2nd Set of Photos from Photoshoot

 For my second photo shoot I had a complete transform of scenery, as well as change of look for the model. From my first photo shoot I thought that the photos were slightly boring and dull. To change this I decided to go into an outdoor environment, which was quite secluded and had quite a dark feel and atmosphere to it. I wanted my models poses to be more striking and 'gritty' as that is the message that I want to portray on the front cover of my magazine. The clothes of that my model was wearing were slightly different clothing. She was still wearing ripped shorts which were fairly short, however her socks changed from black ones to slightly more bright ones with long white socks with blue and red bands round the top of them. The top, shorts, and socks work well together as they flow in an outfit, however the coat is quite frumpy and does not go with the rest outfit. This was a negative effect to my photos as it shadowed the outfit she was wearing, and became quite over bearing. Although I like the use of the cigarette, as it gives off quite an edgy and rebellious feel, it can be quite hard to photograph in the right way. When she is blowing out smoke it can cover quite a lot of her face, making it hard to get a clear, sharp photo of her face. The use of a cigarette can also give off a wrong image, as the issue of smoking can be quite controversial, and some people would not like to see a model smoking on a front page of a magazine. Therefore in my next set of photos I will consider not using the cigarette as a prop. I feel the background of the photos gives quite an ominous feel, which adds to the theme of photos that I wanted. However this affected the lighting of the photos as it became harder to get lighting on the the face, so that I could have a clear, defined face. I think these set of photos are an improvement from the last set of photos, and I am starting to go down a particular route of how my photos want to look, however these are still not to the standard that I want to use for my front cover. For my last photo shoot I will make sure the the outfit goes well together, flowing throughout. I will also look at finer details such as the colour of her lips and nails, and accessories such as the style and colour of her earrings. I also feel that there needs to be more focus on her face and make-up, I will do this by putting more eye-catching and bold make up on my model, and take more shots of her face close up.

1st Set of Photos from Photoshoot

When taking these photos I came across many positives and negatives of the photos. Firstly the look and style of my model was very good, she portrayed the look I wanted her to with bold eye and lip make-up and slightly revealing clothing, however not going over the limit. As I wanted to create a slightly edgy photo, the use of her smoking worked really well and i was able to get some close up shots of her which worked effectively. The use of the background outside also worked well as it made the photo more interesting with quite a natural scene. However there were some negatives of this photoshoot. Although the use of the backdrop was good, due to setting all the equipment up it did not leave me a lot of time to actually take the photos that I needed. Some of the photos are also not of the clearest quality and best angle that they could be, which gives a disadvantage to the photos. At first my model was quite shy to pose and did not express all the mannerisms and characteristics that I wanted her to, however towards the end of the photoshoot she felt more relaxed and was willing to experiment with different poses. This is positive as the next photoshoot I will do with her she will be able to do more adventurous poses. These photos are adequate for a first photoshoot, however are not the standard I want for my front cover, and I will take more photos to hopefully succeed in getting the right pictures.

Evaluation of Font research of Front Page

To start with, I tested the different sort of fonts I could use, using trial and error to see which ones would possible suit the front cover of my magazine. The fonts are extremely different from each other as I wanted to see the differences and contrasting ideas that I could come up with. Many of them were not suitable for my front cover as I felt they didn't give the right feel of a music magazine, and not the type of music magazine I am trying to create. I wanted more of a bold and striking title so it can stand out from my photo, so I then started looking for fonts which would do this. I wanted quite an original title, but I did not want it to be hard to read or not relate or suit the look of my front cover.






I narrowed it down to these final fonts which I thought would be most suitable for my front cover. I think these are all adequate fonts apart from the second one, as they are bold, and could grab the attention of a reader easily. After choosing five different fonts, I finally chose to use the bottom font.

This is the font title that I will use for the front cover of my magazine. I thought this was most suitable for my magazine, as it stands out on a page as it is fairly bold. The font is also quite simple, yet the slantedness and the slight curl of the words makes it a little bit more interesting, and gives the music feel that I want with my magazine. The small gap between each letter is also effective as it makes it bold, whilst also having a quite simple look. I feel this font will be effective and work well with my magazine as it will flow well with the front cover of my magazine.

Basic Font Research

When choosing the name of my magazine, I wanted to it to be one word, with quite a strong and bold title. I came up with a few ideas which I thought could be used well on the front of my magazine. The ideas I came up with were:

- Iconic
- Voltage
- Vibe
- Alternative
- Mainstream

When questioning my friends and family, the majority of them thought that the word 'Iconic' was best fitting for the title of my magazine, as did I. I thought that this word would also be good for the title of my magazine as has quite a solid presence on the page which will bring attention to it.

Extra Photographic Research of Front Page

This photo can largely relate to my music magazine and I think it would be successful in being the photo for the front cover. Her make up and hair is very bold and the expression and pose on her face is quite serious. She has a slightly 'rock'n'roll' and 'indie' look whilst also haveing quite a soft and warm face. Her lip colour contrasts with her hair colour and we can see that her lips are the main focus. I really like this photo as it has quite an edgy feel to it but also does not give off the wrong impression that my magazine would have a rock genre to it and is more mainstream indie music.

 I think this photo is extrmely effective and would be good to use in many ways. Firstly her style and the clothes she is wearing give off the sort of image I would want to portray. The red lipstick and hat mix well together with her brown hair. The use of the prop of the guitar is also used effectively, as we can then see that the photo has a musical feel to it. The serious expression on her face portrays a manner that I would want to create with my model as I would not really want her to be smiling a lot, as this would take away focus from other parts of the photo.

Detailed Research of Front Page

In conclusion, I feel that my research has been effective and helped me to create an idea for what I want for the front page of my magazine. As i looked at many different types of magazine covers I can differentiate between different magazines, and what features if magazines I like, and ones that I don't like as much.

For the final magazine cover I looked at, this is the one which I think I will

 mostly relate my magazine to. I think the pose of the model is used extremely well, as they are not just standing there, or looking slightly vacant. The focus on the hair and face is also what i would like to do for my magazine as I think this works really well and gives a good focus to the front cover.  The overlapping of the photo on the title of the magazine is used well, and I like the way they have in co-operated colours into the title. The grey background allows the rest of the features on the front cover to be shown well and therefore the magazine can get across to the reader what the main focus of the magazine is. The cover follows a colour scheme well which means there is continuity throughout the front cover. Overall, I think this is a very good magazine cover and is very effective in many ways.

This is largely what I want to base my magazine around for my front cover. I think the layout is extremely effective as the title is very bold, creating a lot of attention to that area of the magazine. The use of the black and pink works well as they are quite contrasting colours, so it stands out more and looks less cluttered on the page, The use of the background colour on the 'Nicki Minaj' subtitle works well as it shows what is important and the main focus of the magazine for that week. The use of the different fonts is also effective as it makes it more interesting and differs from other parts of the front cover. The shadowing of the photo is used well, as well as the editing of Nicki Minaj. Her skin looks almost shiny with a good complexion, and her hair looks neat and in place. The only negative of this magazine which I would not like to include in my own is what the model is wearing. Personally I feel it is too revealing, and will give off the wrong image in my magazine. It may also be very hard to photograph my own model like this as she may feel uncomfortable and ultimately will not want to pose for photos. Therefore when I am taking my own photos for my magazine, I will not make her wear clothes like this, however I do think this type of pose is used well and is very effective.

Specific Research of Front Cover

 

Out of all of my research and all of the front covers that I have looked at, I like this one the most, and would want to base my magazine around something which follows this design. I think the pose of the singer is used very well, and this is for many reasons. She portrays her body well as she is pulling a slightly sexy pose. This 'sexy' type look is also portrayed through the clothing she is wearing. She is showing quite a lot of skin, however, is not used in a cheap and slutty way, but used to make her attractive. She is also pulling a serious face to add to the pose she is using. The overlapping of the photo to the title is used effectively, and makes it more attractive. I also like the use of a running colour scheme throughout the front cover. The use of her pose, as well as her style, especially focusing on the clothes she is wearing, reveals the type of artist that she is. The use of different sized fonts allows you to see what is important on the page, and what is less important, giving eye-catching headlines to the page. However the downside to this magazine is the fact that it really focuses on a a particular audience. Not only is it related to 'pop' music but the use of the pinks and grey colour scheme allows us to think that this magazine is mainly created for girls. This would put certain buyers off purchasing this magazine, and ultimately it would not appeal to a lot of people.

From my research I have now gone down a particular route which I would want my

 magazine to resemble. I again like the overlapping of the picture and the title, as I feel this is a very modern way to edit a magazine. I also like the use of down the right hand side there is a small title with a quote underneath. This feature is running throughout the whole front cover of the magazine and gives a slightly 'edgy' feel to it. Throughout the magazine they have used dramatic and 'catchy' words to entice readers, making it more interesting. The pose of the celebrity is very striking, and gives off a particular impression. Her make-up is very striking and her red lipstick stands out on the page. She is also pulling a pose which looks as if she is about to have a fight. This portrays the impression that she is daring and resilient, and gives off a slightly 'hard' image. The quote above the picture interlinks with the pose she is using, and allows us to slightly understand what will be included inside the magazine. The bold title of 'PARAMORE' also backs up the idea of the hard exterior that she contains. Overall I think that this magazine cover is extremely effective. I like the bold pose she is using, and think that this would be very effective in my magazine.