framing of the glass window. It is broken by putting the window frame off-center and including the greeneries and one of the airport towers. Shot in the new Bacolod-Silay Airport while waiting for a slightly delayed flight back to Cebu…
The pattern here is made by the square-shaped cage screen. It is broken by making it out of focus (blurring) and making the eye of the myna bird tacked sharp, with the head of the bird placed off-center. Shot in Tubod, Minglanilla, Cebu.
And so, next time, before clicking that shutter, look around for patterns. Take a shot of them and then do a composition that breaks the pattern. And I would really like to take a look. Perhaps it wouldn’t cost much if you inform me that you did the “pattern” shot… 
(I haven’t been doing a lot of bloghopping lately. I promise to make up for it and I will visit each of your blogs soon. Rest assured I am updated of your every new post, and I do get to read them. I just always don’t have the luxury of time to visit your actual blog and make a sensible comment. I’ll make up for it soon… Please bear with me… )
Kuya Mark, kailangan mo ng baguhin ang watermark mo. Naisip ko lang, kailangan mo ng bagong watermark.
Ha? Bakit naman kailangan ng bago?
masyadong tame yung ginagamit mong signature. masyadong simple tapos paiba iba pa. ayoko ng watermark mo Kuya Mark. yawts. dapat you move with the cheese. parang sinulat lang ng ballpen yung watermark. awts. joke lang. mas maganda siguro kung may signature ka. something na makikita sa personality mo.X)
Hehehe… Ax, I am never good with photo-editing softwares… My primary use for them is to resize my digitized output from film…
As long as it’s recognizable to be mine, solb na ako dun… 
Wala naman sa signature yun, nasa picture yun… 
Salamat!
But I’ll keep your suggestion in mind next time…
whaT’S watermark..
water (MARK)??
Sa madaliang sabi, ito yung text na nababasa mo sa mga pictures… Kumbaga parang signature…
hahaha. ako ba to?
Nung isang araw ko pa’to nabasa. hindi ko alam kung seseryosohin ko. jino joke ka lang ni Hamster Kuya Mark. alam niya talaga ang watermark.
At MB, sige. Mark na rin ang pangalan mo.
Hahaha! Alam ko Ax, pero pinatulan ko na, baka sakaling di talaga alam… Hehehe… Peace Jason!
@ MB, ako talaga yan, ako ang kinakausap eh…
yah ryt wala sa signature yun nasa PICTURE yun
siyempre kaya ako nandito para sabihin na na amazed ako uli sa mga pix mo lalo na yung repetition ng straws at yung sa airport tapos dami ko pang natutunan tnx IDOL
Salamat Lhen sa pagsecond the motion… Hehehe… Pero I’ll try to improve my signature pa rin… And it wouldn’t hurt to explore those softwares…
Gandang ng mga shots. Nice tips. Di ko kakalimutan ito. Mahilig din ako mag-look ng may patterns. One of this days hahawakan ko na yung DSLR ng anak ko.
Salamat for sharing.
Salamat po! I am looking forward for your shots that will break patterns…
Clear and concise exposition on pattern and composition kapatid! I’m musing on where pattern and composition in photography applies to my own real life. Somewhere, even if the lines are sometimes blurred, i see my own pattern – my own stability and consistency – side by side with the inconsistencies hehe…Great shots for leisurely reading as well as meditation…
Thank you kapatid… For me, to act in a pattern of consistency in most things is still a challenge…
While I always want to be spontaneous, there are many things in life that challenge me everyday to be consistent: kindness, humility, listening ear, patience… and the list goes on… Sometimes, these weak patterns do get to be broken… I thank grace for the consistent mending… 
uy kapatid!! hanep! ang ganda!! peborit ko ung straw tska ung bricks, hehehe..
saludo talga ako sayo!!
Salamat kapatid… Maghanap ka na ng patterns! )
pareho kami jorge…
Salamat kapatid…
i love the dew drops and the straws.
thanks for your neverending “lessons” in photography.
Welcome AC… May kasunod pa ito…
galing! mga patterns sa ating kapaligiran at araw-araw na buhay
Tama Sandi… They are so visible but we fail to notice they are there…
tokayo, turuan mo rin ako mag picture picture. :p
Tokayo, ito na yun… Subukan mong maghanap ng patterns…
salamat sa lesson mark..sa uulitin ulit!
gusto ko yung sa airport! syanga pala…nasa 3rd page pa lang ako nong book…huhuhu inabutan ako ng sakit kong katamaran tapos nananawa na ako sa lens ko…hay dami kong arte ngayon!
Welcome Ymay… Grabe naman, ilang weeks na yun sa yo, 3 pages pa lang ang nabasa mo! Hahaha! Naku mas matututo ang mga alikabok… hehehe…
kuya!na miss ko ang blog mo! may bago akong proxy kaya heto mega access and bawi sa mga blogs na hindi ko na nadalaw.
as usual, enthralled na naman ako sa mga pics at posts mo! galing mo talaga…
pag may camera nko na maayos ayos papaturo ako sayu ha
thanks nga pala for always visiting my house
Salamat sa pagdalaw Jeff… Oo, tanong ka lang kung may gusto kang malaman…
Sana tuloy-tuloy na yang pagbabalik mo sa WP…
ay salamat sa info kapatid…may bago na namang dagdag kaalaman ang isang illiterate putograper na tulad ko hehehehe…
Welcome Kuya Blu… Pwede mo nang simula ang paghahanap sa mga patterns…
wow..ganda ng topic mo mark. very educational. looking forward sa iba pang topics about photography. hehe
actually, yong sa mga term na sinabi mo, medyo familiar na ako kase nga po nasa visual art din ako. pero maganda kase minsan hindi ko nagagamit o nakakalimutan ko ito kapag nagkukuha ako ng picture.
Salamat Bro… Oo nga, halos magkapareho ang principles ng visual arts… Sige, may susunod pa sa post na ito…
Pasensiya na at baguhan ako sa pagdalaw sa iyong tahanan. Kuha mo ito sa dati mong kamera? O sa bagong kamera na ibinigay sa iyo?
Magaganda ang kuha. Kitang kita ang paulit-ulit na tema nito. Ang daming bawang niyan. Pwedeng pwedeng panakot sa aswang hehe.
Naalala ko tuloy ang mynah namin noong kabataan ko. Wala na siya ngayon. Namatay na.
Salamat sa pagdalaw BP… Ang straws dito ay kuha sa “bago” kong film SLR… While the rest is through my old Canon camera. Ang bawang na yan ay kuha ko sa marketplace ng isang maliit na bayan sa Ilocos Sur habang papunta kami ng Baluarte…
May mynah rin kami sa bahay… Dalawa sila. Yung isa nakawala last month kasi binalik nakawin ng mga bata…
Sayang nga eh… Pero ang mynah dito ay kuha sa isang resort dito sa Cebu.
Kawawa naman pala yung isang naiwan.
Baka malungkot kung nasanay na may kasama.
Hehehe… Oo nga ano…
Dadagdagan ko actually ang mga ibon namin… Bibili ako ng love birds by December… 
Malamang gagayahin ng Mynah yung mga huni ng lovebirds.
Hehehe… Tama… Pero yung naiwang mynah ay mas tahimik eh, or baka lang nalungkot kasi wala nang kasama…
wow andami mo na talagang natututunan mula sa seminar mo mark… gusto ko ung unang picture ang ganda ganda…
Hahaha… Salamat Alvin… By the way, isa ako sa mga facilitators ng photography workshop na yun…
natawa ako kay Alvin. si Kuya Mark yung nagtuturo sa seminar!
wow! lagi akong may natutunan sa photography dito. mark, pwede na bang magkaroon kami ng certificate of photography blog visit pagkatapos ng taon? hehe.
Pwede rin Fr. Fiel, basta ba magpapakita ng output na related sa mga entries ko na related sa photography…
I could give more than a certificate… 
Ako rin mark.mag i enrol narin ng online photography dito sa blog mo.hehe
Hehehe… Pwede mo nang simulan Bro Eli…
Kumbaga consider this is as your Plate #1… 
hehehehe may requirement pala agad…
Oo naman…
Hehehe… Para may patunay… 
wahhh nice photos ah
garabe parang di ko magagawa yan gamit ang 2mpixel kong mp5 hahaha
at syempre ang exrra ordinary skills mo!
pinakapeborit ko yung bawang.
Thanks Jason… Yung iba siguro na merong blurring, di mo pwedeng gawin, pero ang composition na ito ay madali lang… Subukan mo ang you’ll be amazed of the creativity that you can do with patterns… Yung header mo ngayon is basically breaking the pattern…
pattern is one of the most interesting photography subjects. really like the straws and the grass
I agree totomai, and thanks! I treasure your compliments, because you are a far better photographer than me
kua nice pix. aun pala ang tawag don hehehe. natuwa naman ako. hehehe. may bago na namn akong natutunan. nice!!! have a nice day kua.
Welcome MB… O sige, maghanap ka na ng patterns…
Nice, nice, nice pics! How I wish mas marami pa akong time to take pictures para naman makapaghanap din ng mga patterns
Kinunan ko rin once ang mga straw kaya may kuha rin ako ng katulad niyan. It’s just in my folders, hindi ko pinapansin. But when I saw your shot, saka ko na-appreciate yung shot ko lolz!
No need for the apologies, Kapatid. We all get our hands full sometimes.
God bless!
Salamat Miss N… Busy mo naman parati, but don’t worry, patterns exist everywhere, maski sa kusina…
All we need to do is to really “see” them…
Meron pa namang ibang visual elements eh… I’ll be treating them in future posts…
Pakishare naman nung straw shot mo Miss N…
gosh, what can i say? i am out of words, am awed Mark, at how magnificently you can see the patterns.
Thanks Miss Beth… I took time for me to see them…
weeeeeeee daming comments..
salamat dito sa info ha, may natutuhan ako,
naalala ko yung basic photography namin.
binigyan kami ng mga subjects kasama na nag dun yung pattern
pero hindi ko naman masyado maintindihan, nung nagtanong ako sa classmate ko basta daw yung mga bagay na mukhang pare-pareho o madami..
ayun kung anu-ano na lang pinagkukuhaan ko,
pero tanong ko lang,
sa advertisement o print ad, saan ba kadalasang ginagamit ang pattern style?
Hehehe… Di mo ba napansin na kalahati ng comments ay akin? Haha!
Sa tanong mo, depende yan… Kasi print ads and advertisements need to convey an idea, a message…
And so, kailangang pag-isipan ang buong theme ng picture… Pag may theme na, doon na papasok ang composition and ang elements of design…
The more elements of design that you know, and the more compositional tehcniques that you know, the easier it will be to convey the idea…
At hindi lang patterns ang nasa elements of design and composition… Marami pang iba…
Mag-e-enroll ka na ba dito sa online workshop ko?
Hehehe!
Coool naman… Ang cute…
Ma try n=ga!
Thanks… Sure, subukan mo… Enjoy shooting!
Hindi ko talaga napansin na pattern shots ‘to. In the first place hindi ko alam kung ano ang pattern shot. dito ko lang nalaman. thanks for the photo tutorial @mark. Pag-aralin ko nga kung pano ‘to.
Welcome Red… Patterns are there around us, even in your latest coin art, pattern is a prominent visual element… Enjoy shooting!
impressive shots. i like patterns too in photos. i should start taking pattern shots too.
Thanks Dong… Yep, patterns are a treat… May you find and shoot many patterns!
kuya,
pagaling kakaagad….
Thanks Jeff… Okay na ako…
Bumalik na ang ilong ko mula sa kakatakbo… hehe…
These images of patterns are fantastic. Very inspiring. I think most of us are bloghopping less frequently but focusing more intently when we do.
Thanks TR, your compliments are a treat. Yeah, I have to agree. I still visit your site frequently though I sometimes don’t leave any comments.
ang hirap po nito… ehhe…
i am trying the patterns… pero nag eend sya na shapes… hehehe…
pero tnx po sa mga tips…
Welcome. Good luck sa shots Yhen… Kaya mo yan…
ah ikaw ba ang pacilitator don, kaya pala magaling ka (lulusot pa ako) hehehhee
Hehehe… Parang gusto ko na talaga paniwalaan si Jorge eh…
hehehe sinampulan ko nga ang mga birds doon sa cage ng ganyang pattern..
Hehehe… Good luck Fr. Fiel… Happy shooting!
Nice tips, thanks.
Pwede tayo palit ng link, mahilig din kasi ako magpektyur.
http://boyboypalaboy.wordpress.com/
kung pwede lang po..pero add na rin kita sa blog roll ko.
Oy, salamat sa pagdaan…
Sure, at salamat sa pag-add mo sakin sa blog roll mo…
Bibisitahin kita dun sa bahay mo…
Wow, ganda! I really like ung pic ng mga bawang…pwede na panglaban sa mga aswang ehehehhe!
Thanks! Oo nga, but that’s typically a Luzon-based belief… Back in Negros, it’s still the stingray’s tail…
Haha. Believe me, kahit tanungin mo pa si Mon, Jason, Alvin, Kulissap at sa mga lagi kong nakakachat.. pag sinabihan na kita ng ‘i hate you’ ibig sabihin non close na tayo.
Yun lang yung pang break ko ng usapan. Hehe. Pero asarin mo lang ako pag sinabihan kita non! Hehe.
Hehehe… gets ko na Ax… I hate you too…
nice visuals
Thank you!
wow galing !
nice shots ..
ang smart. and effective ang teaching style. hehe. i never thought i could see art in a pile of garlic. further, i never expected that a ‘pattern’ of garlic could make me feel like i belong. hehe.
good job. great photos. galing!
Thanks Doj… These are some of the photos I used in the photo workshop we conducted a few weeks ago…
In photography, your eyes has to be always open for the visual elements or elements of design, and pattern is one of them…
YOUR WORK IS EXCELLENT.