Lighting for my images

The lighting I will be using for my magazine photoshoot will be high key. As the images will be taken in a studio having high key lighting with two lights on the background and a soft box facing the model will produce an image with a seamless white background. I have made a lighting diagram on lightingdiagrams.com on how the lighting will be set up for my photoshoot.

Having a high key image, taken on a white background enables the background to be removed or edited easily. I have also decided that the lighting for my images should be high key as photos seen on pop magazines such as billboard tend to have bright images with well lit faces so all detail of the model can be seen. In contrast to magazines such as rap where a low key image would typically be used to express the models lifestyle and so on. 

Camera shots and Angles

Preliminary Task Feedback

We had the full class go around and look at each others work before making a comment on their magazine cover. This provided us me with both positive and constructive feedback to help me produce a better product for my actual magazine.

Strengths 

I noticed from the feedback that a lot of people were being positive about my front cover. People thought my biggest strengths were my font, mainly because it fit with the college theme by being bold and what you can imagine being linked with a college. Another strength was that I had a positive image, i wanted my model to look happy and like they were enjoying themselves and i feel like i did this. Having such a positive image meant that it looked inviting to the customer.

There was positive feedback on the colours used throughout my cover, as my magazine was for Sunderland College therefore i did research into what colours are typically used on their website and handouts. Once I found this out I included it into my front cover.

Weaknesses

The constructive feedback i received was very helpful. From the results I collated from my class i saw that most people said my weakness was the size of my font, it needed to be bigger and i agreed when i took another look at my work. 

From the feedback i also noticed that there was a few comments about the page being dull. I think this is because the image i used had quite a dull green/leafy background and a brighter or white background would have been better and brightened the cover.

Finally the comments brought to my attention that I had no essential information on my barcode, this would have improved my front cover as it makes the customers job easier if they are trying to look for something such as the price or date and also the college logo as it will inform the readers that this magazine is made specifically for Sunderland College. 

Overall the feedback i recieved was good and what constructive feedback i recieved will be used to ensure my actual music magazine is at the best quality

High and Low Key Images

Double Page Spread Moodboard

I like  the idea of my double page spread being revolved around a white background, therefore when producing this moodboard I mostly included spreads with a white background. Magazines such as 'Q' have a well set out double page spread and I like the fact that they have an enlarged initial of whoever the article is about. When I did this research when producing the moodboard I noticed that almost every double page spread has an image of whoever the article is about on one side and the article on the other. I think this layout is effective as it looks clear and well set out. A lot of the spreads have pull-out quotes which I feel makes the article look professional.

Contents Page Moodboard

A lot of contents pages have similar layouts, whether it is a music magazine or not. I like the look of a contents page with a bold  masthead/heading with a large image below and and a handful of smaller images to the side with a small explanation of what is on that certain page. The contents page of Billboard is my favourite as it is set out very bright, yet not cluttered or confusing. I think this would be the best layout for my POP magazine as i feel that would be what my target audience would want and find attractive. Alot of the contents pages include pull-out quotes which attracts the reader to the article.  

Moodboard Of Front Covers

I used Google to find some magazine covers that I liked on both music and non-music magazines then made them into a moodboard. I chose these covers as I liked the poses that were used and felt that they would look suitable poses for my model to do that could be used on my front cover. I tried to include as many different poses as I could when piecing this moodboard together as it will give me plenty of ideas for when I take my own images. I want the front cover of my magazine to be similar to the ones above, in the way that they only have a main image and no secondary images are used, which only take the attention away  from the model/main image.

Categorizing Facial Expressions

Categorising Facial Expressions from emily_bunker

Recce

As my images will  most likely be taken in a photography studio, that will be the place I will
be taking my model. When doing my photoshoot I need to make sure I understand what
hazards there are. I have completed this recce form to help me reduce the risk of any
injuries and it will enable me to keep on track with any objects that I need to pay close
attention to.

1) Are there any potential hazards that could pose a health and safety risk where your photo shoot will take place (trailing cables/traffic/other objects )?
Photography studios tend to be quite tidy and have plenty of space, therefore wires are putin a safe place to prevent tripping. Wires from the lighting tend to come down from the ceiling rather than trailing on the floor. Things such as the lights can get extremely hot therefore I need to ensure that when im moving them that I hold the light by the handle where it doesn't get hot. Also when it comes to the lights they are held from the ceiling byan extendable scissor like arm, this means that when your are moving the lights up and down it can be quite easy to jam your fingers, thus I will make sure that my full concentration will be on the piece of equipment to reduce the risk of getting an injury. I need toensure that my model doesn't touch the studio equipment as they aren't as familiar as me withthe equipment therefore I will not let them use any equipment, this will reduce the risk of injury.My shoot should hopefully be happening in a studio, but if for some reason I am unable to itwill be held outside, as it is becoming colder there is more of a risk for it to be icy and this could cause an accident, I will ensure my photoshoot will be re-scheduled until a less icy day.

2) What will you do to ensure these risks are minimized?I will make sure that my model doesn't touch any of the equipment in the photography studioand when we have finished taking the images I will turn the main lights back on to be sure that the model can see where they going, thus the risk of tripping is minimized.

3) Will the time of day/weather affect the outcome of the photos? Have you allowed for this?
No, as my photoshoot will be taken in a studio there will be large studio lights that I will be
using, therefore the lighting and weather outside will not make a difference to my photos. If the
studio is unavailable I will have to choose to take my images outside and if it is too bright and
sunny the images may not be of as good quality if the lense catches the sun. It is also just as
bad if it is a dull/rainy day the model wont really want to be there so that will come across in the
images.

4) Have you considered the background to your photos, particularly if taken outside? How will you ensure you will get the background you want?

When I'm using the studio the background won't be a problem but when as it will be exactlywhat i want it to be, plain white. If the images are being taken outside it is easy to find a brick wall and they can be found out of the way so the model doesn't feel embarrassed doing it in front of people.


5) Have you considered lighting? What about the ‘problems’ of natural lighting, either outside, or streaming through a window? Will you need to use a flash? Have you considered reflective objects that might spoil the effect?

When in the photography studio the lighting shouldn't be a problem, again because the studiohas professional lights that will enable me to have the lighting exactly how I want it as i knowhow to use it. Also in the photography studio there are no windows or anywhere that naturallighting could interfere with the artificial studio lighting. The camera will be linked up to thelights meaning when I press the shutter on the camera it will cause the lights to flash. If mymodel is using any props it is possible that they could reflect with the flash so I shouldmake sure that object isn't facing the light.

6) Do you need permission to take photos in the place/venue you have in mind?

    As the venue where I want to take my image is a college studio it will be in use alot. I need to
    book a slot where no one else will be using the room so my images can be taken.
7) Do you need to book time in a room (eg the photography studio at Shiney)?

I need to book a date and time at Shiney Row College and I would prefer it to be on either aTuesday or Thursday between 12 and 2 because that is the break me and my model both haveon the same day when at Shiney College. Having the studio booked for this time wouldmean that travelling wouldn't be a problem due to us already being there.

8) Are other people/crowds likely to be an issue for you? What have you done to ensure that it will not spoil the effect?

There shouldn't be any problem with people getting in the way or ruining the images when in thephotography studio as it is a room by itself and no one should disturb my session as I will havebooked it for a certain time.

9) Are you reliant on lifts/props/friends’ equipment/models? How have you planned that these things will come together at the appointed time? Plan B?

 I am very reliant on my friends being able to make the photoshoot as they are needed for theimages I will be using for my magazine. My model is in both of my lessons at Shiney Row,therefore she will be arriving and leaving the location at the same time as me, we get there bythe free bus that comes from Bede so it is most likely that she will be there on time.  It's alsoreally important that my model dresses to go with the genre of music I have chosen. MY modelwill be wearing a blag bodycon dress that is my own so it is my own responsibility to rememberit.  My plan B would need to happen if I couldn't use the photography studio for some reasonand this would mean I would need to shoot in other locations, the other location i looked at wasa brick wall. If I can't use the studio I will have to try and take the shots at that location.

10) Finally, have you thought of every eventuality…?

I have took into consideration that my models, or my own bus could be late and we may end up missing our slot in the studio. If this happens it means that I would have to re-book the studioand make a new time with my model. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I am at Shiney Row collegefrom 10am-4:15pm with a break from 12-2pm. This break would be ideal to take the images asI am with my model in that break. Nevertheless if i am unable to book for this time I may be ableto ask my photography lecturer if I could take some of the images in the lesson, as again i am with my model. In case my chosen model is ill that day it should be easy to reschedule. 

Model Confirmation

This is the evidence of the confirmation of my model. I asked a friend to be the model as she is confident in front of the camera and will make my time asking her to do certain poses easier.  I am hoping for the model to wear a tight bodycon dress with well done makeup, this is because the tight knee length dress will show the models curves which I feel would look attractive to the audience. 

Location scouting

A good location for my photoshoot for 'Pulse' magazine is essential as It has such an effect on the image. I want my background to be plain as I want the model to be the focus point. These are the locations I have thought of.

Studio

The most ideal background for my photoshoot would be at a studio with a white background. Having a plain white background and studio lights means that I would be able to control the lighting and edit the colour of the background on Photoshop easily if its needed. Having such a plain background means the model with me the main focus of the magazine and it wont look to busy.

Brick

Another location would be of a brick wall. This location could also work but wouldn't be as suitable. This is because it would be outside and you wont always be sure of the weather and re-scheduling the model, also a brick background looks more suitable  for something like a rap magazine.

Preliminary Task - College Magazine and Contents

Front Cover

I designed my College magazine using Photoshop and a lot of its tools.

Tools

I used a range of tools when making the magazine cover. As I started by placing the image onto the tabloid canvas I thought it would be right to start by editing the image. I used the spot healing tool to correct any imperfections. I also used the dodge tool to brighten a slight shadow on the left side of the models face. Once the image was complete I then added the detail in the top right third and bottom left third, once this was completed I added the text which was the font 'Freshman' and I felt it was a relevant font for a college magazine. I wanted the colour of the text to link with the corner detail so I used the eyedropper tool to ensure the colours were exact matches. 

As I downloaded the 'Freshman' font I was able to use it through photoshop, this also meant I could add a shadow or a backdrop to the text, which I did on the masthead as I wanted the text to be white but it looked too bland and pretty much faded into the background, therefore I added a blue outline/shadow to the text which instantly made the masthead stand out. The blue that was put around the text also linked with the college as it is the colour that is used on the Sunderland College logo.

Conventions

I wanted my magazine cover to appeal to the college users as much as I can, therefore I wanted to ensure all of the features of the cover would look attractive to them. This is why when it came to the main image it was of a fellow student who looked healthy and happy which would look inviting to the target audience, some of the TA may also find the student on the cover attractive which could also make them buy the magazine. 

I added the essential information in the top right third and it included the issue number, date and price. The college website was placed at the top center third above the masthead so it could be easily seen. Ideally the essential information would be placed on the barcode also and it will on my actual magazine.

In addition to this the buzz words such as 'WIN!!' will also help to persuade the audience to buy the magazine as if they do they have the chance to win something. I used a rhetorical question on one of the coverlines 'coursework conundrums?', this helps the reader interact with the magazine and ask themselves the question and if it does refer to them it will persuade them to buy it. 

Reflecting on my work

I enjoyed this task and producing the magazine cover. It enabled me to get more familiar with editing photos and using numerous tools on Photoshop. I enjoyed setting the front cover up and placing the layers in the places I thought they looked best.

Contents page

Again when creating my contents page I used photoshop. It had the widest range of tools to enable me to  come out with the best outcome. 

I wanted the contents page to be set out very clearly but still filled with colour as this would attract to the target audience. I kept the colours the same as what is used on the front cover so it runs as a house style, this will make the magazine look professional and well displayed. The size of the font flows throughout the contents page and i feel this makes the page look more attractive, with exception of the heading and the page numbers as i wanted to make these clear.

Preliminary Task Flat Plans

Front Cover

This is the flat plan for my college magazine which was set for my preliminary task. The colours that are going to be used will be suitable for the college magazine and as the magazine is for Sunderland college the colours the college tend to use will be used on the front cover, as if it is following their house style. The Sunderland College logo will also be used on the top right third.

The image on the cover of the magazine shall be of a fresh faced student, smiling and looking well. The image will be a medium close shot where all facial features plus the body from the waist up can be seen.

Shapes will be pieced together in the colours the college tend to use and will be set as a feature in the top right third and bottom left third. 

'WIN' was used as a buzz word in one of the cover lines, this attracts the reader to buy the magazine.