When something is different it draws our attention. If you look at a tray full of green apples with just one red apple in the mix, where are your eyes going to look? If ten lions all look into the same direction and one lion looks elsewhere, which lion are you going to look at? We seem to be attracted to that which is different. However, that is only half the story. The more that which are the same are truly the same, the better that helps to make that which is different stand out. That makes patterns desirable for photographers. Many people think that such patterns are monotonous or boring, and they are right. But the more boring the pattern is the better for us. All we need to do is to introduce anything that is different and it will stand out. Or we just have to wait for anything to break the pattern and we are in business. Here is an example:

All the zebras are grazing except one. All of them have their heads down, except one. The more the other zebras form a boring, monotonous pattern the more our one exception zebra will stand out. But that is what makes the shot. Would you have liked this image of this lone zebra just standing there without the pattern of the other zebras? Have you not seen a million lone zebra images before? What makes this image is not just the lone zebra but the fact that it is different. It is standing out from the others. The boring, monotonous pattern of the others together with the exception is what makes this image. The boring, monotonous pattern is precisely what makes our different zebra different. Without the pattern this is not a good image. Without one being different, we don't have a good image. It takes the combination of the pattern and the breaking of the pattern (that which is different) to make the image.

          So how do we find images like this? Look for boring, monotonous patterns, then find a way to break that pattern. Wait for the exception. Find anything different and you have your image.