with Lorelle and Brent VanFossen

Tag Archives: patterns

Water Droplets on Sheet Web

Just as there are many types of spiders, there are many types of webs. A favorite of ours is the sheet web. Lying flat across plants and grasses, Brent and I are impressed by these diligent web makers as they work on the horizontal rather than vertical. Our front “yard” filled with knick-knick, Oregon Grape, […]

Flash Isolates Natural Subject

This dried thistle head in the Painted Hills of Oregon caught my attention with its textures and lines. I’ve always loved thistles, alive and vital with their fluffy tops, and dried out cone-like structures of mystery and pattern. To isolate this thistle, I used flash to force the background to go to black. The flash […]

Patterns in Nature: Beetle Camouflage on Tree

We love looking for patterns in nature to photograph and nature provides no end of opportunities. This beetle was almost passed by as it blends so perfectly in with the tree bark. It’s near perfect as camouflage. To photograph patterns in nature, specifically subjects that resemble other more family subjects or those that melt away […]

Patterns in Nature: New Growth on Evergreens

In the spring, while everyone is looking at the spring flowers, I’m looking at trees, running my hands over the feather softy new growth on the tips of the evergreen trees. I love how dark green trees suddenly seem to flower with the light green “blooms” on their tips. Within a few months, this slippery […]

A Reflection of Trees

A select few artists and photographers specialized in working with reflections, images captured in lakes, rivers, ponds, and puddles, then turning them upside for display, making what would normally be seen upside down be right side up, a portrait of abstract Monet-style photography. This particular image I took in spring at the Bellingrath Plantation and […]

The Stack of Old Books

Among the man-made patterns I love to photograph are books, specifically old books. I love the pattern of them stacked, their cover jackets of different colors, patterns, and textures, especially the older books with their leather and paper bindings. I think of the hard work that went into designing the colorful covers, the care taken […]

Rows of Tulips – Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Rows of tulips at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. There were several intriguing things about this composition that compelled me to take it. First, the leading rows moving into the distance towards the cars. Then the cars at the end of the line. It’s like a strange parking lot in the flowers. Second, the building […]

Patterns in Nature: Spiral Kale

We are always on the lookout for fascinating patterns in nature to photograph. This beautiful ornamental kale at the Bellingrath Plantation near Mobile, Alabama, is a wonderful spiral pattern. I positioned the center of the plant in the traditional rule of thirds corner and the whole image popped off the viewfinder in my camera. Photographing […]

Photography Patterns: Putting the Spin on Tulips

I love patterns and shapes, inherent in nature as well as manipulated. A favorite manipulation is to spin the camera at a slow shutter speed when photographing flowers, specifically brightly colored flowers like tulips, creating fascinating whirls of light and color. In this series, I was working with tulips from La Conner, Washington, and the […]

Gallery: Patterns in Nature

Patterns in nature are to be found everywhere you look. Diagonal lines, squares, rectangles, circles, spheres, and spirals of every kind. We teach workshops and classes on photographing patterns in nature, and we are fascinated by the amazingly diverse number of patterns, textures, and artistic joys found in nature. Click on image to see large […]