Repetition, repetition, repetition is the CBBH Photo Challenge theme for September!

In everyday life, repetition can often seem tedious.   However, with creative use in photographs, repetition can give an image a real impact.   Evidence of repetition can be found all around us, not only in nature, but more often in man-made objects too.

Take these candles lit as an offering of devotion, for example.  Just an odd one here and there wouldn´t make nearly as much impression as all of them together.   The pattern gives us a sense of order, making it clear to the viewer that the repeated object is the subject of the image. 

The viewer is led through the image and can be forgiven for thinking that there are more candles than there actually were in reality.   This impression is achieved by filling the frame with the repetitive pattern and letting some of the candles “fall out of” the bottom and top of the image.

I found a similar effect in these simple wooden crosses, with their Poppies of Remembrance attached to them, in The English Cemetery in Málaga (Cementerio Inglés de Málaga) during early December, last year.   This time the repetition is more subtle as, even though the crosses in the top left of the frame are slightly out of focus and in deeper shadow, the effect of repetition is still apparent.

The repetitive lines of illuminated lights on the Big Wheel at Málaga Feria not only draw our eyes towards the centre of the wheel, but also express the action of movement within some of the blurred lines.

By contrast, in the photograph below there are many repetitive features leading the eye into the distance.  This architectural sunshade can be found on the waterfront in the city of Málaga, adjacent to the Port.  Not only are there the horizontal struts of the sunshade itself, but also the repetition of their shadows on the tiled floor; the concrete stanchions supporting the glass panels near to the water´s edge and the line of palm trees heading off into the distance.

My final image in the CBBH Photo Challenge for this month, returns you once again to the Noche del Vino (Night of Wine) held recently in the white, mountain village of Cómpeta.  As you can see, my visit was during the daytime, but the rows of chairs are already in place in the main square for the evening entertainment.

I love the contrast of the rows of stark wooden chairs set against the startling white of the buildings and the impossibly blue sky.

This month´s Featured Blogs:

The Wanderlust Gene is written by a well travelled Australian who has been visiting and living on the island of Sri Lanka for the past twenty years.  She was born with an “itch to wander” and offers stories of the adventurous and pioneering women whose genes she´s inherited;  of travel adventures when the world was safer than it is today;  of moments of epiphany, and utter despair;  of beautiful things created by human hands, of awesome nature, and living things like elephants, and trees, and flowers;  and of farms, farmers and fishermen.

One of her most recent posts is a delightful tale of the Kite Season in Sri Lanka.  During “the inter-monsoon period when the winds high up in the troposphere are streaming across our island in a dependable, easterly flow – the time when little boys tear down dusty lanes outside their houses to launch their latest creation, and the sky comes alive with diving and dipping kites of all shapes and sizes.”

One visit and you´ll be hooked.  Just as I was.

Dan Bohmer describes himself as “just another Soldier far away from home”,  deployed in Afghanistan where the time (difference to his home) is Nine & a Half Hours Ahead.

He prefers to use this blog as an outlet to share his pictures rather than his thoughts and, despite the desolate landscape and the razor wire, gives us an insight into subjects  we would normally never have access to.  We see photos of off-duty Afghan soldiers  (who love having their pictures taken) wearing baseball caps and proudly posing in their Commander´s sunflower garden.

Dan´s  blog also serves as a timely reminder for us to show our gratitude for the devotion of those posted far away from their own families as they continue to defend our home lands – wherever they may be.   Stay safe Dan and keep posting your great photos!

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for September, folks!

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the month,  link back to this blog and, most importantly,  don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look.  Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month´s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite!  I´m looking forward to seeing your interpretations.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]