Beyond basic autofocus, several techniques give creative control autofocus alone can't achieve.
Hyperfocal distance is the focus point that maximizes your zone of acceptable sharpness — critical for landscapes where you want a close foreground and a distant horizon both in focus. Calculate it for your specific lens/aperture/camera (CAPTD's Hyperfocal Distance Calculator does this instantly) rather than guessing.
Focus stacking — for scenes where even hyperfocal distance can't achieve enough depth (macro especially) — takes multiple shots at different focus points, blended in software so each part of the final image uses its sharpest frame. Trades a static-scene requirement for depth of field otherwise physically impossible.
Panning means deliberately moving your camera to track a moving subject at a slower shutter speed (1/30-1/125), keeping the subject sharp while the background streaks into motion — a matter of matching your camera's movement to the subject's actual speed.
Long exposure beyond landscapes: light painting, crowd removal from busy scenes (a long enough exposure renders moving people as blur or invisible), and intentional urban motion blur are all worth exploring beyond the classic silky-water use case.