Photography Choices and Reasons

This is the image I have chosen to use for my front cover because I like the way that my model has eye contact but entices the reader due to the fact one eye is still covered. This means that it is made personal because of the eye contact however there is element of mystery – linked to the fact that she is a new artist to the music industry. This image also follows the ideas mentioned in my interview. My model is holding a guitar – showcasing her talent but also her link to music. She is wearing in fashion clothing – similar to the colour of the guitar which in some ways linked to my idea of IndieGO representing the literal colour indigo. The fact that the guitar strap is falling from her shoulder also gives the image a more causal look and reflects the idea that not everything is perfect, not even for those on the cover of a magazine. With this image I also liked the fact that there is context, ie the cushions behind which give a more homely and welcoming vibe to the image which makes it more inviting to the reader. In terms of facial expression and positioning I think that this image is very friendly and open and therefore has a limited chance of pushing the audience away. The fact that my model is smiling helps associate music with happiness and pleasure – to which many musicians would agree is true but it also foreshadows in some way what may be in the article or magazine. The use of space at the top is also enough for a masthead and plug like I planned and the dark colours at the bottom of the page allow for colourful cover lines.

I think the overall feel of this image is one of the best from the ones I took and therefore showcases the brand I want to create for my magazine.

Image 1

I liked this image to use on my cover because it is a silly photo with no eye contact yet has the fun and summer feel. I thought this would be perfect in order to give my model some character and therefore help engage the intended audience in the excitement of the article inside. I think the use of continuity between costume also helps maintain a flow to which I would like to adopt throughout my magazine.

The fact that Libby is wearing sunglasses with no eye contact makes it somewhat more mysterious than the one eye showing in the main cover photo. I think this also associates her within the music business and the arrogance and irrelevance of wearing sunglasses inside often associated with indie or soft rock.

This photo is slightly different in the sense that the lighting is more natural and the model is shown wearing limited make up giving the audience of young women the idea of fame not changing this person. The use of full eye contact shows that she is open with the audience likewise with the positioning of her hands on her head implying she is an open person. This could also be considered foreshadowing as to the content of the article by which she will open up to the reader.

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Image 2

This photo is one that I liked for my contents page because although it is clear that this is Liberty who is part of the feature article, the image has no eye contact and therefore empahsises the musical instrument. That fact that it is emphasises further represents the overall purpose of my magazine which is to showcase indie music and help objectify anyone within the indie music genre. I think the lack of eye contact makes it impersonal and therefore engages no direct response from the reader – the main purpose for being for the aesthetics of the page. I also liked the idea of ideas and associations of ‘indie’ in terms of fashion are also replicated in this image through the chosen costume and accessories eg the headband. The use of these specific types of clothing helps represent the younger audience my magazine is aimed at, so in some ways it subtly reaches my audience.

Image 4

This is an image I would like to include as part of the article listing/reference on the contents because it would look good at the bottom of the page because it is quite symmetrical. I think this image would act best at the corner of a page accompanied by some text in either the bottom or top corners to help include a purpose other than for just simply aesthetics. I think that again the use of a prop in this image helps tie in different elements of connotations. I think that by having an original Polaroid camera it is something that as a younger generation we no longer have accessible in that style which makes them individual within the generation which helps represent the individuality of Liberty as an artist.

This image would also be good for either my contents page or my double page spread to use as almost a profile for a fact file which I would like to create about my artist. The fact that in this image my model is laughing gives the impression that not only is she a fun character but she is also able to have a laugh despite the fact that she is in the stage of new found fame. This helps to engage the audience by showing that my artist is just like my intended audience and enjoys exactly the same hobbies as them. This then helps to link to the age of my artist in consideration of the audience.

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Image 5

I liked this image specifically for my dps because the fact that it is quirky due to the facial expression helps to entice my audience by giving some hints as to the personality of the person. The fact that this image has my model with sunglasses on helps to increase the mystery which within the music industry sells because it gives the reader the idea that something is revealed and like with my article planning., this is exactly what my Liberty article is about. I think also by having the guitar in the background it showcases the talents associated with this particular musician while having my model in a more fun and naturally chilled environment, more so than that of posed pictures. I think that by having the pose as, in this picture it gives character and also further quirkiness. I also liked this image because it gives for text above the image which means that I am able to stick to my plan of having a title above on the dps.

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How did the photo shoot go overall?What was good?I think that the photo shoot was generally good because I have known the model and therefore I felt comfortable asking for certain shots and mentioning different ideas. If I’d have used people available at college during the time that I needed my photos I think I would have found it much harder to achieve images anything like what I had planned out for my magazine or that I have now. I think that by having this relationship with my model it allowed for me to get what I want within the constraints. I also think that the fact that my shoot was done in a home made studio which meant that we could spend as long as we wanted taking photos meant that I could mess around with a variety of settings on my camera and take as many photos as required until I found one photo that suited the briefs I set myself.

What was bad?The main problem with the images was the fact that unlike the studio shoots taken by other class members my background was not as white however knowing that I would be working with programmes such as Photoshop helped me consider how to over come this issue. Another slight problem was the fact that the majority of the light in the shots was artificial which meant that although it can be controlled to some degree – the photo quality would be different for each setting which at time made actually finding a setting on the camera to work best in the situation was a little difficult – particularly when I am not used to using the technology regularly.

What could be improved?I think that overall the background of the image could be improved and some images couldn’t be used because I had used the wrong effect on the image for the lighting available and so the quantity of good pictures was low considering the amount of images I took.

If you could do it again what would you do differently and why? If I could do it again I would like to take some photos in the studio but I would also like to incorporate some location shots into my magazine to give more texture to the page because all the images have the white background which can become a bit repetitive. I think that I could have used a location shot for my dps which would have given more feeling to the page and helped include the idea of indie that little bit more by making it more individual from other magazines,

How will you edit the images?

What programme will you use?To edit all of my photos I will be using Adobe Photoshop which is a programme that I have only briefly used through subjects from school and so getting used to the format will be difficult. Therefore I expect that in the process of editing my photos I will have to set aside a bit more time to help cover any issues that I may encounter.

What do you have in mind? Image 1: I think that for image one the majority of the image will be left. I may do some face enhancing to give her more highlighted cheek bones or darker coloured lips, possibly enhance the colour of her hair to match the title of my magazine.Image 2: For this image I think that I will add contrast in order to make the colours on her jumper to stand out more, in order to stick to the colour scheme decided in my style sheet. Image 3: For image 3, also being used on the cover I will most probably make it black and white or darken the colours so that the two images linking to the article are completely opposite. This could help portray the contrast between the music and my musician as a person. Image 4: This image again will have minimum changes and will undergo some edits in terms of position and size. This image will be cropped to suit the layout of the page it is going on. Image 5: This again should be darkened to make it slightly more intriguing – this is because it already has a darkened look which I think works well for my magazine image.Image 6: For this image I would like to have some sort of colour override in order to make it as if the reader is looking through coloured film.Image 7: This image is already edited and all I did was make it slightly sharper and darker – so that the colours match my colour scheme.