Potential Photographs

These are all of the potential images which I could have used within my magazine:

This first one is a good one in my opinion. The lighting of the image is clear and the subjects are positioned well within the frame. Because it is landscape, and the subjects are in centre frame, this would not be an ideal shot to use for the main cover or the Double-Page Spread; however, I could transform this image and use it within the contents page as a smaller image.

This is one of my favourite images which I have taken. It captures the theme and overall mood of the magazine perfectly, showing what can be a 'casual and laid back' artist who has possibly just finished a world tour, recording session etc. As with the first image, the subject is centred; however, in this case, the orientation is portrait. This would make this image the perfect candidate for a double-page spread image or main cover. Instead, however, I have decided to use this image as a preview on the contents page for an article later on in the magazine.

This is one of my favourite images. While the orientation is horizontal, the subjects of the image are rather small in comparison to the size of the frame, meaning I can stretch the image to suit a portrait page while not causing the subjects to appear too large as a side-effect of doing so. This would be the image I would like to use for my main cover, however there is a major problem with the brightness. The subjects appear very dark in comparison to the sky.

I have used the skills I picked up in the Photoshop Skills Development Tasks (1, 2) to modify the image. In this instance, I used the Magic Wand Tool to highlight everything except the sky and increased the brightness. To still make the image look dark and mysterious, I decided to decrease the brightness on the sky area. In my opinion, this change does not look very fluent and the change in brightness between the two areas of the image do not create a professional look. I may test this image to see what it looks like, but doubt I will use it in my final magazine.

I have used the skills I picked up in the Photoshop Skills Development Tasks (1, 2) to increase the brightness of everything except the sky. I used the Magic Wand Tool to highlight the areas which I did not want to change (e.g. the sky, the sun, the clouds) and pressed CMD+Shift+I to invert my selection, highlighting everything which I did wish to change. I then went into 'Image > Adjustments > Brightness/Contrast' and increased the brightness amount of the selected area. This result was far greater than I expected, and now the whole image is of a relatively equal lighting. While this image does not directly link to the 'dark' type of cover which I had initially thought of, I think this works better to go with the 'casual' and 'relaxed' tone of the article which it represents.

This image incorporates the features which is optimum for an image in a magazine. To start with, it is portrait, meaning I could use the image for a double-page spread. The image is also off-centre, which can occasionally bring a sense of professionalism to a magazine. Having only one subject, I think I may use this for the double-page spread image of my magazine, possibly incorporating a caption underneath.

This image is one of the better ones, yet I think the main subject of the image (the subject furthest on the right) is too 'focused' on the camera, and the image of them should portray a more realistic and natural stance.

In my opinion, this image is better as the subject on the right is mid-run, hence giving a more natural and fluent vibe to the image as a whole. I could use this image as a preview image for other pages in my magazine, placing it on my contents page in a smaller and slightly modified fashion.

This image may have been one I considered for the main cover, had the image not been quite blurry and out-of-focus. The stance of the subject us very casual and confident, much like many of the subjects seen on previously researched covers, meaning that this could have been an optimal image to use for the cover.

Conventions, Producer and Target Audience of my Text

In my magazine, I hope to keep many of the key conventions present in my magazine. As mentioned in my Main Task Proposal Table, I will be including major conventions in my magazine such as: keeping the masthead to the top-left hand side of the main cover, including sell lines (as well as a main sell line) on the main cover to give the reader an incentive to pick up the magazine and purchase it based on the articles inside. As well as this, I will also be including essential information, including a barcode and issue date in the lower-right corner of the main cover. On the contents page, I wish to implement the text 'contents' somewhere on the page (traditionally being placed on the top right, next to the masthead). The list/table of contents is normally placed on the right hand side of the page, and I may differ the position of it within my magazine to cause my magazine to stand out from other ones. For the language used, I hope to include an informal yet equally serious tone to the magazine to ensure the reader feels comfortable in reading the text. For the colour scheme, I hope to implement a red/white/black colour scheme that is present across the various different music magazines that I have researched previously. Finally, I plan to use a simple font style throughout my entire magazine. By using simple fonts such as Times New Roman or Arial, I will be able to produce easy-to-read articles as well as keeping the font style moderately interesting. Times New Roman also produces connotations with a professional-quality magazine, meaning that this font would be a sensible choice. I do not plan to change any of these conventions as I still hope to achieve an effective magazine feel via my magazine.

For the distribution my magazine, I have previously researched the institutions that deal with the publication of various different magazines. Based on this research, I had numerous different options available to me, including IPC Media and Bauer Media (the two largest music magazine publishers, with the former publishing ‘NME’ and the latter publishing ‘Q’ and ‘Kerrang!’). I decided to opt for Bauer Media, as this is the institution who deals with the publication of ‘Q’, a music magazine from which my own takes a good deal of inspiration and conventions from. Judging by the success of ‘Q’ and ‘Kerrang!’, I can assume the company is capable of dealing with publishing more than one music magazine at the same time (as well as doing a good job at it too). The demographic which is usually associated with reading the two magazines published by Bauer Media is not dissimilar to the demographic which I hope to aim for with my own magazine, meaning that by picking Bauer Media to publish my magazine, they are already well experienced with the target audience which I hope to aim for (the 13-34 year old demographic).

Relating to the demographic and target audience, I was able to gather information as to what different people’s preferences were towards different ideas or suggestions after carrying out research on a group of random participants. I stated that my poll was a ‘music’ questionnaire, and the age range of the people who took the questionnaire were between 13 and 34, which then enabled me to see that publishing a music magazine with that age range in mind would do rather well. Based on the audience research, I decided upon not targeting my magazine towards one specific gender, as feedback from my research showed that 55% were male, and 45% were female – indicating that there was not one specific gender that would be interested in reading a music magazine. I also found that people listened to numerous different styles of music, however Rock and Indie/Alternative were the two most popular. This lets me know that by making Rock/Indie/Alternative the primary style of my magazine, I can say that there will be a fair amount of readers who would be willing to read the magazine.

For the platforms on which I would like to make my music publication available, I would be inclined to lean towards making it available on as many platforms as possible. The number of magazines made available in other forms other than physical copies is surprisingly low. Because of this, publishing the magazine in other formats than the one expected will enable the magazine to attract a wider audience, possibly allowing more people to subscribe, which was one of the key things I picked up on when conducting my audience research. Very few people stated that they had subscribed to an existing music publication, meaning that by publishing the magazine in an unorthodox manner, it will show the audience that the magazine is not the same as the other music publications that are present at the current time, giving them an incentive to subscribe to something new or original.

Photoshoot Potential Problems

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)?
The photoshoot is taking place on a large field, so the only health and safety risks which may be present at the time of the photoshoot are pieces of glass/discarded miscellaneous items etc.

2.    What will you do to ensure these risks are minimised?
We will ensure we do not step near any pieces of glass or plastic which may cause physical harm to either ourselves or the photographer. In addition, we will remove any large/obvious hazards from the area of the photoshoot before getting set up (e.g. pieces of metal/glass).

3.    Will the time of day/weather affect the outcome of the photos? Have you allowed for this?
Yes, as the mood I want to capture through the photographs is a bright/strong mood. Because of this, the time of day must be in the morning/day. As for the weather, sun would be optimal, preferably shining onto the subjects to produce better lighting effects (although this can be achieved digitally in Photoshop afterwards). Rain/snow would end up being an inconvenience to the shoot, rather than help emphasise the mood of the photographs.

4.    Have you considered the background to your photos, particularly if taken outside? How will you ensure you will get the background you want?
It is relatively important that no people are included in the background of an image when they are not aware of it, as this may cause an unprofessional feel to the magazine should random people appear in the backgrounds of the images. Because of this, I must first ensure that the surroundings are clear from anything which may detract from the overall effect of the images.

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?
Natural lighting will actually be very effective during this photoshoot, as I can use the sunlight to achieve a bright/strong/powerful feel to the image and give off a clear and high quality image. No flash will need to be used and the lens flare from the sunlight may actually add to the effectiveness of the image, rather than hinder it.

6.    Do you need permission to take photos in the place/venue you have in mind?
No, the field which I wish to take photographs is owned by the local council, meaning taking photographs requires no permission.

7.    Do you need to book time in a room?
I do not need to book or reserve time at a certain location. I can access the location of my shoot at most points within the weekdays, without worrying about time constraints or schedules etc.

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?
Other people or crowds may be a possible issue and may delay shooting for a short while, especially if taken at a time where large crowds may be present. For example, between 3.15pm and 3.30pm - the time when most of the schools finish. This would need to be taken into account before going to take the photographs, and it may be a better option to take the photographs at an earlier time (such as between 10am-2pm) to avoid this problem.

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?
As for being reliant on things, I am not particularly reliant on a lot. I do not need transport to get to the desired location, I have access to the props I need at all times (as well as the camera+equipment etc.). The only potential difficulty would be finding a day which the photographers did not have a problem with taking the pictures. This would be discussed to ensure the photographers were able to take the pictures and any problems were eliminated.

10. Finally, have you thought of every eventuality…?
Every eventuality has been thought of, and I can see no glaring problems which have been overlooked.

Photoshoot Planning

1. What emotional impact do you want your photography do have upon the reader? How?
As for the emotional impact of the images, I wish to create a confident impact with the images present within my magazine. This will need to be apparent especially on the main cover of the magazine, as this will usually be the first image people see when they take a look at my magazine. Because of this, the image itself needs to have a strong impact so that the potential reader is drawn into the magazine. On the cover of magazines, it usually conveys a strong mood such as power or courage, moods that the readers do not typically associate with the artist in question. In this case, the mood I would be aiming for is confident, courageous and victorious. To capture this emotion, I would need to have a bright image with the subject in a confident/courageous stance.

2. What personnel do you need? Who are you going to photograph?

I am planning to use myself and friends in the photographs, with each of us taking it in turns to photograph one another.

3. What props will you need?
Possibly a bottle of alcohol, to demonstrate a 'relaxed' and 'casual' attitude, to link to the similar attitudes of the subjects, which has also been demonstrated in such magazines like NME.

4. How are you going to emphasise colour?

Colour will play an important role in the images, with bright, strong colours being key to achieve the desired theme of the images. Because of this, I will take the images in the day or early morning to give a sense of victory and show that the subjects are stand-outs in the music industry.

5. Have you briefed your personnel/photographer? 
Yes, verbal communication has been had between us and we are all fine with the photoshoot.

6. What lighting will you need? Any other equipment?

I only plan on using natural lighting for the photoshoot and do not plan on bringing in artificial lighting. I may also digitally darken/lighten areas of the image (using Photoshop) to achieve the desired effect that I am aiming for within the image.

7. Where will you shoot? Will you need a backdrop?

I will be shooting the photographs on a large field near to where I live. This will allow me to obtain a number of natural looking shots which links with the idea of the article being that the artist in question is fresh and new, much like the environment which the photographs are taken in. Because of this, there will be no backdrop needed for the photographs.

8. Make-up? Costume?
There will be no make up involved. As for costumes, the only main costumes used will be natural clothing, as found in many magazines. This portrays a relaxed and casual attitude towards the subjects of the article which help to relate them to the reader, and allows the reader to connect to them. The colours will be strong colours such as red and blue, to stand out against the bright background, implying the artists stand out among the competition.