Ah yes, the fabric of life.
Form (shape) and contour are related themes and can be a source of fanciful delight when seen within the natural world because we narrow-mindedly associate geometry with man-made objects, yet the way atoms combine gives vent to finding a full spectrum of geometry in the way things grow, from plants to the inanimate world … the growth mineral crystals. It is certainly true that you will not likely see any cubic berries along the trail, or square leaves, but man-made objects with perfect right angles found in the midst of nature is not to be entirely overlooked.
Patterns catch the eye for those primed to appreciate them. Some patterns are more captivating than others but are almost always worth a photographic record. Perspective sometimes comes into play when a pattern is repeated into the distance. An example, to my mind, should I claim to have one, might be seen in a picture that I took of a row of hay bales in a field as they stretched into the background and deviated from a straight line by a gentle curve. Pattern doesn’t need to be regular, although it usually is implied to be repetitious. A pattern may be chaotic, especially in nature, Mother Nature’s graffiti. The projection shadow of leaves onto a pond choked with Duckweed so that the opaque film holds the image of shadow and sunlight.
The chaotic pattern of light and dark on the surface of agitated water is something we have all witnessed and ignored. Put a collection of Whirly-gigs into the water as the source of the disturbance and we have an example of a photo-worthy chaotic pattern.
Some forms can create a diabolical tension either because tension is part of its existence, or because it is something that has been given ominous qualities by our culture, even when there is absolutely nothing foreboding about their creation. The tension of a thick rope knot gripping a branch that hangs from a tree and invites visitors to take a swing; or within the realm of the sinister, a leafless tree stretching into the distance with a dark gray sky as backdrop, as if reaching over the river Styx. Does it give you the creeps?
The unexpected may be worthy of a photograph. I came upon a fallen tree that crossed the trail and looks so out-of-place as to need capturing, if for nothing else than as a reminder. Sometimes you can create the unexpected with a prop, like placing a book on a particularly accommodating bracket fungus as in the Woodland Library.
Textures are everywhere and when the light strikes it at the right shallow angle the resultant shadows will highlight the effect, as in Elephant Bark. In a different way, the fluff of a carpet of seed parachutes has a soft quality that is enhanced by a soft shoe plowing through them.
Woodland Library
