Simple Photography Tips for You - how to take photo-art to decorate your kitchen

Five simple photography tips for you on how to make the most of everyday items with your phone camera or camera

• Look for colours that work together

• Make the most of pattern and colour - be brave with bold colours

• Allow one image to complement or contrast with another

• Be inspired by patterns

• Experiment!

Have you ever thought of producing your own photo-art? Here are a few Simple Photography Tips for you.

I was preparing red cabbage the other day, and noticed the beauty and complexity of the slices. I was needing to get it cooked, so didn't have the time to do very much, but did grab some pictures just to illustrate how wonderfully this stuff is created and perhaps provide some inspiration for you, in taking pictures for your kitchen.

There really is such a wealth of photographic opportunities with subjects like this. Just let your mind and your eyes wander, noticing, and focusing on the variations. It reminds me of a photo-course for teenagers. I did years ago, getting them to notice the way things sit differently when you really start focusing your mind.

Looking at the pictures I've taken, what does come to me, is a similarity between the pieces of cabbage and the folds in the rock I photographed as a geology student years ago. It's not uncommon to see a repetition of pattern and form between big and small in nature.

I only took a handful of shots so let's have a look and I'll make some comments.

Image One - sliced red cabbage with knife blade

The first one, with the knife blade, was taken to illustrate the perspective, as a reference rather than as a photo I was expecting to make use of. Had I more time, I could have potentially made something much more exciting, especially with the moisture and patterns on the knife.

Two extras on this image, I think the brown of the chopping board against the cold of the steel adds depth to the image, and is positive. What I don't particularly like, is the extraneous background at the top of the picture, to me it's a distraction.

I considered cropping it out, but decided not to, as I'd not been all that careful with the composition. If you look at the pattern of the leaves, on the top right of the picture, it's the same piece of cabbage as in the next two images, so the three together, could provide a sequence on your wall.

Image Two - sliced red cabbage with wavy leaf patterns and colour.

Moving to the second picture. I love the wavy folding of the leaves, the intensity of the claret and white, and the contrasting texture. I'd happily have this as a print on my wall.

Image Three - sliced red cabbage with wavy leaf patterns and colour, wider angle.

Interestingly enough, there is quite a bit of difference between images two and three. Whilst essentially the same, the third makes more use of the intersecting thirds, and there are more compete pieces of cabbage with the individual textures, but is to my mind not quite zoomed in enough. Both are quite good, but the second to my mind is just a tad better.

Why don't you have a go sometime? It might make your meals late, but the fun of taking some exciting images will make it worth it. And who knows you might just create some wall art.

Image Four - sliced red cabbage with wavy leaf patterns and colour.

Briefly though, Image four has a few other things going for it; the vertical parts to the right stand out because they're on, yes you guessed it, the intersecting thirds! The knife cut adds artistic interest, being straight, and so contrasts with the irregularity of the cabbage. It's also on one of the thirds. And finally the two pieces top left stand out as opposites to each other, one being a cross-cut, the other much more a sharp edged sliver.

Image Five - sliced red cabbage with wavy leaf patterns and colour.

Image five is much more of a mix of different pieces without a particular pattern and I really like the way that the very central piece is really shiny.

These are just a variation on a theme of beautiful light, beautiful colour and amazing patterns. They illustrate wonderfully what amazing pictures can be got from ordinary everyday things, if you learn to look, and more than looking, you learn to see. And more than seeing you have a go at photographing them.