Lighting

Direction of light
Photography is all about light; how much, what colour and what direction. The direction of light can make a BIG difference to your image.

Top Lighting comes from above the subject, such as the midday sunlight. It will often cause flat images with little depth especially in scenic/landscape photographs. It will also present problems for portraits as having the sun pointing straight into someone's face will cause them to squint.

Side Lighting will emphasise texture by causing shadows across the subject. Side lighting is good for landscapes and architecture. However, using it for portraits will emphasise or exaggerate any skin flaws.

Back Lighting comes from directly behind the subject and will often cause silhouettes, which can be used to great effect by changing the subject into a two dimensional shape. The challenge for backlighting is getting correct exposure and often using the camera's spot meter (if it has one) to isolate the detail you want recorded.

Remember the Egg - Youtube tutorial