Look for patterns that fit your trip, your lens, and your story.

Patterns are everywhere.  They are on plants, landscapes, architecture, animals; just about everything.  How you recognize and photograph them is what makes your photo more than a snapshot.  In Tuscany, Italy a villa is perched at the top of a hill.  Using my 500mm lens shooting from a mile away I was able to compress the serpentine driveway that led from the highway to the house into a tight zigzag pattern.

In Beijing, China I was fascinated with the centuries old shingles that brought art and utility together as one.  I used my 75-300mm zoom to take several pictures of the patterns and their irregularities until I found one that left an impression of place and purpose.

Costa Rico, as are all tropical locations, is a feast of photo opportunities for both flora and fauna.  Patterns are everywhere, from every angle.  This fern was taken from above while I was dangling in a tree top tram.  He I was using my 18-85mm zoom lens.