I knew this would be a great subject for a photo - the intense orange of the leaves contrasted with the cool blue of the building behind it. Unfortunately I could not get my composition as well as I wanted to, due to distracting surroundings. However this photo still shows how incredible a beam of light can be on the right subject.

Another example:

A polarising filter helps reduce reflections on reflective surfaces, such as water or leaves. When you are out on a trip to photograph fall colours, it is paramount that you take your polarising filter with. Look at the difference between the photo Karin took, and what I captured. The cameras used are not important - both are impressive cameras and indistinguishable at web resolutions. Focus on the colours and "pop" in the image below.

This image from Karin's camera without polarising filter:

It is said by so many distinguished photographers, most probably THE most important ingredient in a successful photograph is light. Without light there can be no photograph. It is therefore inevitable that light will always play a central role in any photograph. For me personally, light is rarely the focus of the photo, but it certainly is the major factor in determining whether a photo is awesome or just good.

Here is an example. I must confess, it is not the best photograph under the sun. Partly because I have not been in the right state of mind for taking good photographs the past 5 months, and party because I was a bit too late for the fall colours this year. Nevertheless, the photo below is not horrible either, and was taken at Stanley Park in Vancouver.

The first photo illustrates the composition, subject matter, and focal points. As I said, not the best photo in the world. While this image contains most aspects of what I wanted to capture at the time, it lacks one significant aspect - light. The lighting is very flat. It was cloudy and when the sun was hidden, everything was very dull.

It might seem simple to many people. but for someone coming from Centurion we do not have the luxury of wild animals running around the neighbourhood. This little squirrel was sitting not 10 meters from my desk, next to my balcony. It was picking fruits from a tree to prepare for the cold winter.

Not a lot, but it started snowing in Surrey just now. Some large flakes mixed with rain. Very weird... But very cool. :)