Importance of Lighting in Photography

Exploring with the manual settings on my camera I have seen for myself what a difference the amount of light you allow to reach your picture can make.  I have also noticed that the camera's automatic exposure setting is not necessarily the best option to use to take creative shots.

Not only does the amount of lighting you allow according to the apperture setting you use influence your depth of field, but it also effects how much of the actual colour of your subject you will capture.  It could also create a mood in your picture.

I came across this interesting webpage by National Geographics which provides good lighting tips:  http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photo-tips/light-tips-simply-beautiful-photos/

Two weekends ago we visited the Waterfront in Cape Town and we went on the 'big wheel'.  Here are a few pictures I took using the manual settings:

Manual Focus vs Auto Focus

I personally very seldom make use of my camera's manual focus setting, simply because I find it terribly time-consuming to get it to focus perfectly.  In the past when trying using the Manual Focus setting I used to get so frustrated when I couldn't get it to focus, that instead of keeping on trying, I just switched over to Auto Focus anyway.

On the other hand there were those situations where the camera simply refused to focus when set on Auto Focus.  This usually happens where the lighting is a bit tricky or when the subject is moving.  Usually when the camera would not focus when set to Auto Focus, I simply gave up on the shot and snapped something else.

Until recently I never even considered just switching over to Manual Focus to try and take the picture.  About two weeks ago I started focusing more on Manual Mode, setting the aperture, shutter speed and ISO manually and realized that very often I get more desired results than when using the Auto settings.  I must admit, at the best of times, I still prefer using Auto Focus though, however, I firmly believe there are times that you simply cannot get the same result using Auto Focus as you would when using Manual Focus.

I came across this webpage when doing some research online on the subject:  http://digital-photography-school.com/5-situations-when-manual-focus-is-better-than-auto-focus

Using Juxtaposition in Landscape Photography

What does juxtaposition mean?  In short, it is placing two objects together to either create comparison or contrast.  Using it correctly it can draw a person's attention to your photographs for example in landscape photography you could perhaps have a half-demolished building in the foreground and a newly built skyscraper in the background.

In landscape photography it could also help with adding depth of field to your photograph.  By placing an object in the foreground i.e. a man sitting on the rock on the beach with a beautiful mountain range in the background.

You could also compare people, young and old, parent and child, etc.  You could use it for comparison by taking a picture of twin babies playing or an elderly couple sitting on a bench in the park, etc.

Here is an example of a picture I took using contrast:

I searched online for more information using juxtaposition correctly and came across this website:  http://www.archimediastudios.com/corporate/2011/08/photographic-juxtaposition/