Pattern - Claudia Rogge

1. Formal elements 68 69
Pattern
Humans are fascinated by pattern. When
we look at anything, the receptor cells in
the retina react specifically to certain lines,
angles, colour and movement under the
organizing control of the visual cortex in
our brains. The appeal of visual puzzles
and the eye-catching quality of interlocking
patterns demonstrates this. Our brains are
‘programmed’ to compare the elements of
pattern and to look for differences.
Pictures containing patterns must feature
something more than simple repetition. It
can be easily over-done and becomes a
compositional cliché. The challenge for the
photographer is to capture the rhythms and
variations of alternating pattern in an image,
while also saying something about the
subject being photographed. Perversely,
what grabs the viewer’s attention is when
expectations are not confirmed – when the
pattern breaks, for example.
Pattern can even be used to reveal form.
Light coming through repeating structures,
such as fences or windowpanes, creates
fascinating shapes as each repeated block
of the pattern falls onto and wraps around
the solid form. A very fine repeating pattern
will look like a texture, while patterns that
reduce in size appear to recede in space.
The urban landscape is full of geometric,
repeating patterns, while nature offers a
more random arrangement of quite complex
« Texture Pattern Tone »
patterns that can be harder to interpret.
ISO 100214 (above)
Rogge’s human patterns combine repetition with individuality, posing deeper questions
about identity, the crowd and the person.
Photographer: Claudia Rogge.
Technical summary: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, with Bowens flash. Single photos are combined on the
computer to create the final image.