Example Pictures For Front Cover

These are are a range of example photos that i could use for the front of my music magazine. I took these photos of my friend Sophie on a blank wall in a house, they are all mid shots which show her face, hair and clothes in all the different photos so that the audience are able to learn more about the model and what they are trying to show on the front of the magazine. i found that the most effective photos were the ones when Sophie is looking at the camera as the people looking at the photo are then able to look deeper into the photo and find  more emotion that is shown throughout the photos. These are just the first examples of the photos that i have taken and also the ones that i am going to take in the near future so that i am able to test a variation of different styles of photos for the front cover. We used the props of fairy-lights, old fashioned headphones, star lamp and a pop party CD, using the different props helps show the audience the genre of the magazine and give the reader an idea on what the magazine is actually about rather than just having a image with no meaning on the front of it. 

Professional Photo Examples

These are examples of the sorts of photos that i am going to take for my front cover of my music magazine, these pictures are off Jennifer Lawrence, Jessie J and Emma Stone. These pictures have been very planned out by the photographer and this shows in the photos that have been taken as they are very clear and organised. I want pictures like this for the front cover of my magazine as they will show that the magazine is fun and bold so the audience will enjoy reading it. 

Beginning to draft my magazine front covers

I have started to design and make the front cover of my music magazine, the model is my friend Sophie who is wearing a navy dress with horses on it with a denim jacket and her hair up. My music magazine is going to be called ‘ego’ which will appeal to the younger audience. Whilst editing my magazine I will include my headline, strap lines, banner, puff, cover lines and my masthead (which is already on the page) and then include the barcode, price and issue number (also the date). The designing process can be long as I need to look at a variation of different fonts and sizes that can change how things look on the page and how well they stand out with other pieces of information. The pictures that I have taken for my magazine are clear and are ones that I am able to edit to put on the front cover of my magazine as well as use in the contents page and double page spread.

To design and edit my magazine I am using fireworks which allows me to deal with pictures, text and other smaller details so that I am able to create my magazine exactly how I want it. I can use the different features to change how well something stands out on a page aswell as change the sizes of the writing and colours. Aswell as all this I can rub things out and change the image if I decide that I want to change things to make them different.

Variation Of Photos

These are photos that I have taken at a 5 seconds of summer concert, at concerts and gigs it can be difficult to get decent pictures of the acts performing as there can be many people in the way, too many lights or too many people on stage that you cant get them all in on one shot. Whilst I was at the concert I tried to take the best pictures that I possibly could by deciding who I wanted in the shot and then deciding what kind of shot I wanted it to be (close up, mid shot, long shot etc.) once I had decided what kind of photo I wanted to take then came the hard task of taking the photo avoiding the distractions around me such as people arms. On magazine front covers concert photos are rarely used as it can be very hard to get a good and clear shot which shows the meaning of the magazine and creates a clear visual syntax for the reader, when concert photos are used they are edited to make sure that a certain part of the image is clear to get rid of any unnecessary parts that may cause a distraction to the reader. On my music magazine I will make sure not to used any concert photos on the front cover of my music magazine as they can be hard to take and unclear for the reader that may want to purchase the magazine, however concert images can be used on the contents page or double page spreads as they can be interesting for the reader to look at and learn more about the artist and what they do (in this case the band is a pop rock band).

Planning For Photos

For my music magazine I need to organize a photo shoot so that I am able to get a collection of different photos that I will be able to use for the front cover of my music magazine, contents page and double page spread. All magazines have some sort of image on the front cover to show the audience what kind of magazine that it is, in my case the image on the front cover will show the audience the genre of my music magazine which will be pop and it will also to show that what types of information and artists are inside the magazine itself. The image helps readers see which issue of the magazine it is, as the image on the front is never the same more than two issues at one time. 

A front cover is used in the visual syntax of a magazine, you start from the masthead of the magazine which is normally on the left hand side, as we read from left to right, then you look at the image which gives the audience the main image of what type of things are included in the magazine for example if the person on the front cover is a ‘boy band’ that are mostly listened to by teenage girls, then the audience would assume that the magazine was a girls magazine that includes interviews with all the latest boys and men that are being listened to at that moment. 

The majority of music magazines have an image of one single person rather than a large group of people, as when there is only one or two people on the front cover you as the photographer are able to get more detailed and closer up images, whereas if you are taking a picture of a larger group of people in would be very unorganized and messy, this could make the magazine look unplanned. For my photos I want them to be structured and clear to the audience with a clear image showing the ‘artist’ and all the details on there face such as hair and make up.

Throughout my photo shoot there are variations of different things that I will have to consider as there will be a variation of different people that are all pulling different poses.

The people that I am using for my photo shoot are people that are between the age ranges of 15-17 as these are the audience that I want my music magazine to be aimed at and these people are the ones that have to pose at the front of my magazine to show the audience that my magazine has been made for a young and lively audience that want to find out about all things pop music. I am going to give my models props that vary from CD’s to microphones to empathize the genre of my magazine and show that it is a fun place to be (and good magazine to read), the front cover is what it going to communicate with the audience and make them want to read what I have made. The faces and poses that my models need to do have been planned out and shown by other celebrities that have done similar poses such as people like Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande etc. The location for my photos is just going to be someone’s house by a dull coloured wall as this will make my model stand out from the background and show that the location has been planned out by giving an empty and clear look. All natural light is being used from the light outside that comes through windows along with extra lamps and fair lights if I need brighter lighting however using lamps could cause risks to the people that are involved with modeling for my magazine as the lamp could become to hot and if being used close to the models face they could burn themselves which could be a problem when making sure that everyone is safe, but there are no other things that could potentially go wrong as everything will be organized and safe as most of the photos will be taken inside only some will be done outside. 

The location for my photos will be in a variation of different peoples houses which will mean that the backdrop will change colour and pattern, I also plan to take some photos outside which will mean that the background will then the leaves and environment from outside. Due to being inside for most of my photos the shots that I will need will mostly be mid shots and close ups as when being inside I can get more detail into the models face showing off their features, however when outside I will try long shots that will be both horizontal and vertical. Some of the photos will be two shots where they are a ‘band’. The photos that I take will be at a range of angles that range from head-on-shots, high angle and also low angle to show the different ranges of photos that can be taken.

Costume will be bright clothing that shows how colourful the magazine is but I will take some shots in black and white to compare the difference between using different coloured images and costume. Apart from the fact that the costume will be bright they must also be very girly as the magazine needs to appeal to the target audience of girls (some that may be into fashion and music), hair will be down as it can sometimes be seen as being more feminine, make up will be subtle and empathize the models features. Body language will be open as then the readers feel welcomed into the magazine and the models facial expressions will be friendly and full of life.

MAIN THINGS TO CONSIDER IN MY PHOTOSHOOT

·         Back ground

·         Mise – en – scene (Costume, make up, model, hair, pose, body language, facial expression etc.)

·         Lighting

·         Camera angle, distance, movement

·         Camera effects

·         Good quality camera
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These are all the dates that photos are being taken, and all of the people that are going to have there photos taken so that they can be used for my media products. 

·         Sophie Canning and Temi Adeniji – 20.01.14

·         Temi Adeniji, Sophie Canning and Charlotte Robinson – 21.12.13

·         Sophie Canning and Temi Adeniji – 11.12.13

·         Sophie Thomas – 07.12.13
·         Hannah Akers and Eleanor Gregory  - 04.01.14

Rule Of Thirds

The rule of thirds is the most used and referenced to when it comes to photography and following rules on how to get the best kinds of photos. When taking photos and doing photography there are many different techniques that can be used to try getting the best quality photo that you possibly can. The most popular rule to use is the rule of thirds. The rule of thirds is a technique that is used by photographers, film makers and artists to give themselves a guideline when taking photos of objects, landscape and people. The guideline produces a guide that the image in then divided into. These nine equal rectangles compose the image as the guide helps centre the image. The grid creates extra added tension and interests to the picture as you are able to focus the visual syntax more on the image.

The horizontal line cuts the image up into two thirds which is then where it is separated into smaller sections. Due to dividing the sections up into further smaller parts it helps create an accurate looking image and picture. The point of interest is then brought to the centre of the picture (the middle section) which then results in the picture/image being a better quality as the image is more likely to be in focus. For example this image shows how the rule of thirds works, the tree image is on the line of the grid where it’s then in line with the rest of the things around it such as the water and then sky.  When using the grid it gives parts of the image more empathizes which creates a meaning for the photo which people enjoy looking at and thinking about other things that it could mean. However the points of interest in the photo don't actually have to touch any of the guidelines they can simply just be placed inside of one or a collection of the different boxes.

The rule of thirds was first written down by John Thomas Smith in 1797 who was a photographer that looked at many different ways of making his photos and the images that he took that one step better. He wrote books on the photos that he took and what he discovered when he took his images, his most popular book ‘Remarks on Rural Scenery’ which is about his opinions on photos and how he thinks they should be taken, Smith makes a comment about his work and how he thinks that people need to balance the light and dark in photos like artists do in paintings. Then he created the idea of the rule of thirds so that once you had an image you didn't have to worry about having to crop and change it later on so you were able to save the quality of the image. 

This is what the grid looks like; all the sections are the same size so all hold the same size of image. You can change the way that the picture looks by creating a counterpoint which is your primary focus in the image, you can also place a secondary focus which is on the opposite side of the image.

Apart from only using the rule of thirds method you are also able to use the Golden Mean method which is a spiral pattern that is used when taking photos of nature. The Golden Mean is very similar to the rule of thirds however it’s when the lines don’t exactly line up. Most natural objects are in a spiral pattern which makes it hard to sometimes take photos of natural objects such as shells and landscape. 

Layout Plans For My Music Magazine

I designed a variation of different layouts that I could use for my music magazine, there are many different layouts that i could use, here are 8 that I could use. All magazines have different layouts which helps create the magazines brand identity. I want my magazine to be similar to other magazines layouts but I also want the target audience to be able to recognize my magazine and see how it is different but similar to other ones that are on the market. 

Moodboard

I made a Moodboard which includes a range of different logos from different companies all over the world. The companies that I included are ones that are multinational companies that are selling products in a variation of different country's across the globe. All the logos are different as they show the own companies individual brand identity and show the customers/audience what kind of company this is. When it comes to me creating my own logo I need to make sure that my logo is different from others so that my music magazine can establish its own identity that people will recognize compared to other companies that may or may not be similar. Some of the logos are words others are pictures but all the logos are very different and use a variation of different images, fonts and colours. 

Photo Shoot Planning

For my music magazine I need to organize a photo shoot so that I am able to get a collection of different photos that I will be able to use for the front cover of my music magazine. All magazines have some sort of image on the front cover to show the audience what kind of magazine that it is, in my case the image on the front cover will show the audience the genre of my music magazine and it will also to show that what types of information and artists are inside the magazine itself. The image helps readers see which issue of the magazine it is, as the image on the front is never the same more than two issues at one time. A front cover is used in the visual syntax of a magazine, you start from the masthead of the magazine which is normally on the left hand side, as we read from left to right, then you look at the image which gives the audience the main image of what type of things are included in the magazine for example if the person on the front cover is a ‘boy band’ that are mostly listened to by teenage girls, then the audience would assume that the magazine was a girls magazine that includes interviews with all the latest boys and men that are being listened to at that moment. The majority of music magazines have an image of one single person rather than a large group of people, as when there is only one or two people on the front cover you as the photographer are able to get more detailed and closer up images, whereas if you are taking a picture of a larger group of people in would be very unorganized and messy, this could make the magazine look unplanned. 

For my photos i am going to take photos of single  people but also people that are in groups to give my magazine a variation of different styles and images that i can fit onto my music magazine. All of the photos that i am going to take are going to be face on photos which will be mid shot and close up or ones that are slightly to the side. These are the photos that are mostly used on the front of magazine covers. The person in the photos shall be looking slightly at the camera but also try showing a variation of different emotions through the camera and person eye contact. I will be using a female model to use in my photos which she will be using a range of props such as a CD and headphones which will be used to show the audience more information on what the magazine is about. My photos are going to be taken inside as then i am able to keep a background without having to worry about the weather changing and affecting the way that the light hits the model  whereas if the photos are taken in both the sun and the colder weather then there might be problems getting the correct  affects. A good quality camera will be used as this then allows me to get good quality shots, as well as this the lighting will be bright to enhance the models face.

The shots that i take are going to be mid-shots, close-ups and occasionally long shots. I’m going to take a range of different photos as this will mean i have a large selection of photos that i am able to choose from. They will all be face on photos as then the audience is able to understand some deeper feelings from the model which will be portrayed to the camera.  The model will be someone that is a teenager or young adult as these are the kinds of people that are trying to create a career and are most mature when it comes to the music industry.  My models are going to be mostly female as they are the kinds of people that are more likely to be interested in joining the music industry and finding out more information on music and creating a living by performing. They will be students or people that are just at the start or middle class  as these are the people that are more likely to be down to earth because they aren't going to be worrying about money and making a living. They will be wearing dim colourered outfits that are colours ranging from black, white and greys but then i will also take some photos where the costumes are in colour because then i am able to show the fun and colourful attitudes of the people on my front covers.