Substanz

You have likely heard of the Rule of Thirds, in fact it seems as if this is the only rule of composition. To be fair though, the Rule of Thirds is a good go totool when you are unsure of how to put a scene together compositionally. There are many other techniques that can be used to improve your composition. Techniques like balance, leading lines, symmetry, depth of field, and so on, can all make a big difference to your image.

In many ways a photograph is very similar to a painting. Photographers learned early on that composition is a key component to engage people in an image. Composition literally means to put together, so when you think about composing an image, you need to think about the visual elements that you willput together in your image.

As a photographer, you need to decide when to use certain techniques, and when not to use them. Most compositional techniques are simply guidelines, or frameworks, there are very few hard and fast rules.  What they do offer is a starting point for putting an image together. Perhaps you may look at a scene and not know how to capture it. That is a good time to put some of the techniques into action and work the scene from there.

They have been tried and tested by visual artists (painters, photographers and moviemakers) around the world for decades. The only constraint is don’t be dogmatic about applying them. Once you understand how to use the rules, you will then know how to break, and break out of them. By doing this, you will take your photographic creativity to a new level and your images will become that much better.

As always, with anything photographic, you need to experiment and practice. Know your equipment, experiment by shooting different scenes under different lighting conditions. Find what works for you and hone that skill. The art of composition is not a particularly technical art, but it can make an amazing difference to your images.

The great thing about composition is that you don’t need specialist equipment. The most important pieces of equipment are your camera and your tripod. I know, I know, we all sigh when we hear about the tripod. Once you see how much easier your photographic life becomes with a tripod, you will not be so reluctant to carry it around.

There are also  better options for tripods nowadays (think Gorillapod and other travel-style ones). Remember though, a tripod is a key piece of equipment for successful composition. A tripod will help you to compose your image and keep that composition.

Whenever possible, use a tripod to set up your shots, that way you can be sure that there is no movement when you photograph.

A lot of the time, you will be shooting images handheld. That is perfectly fine, and you can apply the compositional techniques to handheld shots. Sometimes you may need to take more than one image and adjust your composition to correct or change it.

Here are eight additional composition tips to help improve your images.

1. Balance

Often when you place an image on one of the thirds, the rest of the frame may be left without much in the way of anything of interest. This is often referred to as negative space, not because it is bad, it is simply to point out that it is not the centre of interest. In some images, negative space can work well, but in other images theremay need to be another object in the frame, or even a colour to balance the centre of interest. Photographers use this compositional tool to do exactly that, balance the centre of interest with another object.

2. Leading Lines

We look at an image in the same way that we read a page of words. In the western world that means we look at an image from left to right. Our eyes are naturally drawn into the image by lines. If you have a road or a river winding through your image, the viewers eye will automatically run along those lines. If your centre of interest is at the end of that river or road, that is a good way to compose the image. Sometimes it is enough to have the river or road meandering through the image as it makes the image interesting to look at.

The lines pull us into, and through the scene. The lines can be straight, diagonal, curving, zigzag, S – Shape and many other types. The important thing is to create as dynamic an entry point to an image if possible.

3. Symmetry and Patterns

We live in a world that is defined by symmetry and patterns. They are all around us in so many ways. There are natural patterns that are captivating to photograph and there are man-made objects that accentuate balance.

It is very gratifying to photograph a perfectly uniform scene. The symmetry brings order to the scene and gives a sense of peace and harmony to your image. Sometimes it is good to break the symmetry, show it in a different way, and by doing so create a sense of tension.

4. Viewpoint

Changing your viewpoint when shooting a subject makes a huge difference to the visual impact. It is natural to shoot everything from your eye level. By doing that you tend to create images that have been seen before.

By changing your viewpoint, you immediately give a different perspective on very familiar subjects. If you are taking photos of small children or pets and animals, try and get down to their eye level.

This is a view that most adults won’t see very often and will make a big difference in the impact of your image. To change your viewpoint, try a few of these tips:

• Stand on a chair or ladder to get up higher than your subject
• Kneel or lie down to get underneath a subject, i.e. for shooting a field of flowers
• Photograph the subject directly from the top
• Shoot from a diagonal angle to emphasize shape or texture

The important thing here is to make sure that you change YOUR viewpoint and by doing that, you will breathe new life into a well known subject.

5. Background

A distracting background can completely ruin an image. The human eye will naturally settle on the area of an image that is: the brightest, most colorful, sharpest and has the most contrast. Be aware of what is behind your centre of interest. If there is a pole, a distracting pattern, an awkward colour or some other object, you may need to reconsider your shooting angle.

This is not always possible, but sometimes, taking two or three steps to the left or right can make all the difference. Look around for an unobtrusive background, or change your aperture settings to achieve a shallow depth of field and by doing so, soften the background.

6. Depth

Photography is a two-dimensional art form. As a result, you use certain techniques to imply three-dimensionality. One way to do this is to have subject matter in the foreground, middle and background.

This creates depth, and the eye will naturally walk through the image. This implies a deep depth of field from a technical point of view, so ensure that you use a smaller aperture (i.e. f/8, f/11 or f/16) making everything in the scene in focus.

This technique is particularly important when photographing landscape images.

7. Framing

The world is full of natural objects that can be used to frame a subject (e.g., archways, tree lined streets, holes, and so on create natural frames).

By placing your subject in the middle of these natural frames you will create a strong visual pull towards your centre of interest.

8. Get in Tight

It is often tempting to put more detail into a frame to show more about what was happening, but this can lead to confusion. The important maxim to remember is this: less is more. The art of simplifying an image is not easy, but if done correctly can make an image far more dramatic. When you find that your composition has more than one centre of interest, or seems confusing, try these steps:

• Get in as close as you can to your subject
• Simplify the composition
• Be sure to avoid any distracting colours or objects in the background
• Use a shallow depth of field

Finally

Composition and the rules around it are flexible. There really is no right or wrong way to compose an image, but there are better ways to do so. Some composition techniques can make a huge difference to an image and take it from being a snapshot to becoming a truly great photo.

The important thing is to experiment with these techniques. Combine them wherever possible. Try them out as often as you can on different subject matter, and know when NOT to use them. The important part is to make sure that you master them. Use them when you need to. Find out what works for you and go from there. By doing this, not only will your images improve, so will your ability to see an image in a scene.

This is the most important part of photography and very often what separates an average photographer from a great photographer. The ability to see an image in a scene makes all the difference and these compositional techniques help you to do that.

As summer starts to wind down, many people plan for one last road trip with friends and family. Keeping your food fresh on long trips can be tough and messy. Here's how you can prevent food from going bad while you're on the road.

Now the solutions offered here are certainly not as high-tech as others in our travel series -- shout-out to Lexy Savvides for her in-depth articles on interactive maps, getting deals, and public Wi-Fi best practices-- but everything below is useful and can be easily implemented.

Pick the right cooler

Coolers come in many shapes, sizes, and price points, and while we don't yet have access to the coolestcooler, the ones available to us now can still get the job done. At the very least, your cooler should have a bottom drain to release water from the melted ice. Any midsize cooler with hinges on the top needs a strong latch to keep the lid sealed tightly to the body. The best coolers also have a lid gasket to create an airtight seal that traps cold air inside.

If possible use two coolers on long road trips. One for cold drinks and beverages that will be open more often and another for foods used less frequently. Open the food cooler as little as needed and keep it in a dark area like a trunk when not in use. Covering coolers with an old sleeping bag is another way to insulate it inside a trunk while you're on the road or at a campsite.

Make you own ice packs

Crushed ice cools food and drinks faster but ice blocks last longer and are better suited to keeping coolers cold. Making your own ice containers for the cooler is a great way to keep food cold without spending too much on crushed ice.

One solution: Pre-freeze drinking water in clean milk jugs or two-liter pop bottles. Those should produce large enough pieces of ice more appropriate for food. An added bonus: once the frozen containers melt, you'll have clean drinking water available for the ride back home.

Buy fresh food

To get the most out of your fruit and vegetables, ensure they are as fresh as possible. I recommend -- if you can time it this way -- buying fresh fruit and vegetables from your local farmers' market on the day you leave town. Fresh food from a farmers' market can last up to twice as long as food purchased from a supermarket.

Avoid washing produce if you plan to store them in vegetable storage bags. These bags won't extend the life of produce outside a refrigerator unless it's dry when packed. Dampness, humidity, or condensation inside the bag will lead to rot.

Pack logically

Full coolers stay colder longer, and food should be properly packed to ensure the lid does not stay open for extended periods of time. Store foods that will be consumed last on the bottom and often-used food on top of the cooler. Cold air travels down so ice should always be on top with pre-chilled cans and bottles on the bottom.

Perishable foods like meat and dairy should be stored on top of ice. To keep food dry, separate it into sealed plastic containers or zip-lock bags. If there is room left, use small, frozen water bottles to fill in open spaces and keep food cold.

Keep it cool

These tips should help you get more out of your next weekend getaway. Come back tomorrow for a few tips that'll keep your car cool on hot days

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Whether a swarm of spammers is attacking your Skype, or you just decide that you're tired of your current username, you may want to export your contact list and move it to another account. Ghacks.net recently shared a post about an application that can show you all contact information in an organized window, but this example will use Skype's default tools. Skipping on the third-party application means the data will be a bit messier to look at, but you can still get the job done with relatively little effort.

Here's how to export your Skype contact list:

Step 1: Click the Contact menu in your Skype window and select Advanced > Back up Contacts to file.

Step 2: When the window appears for saving the file, you can either keep the *.vcf file extension if you're going to import to another Skype account, or you can change the extension to *.txt.

Note: You can also assign *.vcfs to open with Notepad, too.

You should see all of your contacts, their usernames, and any other information they have made available on their Skype profile.

Additionally, all accounts you've blocked in the past will also be included in the file.

Step 3 (Optional) : Delete any entries in the file you do not want to import to your new account. Then head to the Contacts menu > Advanced > Restore contacts from file.

Contacts will be sent a request for you to add them to your new list. If you don't hear back from them, you can right-click their username in the list and resend the invitation, along with a personalized message.

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Apple announced the eighth major release of its iOS mobile operating system at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

The latest version of iOS include improvements to the Siri voice assistant, a new health and wellness app, and revamped notifications, among other things.

With iOS 8 slated to arrive on devices in the coming weeks, now is the perfect time to ensure that your iPhone or iPad is prepared to receive the update. These tips will help make the transition to iOS 8 fromiOS 7 as smooth as possible.

Check compatibility

If you've been holding on to the original iPad or iPhone 4, it may be time to update to a newer device. Not every one of Apple's devices is capable of being updated to iOS 8. The company has said the following devices will be receiving the update: iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPad 2, third- and fourth-generation iPad, iPad Air, fifth-generation iPod Touch, iPad Mini, and iPad Mini with Retina display.

Free up some space

The over-the-air iOS 7 update package was about 700MB depending on your device, however users were required to have at least 3GB of free space on their devices in order to actually install the update. You can expect iOS 8 to have similar storage requirements, which makes now the perfect time to free up some space on your device.

I recommend deleting unused apps (which can be done with a long press to the icon, then hitting the X which appears when the apps start shaking), and moving photos to iCloud or another cloud service such as Dropbox or Google Drive. You can also move photos and videos to your computer to free up space rather than having to delete old memories.

Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer using the USB cord, then, on a Mac or MacBook, use iPhoto to import all or select photos to your computer. From a Windows computer, enter My Computer, select your device under the Portable Devices section, click on the DCIM folder, and simply drag and drop which photos or videos you would like to transfer to your computer.

To see how much storage is remaining on your iOS device, enter Settings, click on General, and select Usage.

Check for updates

Now would also be a good time to install any lingering software updates you have been holding off on. You will need to be on the latest version of iOS to update to iOS 8. To check for updates, enter Settings, click on General, and select Software Update.

You should also install any app updates that are available before updating to iOS 8 to ensure that your apps will work properly after the move.

Back up your device

Although you are unlikely to run into any major problems when updating, it's always a good idea to have a backup of your device. You know what they say, it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

There are two methods for backing up your device. The first is with iTunes, which will store a backup file on your computer. For this method, you should have the latest version of iTunes installed. Start by connecting your iPhone or iPad to the computer with the USB cable. Then, select your device and click on the Summary tab in the top menu. Make sure that your computer is selected, and then click on the "Back Up Now" button on the right-hand side. If you rather back up your data to Apple's cloud service, select the iCloud option located above the computer option.

Data can also be backed up directly from your device to iCloud. Make sure Wi-Fi is enabled, then enter Settings, select iCloud, and click on Storage & Backup. From here you can choose which files and settings you would like to store on the cloud. Once you have made your selections, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "Back Up Now" option.

A word to the wise

As we have seen in the past, sometimes these big updates can cause problems for older devices. Owners of the iPhone 4 complained of poor battery life and performance issues after updating to iOS 7. We all like new things, but it may actually be better to hold off on updating for a week or two if you own an iPhone 4S or an iPad 2. This should help you avoid some of the problems that can arise when updating your device.

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Thanks to more efficient chips and improvements to software, the battery life on Apple's computers continue to improve with each new model year. The company also includes various energy saving settings in its OS X operating system. These can be tweaked by going to the System Preferences and clicking on Energy Saver, but there is also more that you can do. These tips will help you squeeze the most juice out of the battery on your MacBook Pro or MacBook Air.

Show battery percentage

A feature that you should enable (if it isn't already) is the battery percentage indicator. While this won't actually increase your battery life, it will make it easier to monitor it.

To enable the percentage indicator, click on the battery icon at the top right-hand corner of the menu bar and select the "Show percentage" option.

Check battery condition

The next thing you will want to do is check the condition of your battery. To do this, hold the option key on the keyboard and click on the battery icon at the top of the menu bar. A "Normal" battery rating is what you will hopefully see and not a "Replace soon" warning. You have three options to fix the latter: buying a new computer, contacting Apple about fixing your existing one, or replacing the battery at your own risk.

It should be noted that older MacBook models included a removable battery, which made it simple to replace. This is no longer the case, however, for newer models. While it still possible to replace the battery, the process requires opening the MacBook.

Install software updates

As I mentioned, having the latest software installed on your computer will help you get the best possible battery life. To check to see if an update is available for your computer, click on the Apple logo in the menu bar and select the "Software Update" option, or open the App Store and click on the "Updates" tab.

Dim the display

Just like on a mobile device, the display on your computer uses a ton of energy. When you disconnect the power cord, it's best to dim the brightness down below half or to a suitable level for your eyes. To do this, press the F1 button on the keyboard, or use the F1 and FN button if that doesn't work. It's also best to disable the MacBook's auto brightness feature. To do this, go to the System Preferences, select display, and uncheck the "Automatically adjust brightness" box.

Disable the backlit keyboard

All of Apple's aluminum MacBooks include a backlit keyboard. This is great for when you are typing in the dark, although it can also drain your battery. The backlight can be disabled by pressing and holding the F5 key, or the FN key and F5 key if it doesn't work. You can use the F6 (or FN+F6) key to turn the keyboard backlight back on.

Turn off Bluetooth

There is a good chance you won't be carrying around a Bluetooth mouse or speaker when you leave your desk. With nothing to connect to, there is no point to have Bluetooth enabled. I recommend disabling the radio to conserve battery.

To turn off Bluetooth, enter the System Preferences, select Bluetooth, and click the off button. Alternatively, you can turn it off by clicking on the Bluetooth icon in the top menu bar.

Disconnect unused dongles

As is the case with Bluetooth, if you aren't actively using a USB-connected device (such as a flash drive), you should unplug it to prevent battery drain. If the power cord isn't connected, charging your smartphone or tablet via the MacBook's USB port will also drain your battery.

Quit applications you are no longer using

It's best to close programs out completely when you are done using them. This can be done by clicking the Command key and Q key at the same time, or clicking on the program in the top menu bar and selecting the "Quit" option.

If a program is frozen, click on the Apple icon in the top menu bar, select Force Quit, and click on the program that won't close.

Last updated Wednesday, August 27, at 8:15 p.m. PT: Added additional information to clear up some confusion with battery condition.

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