Contrast

contrasty morning light on a city lawn ©johncameron.ca

The contrasty morning light set this decoration apart from the surrounding lawn and garden.

When you encounter such a difference in light between the highlights and shadows, it’s often best to expose for the main subject’s highlights and let the shadows be underexposed. In this image, the flower and cart become the hero and the lawn and background fade to black.

And it doesn’t hurt to have the two main colours directly across the colour wheel from each other (magenta and green).