Airbrushing Photos - 31/01/2014

Original Photo

Airbrushed Photo.

I am using this photo for my contents page; like in most magazines, I decided to airbrush the photo on Photoshop. I used to Clone Stamp to get rid of any lines/marks on the face, brightness/contrast to whiten the whites of the eyes, hue and saturation to change the eye colour, surface blue to blur the skin and the eraser to get rid of the prominent features - on the layer I blurred - to keep them prominent and in focus.  I also brightened the background to separate the subject from the background more

Photoshoot 1

I used the photography studio as my location for the photos that may appear on my contents page; I used the backdrop, softbox light on flash and a reflector in order to get the photos that I took.

The models are two of my friends who I debriefed earlier in the week.

This is the risk assessment form that we signed as a group when using the Photography studio.

Here are the photos which I took:

This is the first photo I took - the camera flash wasn't connected to the softbox light so there was no flash when taking the photo.



Conventions, Producer and Target Audience

I plan to use the main conventions when regarding my images and my front cover. The colour palette that I have decided to use will be quite neutral – with a few bright colours – but effective nonetheless. The images would be in colour and I plan to use a main image and a few sub-images on my front cover, as most magazines use one main image with several smaller images. However, I will avoid cluttering my front cover to make it seem more professional looking – I will use coverlines and subheadings also. Certain textual elements will reinforce the genre of the magazine, along with colloquial lexis which will suit my wide audience.  For my Contents page, I will use the masthead of the magazine as the title of the page - seen in Kerrang! which my magazine is based on. I will also use images to represent the main articles - also seen in Kerrang! and also NME. As for my Double Page Spread, I will use pull quotes to indicate important quotes in the article - possibly using the pull quote as my article title. Like most magazines, I will use drop caps at the beginning of my article and anchors on any smaller images that I may use. As Evarose are a quite girly rock band, I will use a colour palette to reflect this.

If my magazine was distributed in the real world, I think the producer would be Bauer Media - Bauer Media produce both Kerrang! Magazine, along with Q – two popular music magazines. I would consider my magazine to a Kerrang! based, magazine, however with both old and new music. Kerrang! Magazine is one of the biggest selling rock magazines worldwide, with their target audience being teenagers and young adults. I have decided that, by combining newer and older music, my target audience will teenagers and above which I believe would create a good selling point -  being aimed at a large audience.  

In my survey, I found that both males and females read music magazines, so my magazine will be aimed at both genders. I will make it appeal to them by featuring both male and female artists in the magazine and on the front cover and making it a neutral-based colour scheme. As for characteristics that the target audience will have, the younger teenage and young adults will likely – as they are interested in music – will most likely socialise with friends over music, going to concerts together. I would make sure that there is coverage on new and unsigned bands, not only would it create awareness for upcoming bands, but younger audiences would be more likely to attend concerts of those bands as tickets would be affordable – usually less than £10. In addition, younger people tend to be more accepting of newer bands. Female audiences would most likely be interested in shopping, so if my magazine was to be distributed to the real world, I feel that it would be worthwhile to add in a page advertising online clothing companies – possibly with discount offers, exclusive to those who purchased the magazine. As males are stereotypically known to enjoy video games, it would be worthwhile – if my magazine was to be distributed to the real world – to add in a section of new video game reviews - again, if possible, having discount codes if the audiences were to buy the game online from a certain company.

Outlets that I believe would be interested in selling my magazine include music stores – such as HMV – and book stores – like WHSmiths who sell a variety of music magazines.  Supermarkets such as ASDA, Morrisons, and Tesco sell music magazines, therefore I believe my magazine would distribute well in those types of shops. As mentioned above, I believe Bauer Media would be interested in distributing my magazine as they distribute other music magazines, however a small percentage cover older music so I feel that my magazine would complement the company. For places such as certain areas of the USA, a digital copy of the magazine would be available to buy online.

Photoshoot Location

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 )? What will you do to ensure these risks are minimised?
When in the photography studio, it is important that whenever flashlights or soft boxes are being used that wires are wrapped around the stand so that cables aren't trailing which could be a trip hazard. In addition, if it isn't possible to wrap the cable around the stand, masking tape can be used to keep the wires down. When doing outdoor shoots, traffic and pedestrians could cause risk if in a busy area. To avoid this, I will use an area that is, if possible, isolated.

Will the time of day/weather affect the outcome of the photos? Have you allowed for this?
When shooting outside, the weather may affect the lighting in the photos - cloudy days may make photos look dull. In addition, sunny days may cast too many shadows on the model. As the weather may be a factor that will reduce the outcome of my photos, I will check the weather forecast prior to days that I plan to shoot outdoors. In the worst case scenario, I may have to use all indoor photos.

Have you considered the background to your photos, particularly if taken outside? How will you ensure you will get the background you want?
Some photos I have decided to have a blank background to emphasise on details such as clothing and hair - this will be done with a white backdrop. On outdoor photoshoots, I will use locations that I feel would make good backgrounds in my photos - such a trees. To get my required background I will, prior to the photoshoot, go out and find areas that I could possibly use.

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 working in the studio, I have considered using a flash light or softbox with a flash linked up to the camera. Placing lights in the correct position will ensure an even light on the model and backdrop. When shooting outside, I may use the flash on the camera to create as even as possible light on the model - especially if it is a dull day. I will avoid taking photos near reflective objects as they will bounce the light and most likely intensify the light in certain areas of the photo. If lighting isn't completely how I'd like, I will use photoshop to get the lighting how I want it.

Do you need permission to take photos in the place/venue you have in mind?
To shoot in the photography studio, I will need permission from a member of staff to ensure the studio is free. As for outdoor areas, the areas I have in mind, I do not require permission to take photos of.

Do you need to book time in a room (eg the photography studio)?
I will need to book time in the photography studio by contacting a member of staff. Alternatively, if I have finished my work in a photography lesson, I may be able to use that time to take photos.

Are other people/crowds likely to be an issue for you? What have you done to ensure that it will not spoil the effect?
Crowds will only be an issue when shooting outdoors. I will stop this from happening by choosing an isolated area.

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 extremely reliant on my model and will need to plan at least a week - if not two - ahead of when I require my model to ensure they turn up. I will make sure that my model knows the importance of their attendance. My plan B would be to use my photography classmates as my main models.

Finally, have you thought of every eventuality…?
Regarding my photography, I have planned everything that I hope to achieve.

 

Photoshoot Planning

What emotional impact do you want your photography do have upon the reader and how will you achieve this?
When a reader looks at my front cover, I want them instantly to be able to identify that my magazine is a rock-based magazine. In addition, I would like the reader to be able to identify the purpose and audience of my magazine. I would want the readers to be able to recognise that the magazine is a music magazine aimed at rock fans. In order to achieve this, I will take into account the colour scheme I use - making sure it is appreciated by my target audience.

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

I will be photographing close friends from both outside college and in my photography class. My main images for my article will be of my close friend posing as Dannika from Evarose. My friend will also be my main image on my front cover. My photography classmates will be used for photos in my contents page. I have photographed these people before so I know that the photos will work well.

What props will you need?

For my props, I may need a musical instrument - such as a Guitar or Bass. I may also use drumsticks and guitar picks. For my indoor shoot, I will need a backdrop in order for colour on clothing to stand out. I may also a chair or stool. When doing outdoor shoots, I will use the sky and trees as my backdrop.

How are you going to emphasise colour?

Colour will be emphasised by using a white backdrop (if available) so that clothing colours do not blend in with the background. I may also use black and white photos to emphasis on detail such as makeup and shadows.

Have you briefed your personnel/models?

I have asked and received permission from my friends to take and use photos of them in my magazine. I am yet to discuss what makeup I may require they wear. Any props that I have decided to use (such as instruments) I have access to. I have explained to my models what I aim to achieve when taking photos of them.

What lighting will you need? Any other equipment?

If I get access to the photography studio, I will need lights such as Flash lights and Soft Boxes. If I do an outside photo shoot, I will use natural lighting; if some areas are dark, I will use Photoshop to correctly expose them. I will not require a tri-pod as I will be taking images freehand.

Where will you shoot? Will you need a backdrop?

I plan to shoot both indoors and outdoors to gain a variety of images to choose from. When shooting indoors, I will need some form of white backdrop to emphasise on clothing colours. When shooting outdoors, I will find a suitable location with a natural backdrop.

Mise-en-scene - Make-up? Costumes? Props?

I will require my female models to wear makeup such as eyeliner with the rest of the face very neutral to emphasise on the dark eyeliner. Costumes will be casual clothing - such as band shirts. The use of band shirts will emphasise on my specific Genre. Props will include musical instruments and chairs/stools.

 

Audience Research

I created a survey on Survey Monkey which allowed me to gather research on the what readers of music magazine find most appealing to buying a magazine. It also allowed me to gather information at what age group my magazine would be aimed at. 

This is my survey: www.surveymonkey.com%2Fs%2FWHK2LLC&h=GAQExFR1h

My first question was about how often people read magazines. As most of the responses responded either Weekly or Monthly, this would influence me to either make my magazine a weekly, fortnightly or monthly magazine. Nobody who participated read magazines daily or not at all. 

Next I asked what genres of music do people listen to. I found out that the majority of the respondents listen to rock music which has further made me fully decide that my magazine is specifically a rock magazine.  

In this question I found that people tend to buy up to 5 magazines per month, furthering my choice to make it a weekly magazine. Only one respondent buys up to 10 magazines per month. 

I wanted to find out if having a free gift would influence someone to buy a music magazine. I found that out of my 12 respondents, 6 said it would influence them, 6 said it wouldn't. If I were to use a free gift with my magazine, it would be every few weeks in order to appeal to everyone. 

I asked what attracts people to buy a magazine. 2 people said that cover image attracts them to buy, 5 people said the inside articles and 5 said featuring posters. These answers have helped me as they show that my magazine needs to have both a good cover image and a good quality article.

I wanted to find out what a reasonable prize for a magazine is, in people's eyes. I found that most people would buy a magazine that is priced £2.00 - £2.99. Both Kerrang! and Rocksound sell in this price range, so I have chosen this price range for my magazine. 

For this question, I found out that people like to see posters, coverage on new and upcoming bands, and interviews in magazines. These aspects I will take into consideration when creating my magazine. 

To help gain ideas for my front cover, I asked what people think is most important on a front cover. Most people said the main image - when taking my photos, I will make sure my main image is of good quality. Others said the coverlines and the colour scheme which I will also take into account. 

Finally I asked what people's age and gender was so that it is easier to focus on a specific target audience for my magazine. I found that both male and female's read music magazines. Those people being aged between 10 and 29. 

Double Page Spread Deconstructions

Kerrang: My Chemical Romance

This is an article taken from Kerrang! Magazine about My Chemical Romance.  The dominant image from the article on the left hand page is of Gerard Way, front man of the band. The image is in black and white which gives the readers a sense of familiarity - at the time, the band's main colour scheme was black - reflected in their music - which Kerrang! have tried to reflect in the article's colour scheme. This could also suggest that the photos are exclusive to Kerrang! and almost "top secret." In this particular interview, making readers feel that they are being told exclusive information about the band's upcoming album - especially since the words "World Exclusive" are seen at the top of the page. In addition to the main image, there are three smaller black and white images on the bottom of the pages. Many music fans feel that front men of bands get all the credit and attention; Kerrang! have tried to appeal to those people by adding images of the other band members.  Each image has an anchor to tell the readers who is in each photo, if they did not actually know. As in most articles, the anchors used for these images have a comical sense to them which almost lightens the article - especially with the dark colour scheme.
In this instance, the article title is a pull quote from the article- "We're being the best MCR we can be". The pull quote draws readers in as it doesn't give out much information about the article and what it is about. Not only would this draw fans in, but people that are also not too fond of the band - those people would want to read for themselves how the band are being the "best" they can be in order to make judgement - common for music fans to do. Below the pull quote is a strapline; the strapline tells the reader about the article they are about to read without giving out too much information so that people will have to read the full article. In this instance the use of the word "invite", again, appeals to fans as they feel that they are being invited into the studio themselves.
At the start of the main article content, there is a drop-caps. This indicates where the article begins - this quirky feature is found in many magazines - especially music. Along with the pull quote and strapline, this feature draws the reader in. The overall colour scheme of the text is black, white and red; the colours are almost exclusive and a tradition for the band to use/wear, making it almost compulsory for Kerrang! to use those colours in an article about the band. The colours are very bold which easily grab attention of anyone who is flicking through the magazine. The colour scheme would appeal to fans of the band as, again, it gives them a sense of familiarity, but also it draws the article together - using colour images with pink font, at that particular time, wouldn't have suited the band.

This is a double page spread article from Kerrang! Magazine. The article is about Simon Neil from Biffy Clyro. The article title "In conversation with the greatest rockstar in the world today" is referring to a previous magazine in which readers voted Neil the greatest rockstar of 2013. The article is a follow up interview to that particular issue on how Neil felt about that particular article and the title he had been given by readers. The article title is written in a caps font which instantly grabs attention; readers feel that the use of capital letters infers that the article is important and that they need to read it. The font also suggests that those who are unaware of the band/never listened to the band need to know about Simon Neil and his band. Below the article title is a Introduction/strapline about what the article is about - if not made evident in the title. The strapline gives reader an indication about what the article is about; the article title, contrasts with the one in the My Chemical Romance article as it, unusually, is not a pull quote - unusually for Kerrang! not to do. This particular difference, however, leaves the readers wanting to read on as they don't know anything about what the article will be about - pull quotes usually give readers a brief idea of what they are about to read.
In the main body of text, drop-caps have been used on two occasions. The drop-caps indicate where the article starts; in this article, however, the most important part is the interview - the interview section does not feature any drop-caps - the drop-caps have been used to indicate where the article starts -with a brief introduction and where the article ends with two paragraphs to sum up the article. The article is in five columns in a question - answer format in which Simon Neil talks about his title of greatest rockstar, his idols and Biffy Clyro. These questions and answers appeal to fans of the band as they can get to know a man who many readers look up to. They also are able to get an insight of Simon's life outside of the band which makes readers feel closer to him.
The main image is of Simon Neil and is roughly in the middle of the whole article. The text has been justified to fit about the image which gives a more polished look to the article which readers tend to like opposed to a simple block of text - much like the previous My Chemical Romance article. There is also a small image of the front cover of the magazine in which Simon was named the greatest rockstar; Kerrang! have done this so anyone who did not buy that particular issue know what the issue looks like if they wanted to go online to buy it. There is another image of Simon in which a anchor has been used in the typical comical Kerrang! format. The colour scheme consists of black, white and red font. In the image, Simon is wearing mostly black - the colour red which has been mostly used contrasts with the black from his clothes and makes the article stand out. Also, the use of the bright red would appeal to fans of the band as, unlike many My Chemical Romance fans, fans of Biffy Clyro wear brighter colours which Kerrang! have tried to mimic in their article.





















This is a double page spread, also from the Kerrang Magazine. It is an interview with LynZ Way from the band Mindless Self Indulgence. The article title is "GET Over IT!" referring to Way's attitude towards her, at the time, recent marriage to Gerard Way and the attention she gained through it. The title of the article, unlike some articles, doesn't give away any information of what the article is about - this feature intrigues the readers, especially considering that the article/interview was the first interview solely focusing on Way herself. The use of the capitol letters for the words "Get" and "It" emphasises on her attitude towards the attention that her husband brings her; however, the cursive text of "Over" emphasizes on the femininity of Way herself. Below the title, there is a strapline/introduction which introduces Way to any readers who do not know who she is, it also mentions and hints at what the article is about. The main article starts with an introduction to the interview, the introduction starts with a Drop Caps - the drop caps indicates where the article starts for the readers, if not made clear in the layout.  There is a pull quote where the main image is; the quote lets readers know, if not read the article, what the article is about.

The main image is of LynZ herself in black and white. The image takes up the whole right side of the page, this gives readers an incite onto who Way is (in the interview) and also puts a face to the name. The black and white image contrasts with the plain white background, it also reflects Way's onstage outfits - usually consisting of mostly black and white clothing. There is no anchor to the image as the article makes it clear who the image is of. Also, Kerrang add a comical touch to most anchors on photos; however, this article is quite a serious article, meaning that Kerrang can't add in a comical anchor. The colour scheme of the article is black white and red - like the previous article on Simon Neil; as mentioned above with the main image, the colours reflect the colours that Way wears onstage. The use of red can be linked with Way's frequent use of wearing red lipstick - shown in the pull quote of the article as the background of it is a red lipstick mark.

 

 

For my magazine, I think I am going to base my double page spread on the layout shown in the third double page spread of LynZWay. I have chosen this layout as it is more feminine than the My Chemical Romance article; additionally, my article is going to be an interview with Dannika from Evarose - with my friends posing in photos as Dannika.