Preliminary task - Rational for Photos

For my preliminary task I took some quick photos of my friend Tom. As I had a very limited time to take these photos, I did not have the chance to get many photos. Below I will describe which photo I have used and why I have not used the others.

Photo 1:

After taking this photo I decided that it would be unsuitable to use on the front cover of a magazine. The pose and the facial expression was not what I was aiming for when I pictured what I wanted my preliminary magazine to look like. After taking this image I made Tom try to act more seriously and get him to pose like I needed him to.

All of these photos have a cream background as due to limited time and resources these images were taken in front of a plain wall within my college campus. 

Photo 2:

I decided that this image was also unsuitable for the front cover of my preliminary magazine as it was not what I was aiming for. a magazine is meant to be appealing to the reader and as Tom looks bored and uninterested this would be not make a reader want to buy a magazine and for this reason I did not want to use this image.

Photo 3:

After asking Tom to pose 'more seriously' and look 'moody, almost sad' this is the resulting image. For obvious reasons I decided that this image wouldn't be suitable for the front cover of my preliminary magazine. I did however decide that I liked the pose that Tom was stood in. 

Photo 4:

This is the photo that I decided to use for my preliminary magazine cover. I felt that out of all the other photos taken this one was the most suitable, but also it could be worked with as Tom looks to be conveying a ambiguous emotion of sorts and this could entice a reader as to find out just what he is thinking or feeling. 

I used this image as I felt that Tom came across as mysterious and this was what I had been aiming for when I started taking photos, and I accomplished what I set out to do in a short period of time. 

Research of Preliminary Magazine Cover

To help get a better understanding of how to use photoshop I will be creating a preliminary front cover before I make my final magazine for my coursework. On this post I will be looking at two different magazine covers to get ideas about what a typical music magazine looks like and what I would possibly like to include in my own magazine.

I really like this magazine cover as I feel like it is much more interesting than standard magazine covers that have the singers looking flawless facing the camera. The smashed Q logo and the face of the singer make the magazine cover feel dark and gritty, just like the music played by muse. The bright and bold text makes a good contrast with the darker than average background. I would like to take inspiration from this magazine cover and maybe have the singer and band members do something out of the ordinary and not look directly at the camera. I think it would be good to have an image that sums up the band as a whole, giving the audience an immediate feel for the band and the genre of music they play.

In the same magazine but a different issue the front cover looks completely different. The band members of Take That are positioned in a 'pile on' sort of fashion with them all looking happy. This reflects the type of music that the band makes which is fun and aimed at all ages. Unlike the previous magazine cover all 5 members of Take That are all looking at the camera, and out towards the audience reflecting that they are a band that appeals to the general public. The way the image of the members is overlapping the Q logo and the Take That font suggest that not only is the magazine well know but so is the band, as The Green Day text is not overlapped showing they are not as well known. I might take inspiriation from this magazine and have the main image overlap the logo to make the magazine look more well known and widely distributed.

Photoshop Practise - Jarvis Cocker Exercise

The Jarvis Cocker Photoshop activity has been done to help create a better understanding of Photoshop and it's features in accordance to making or editing a magazine.

First we started off with a simple image of Jarvis Cocker:

After getting this image of Jarvis Cocker from the internet I realised that this image was blurry and the background was more than one tone of purple, to solve this problem I decided to make the whole image black and white.

To make this image black and white I used a desaturation adjustment. I feel that making the image black and white makes the images itself more striking, whilst making the resolution appear much better than it actually is. 

To make the main image stand out more I decided to add a light blue coloured background. To do this I selected the background using the magic wand tool and then used the bucket tool to fill in the area selected. This made the overall image look more effective and striking.

This is the image with a full blue background, I feel like this really highlights the serious mood of the main image whilst also making it feel not overly formal. It juxtaposes the black and white image of the artist really well yet does not draws attention away from the image either. 

The image quality still looked unprofessional despite the making it black and white. To counteract this I decided to alter the main image using the tool 'posterise' and making it look a bit like pop art. This makes the main image look as if its meant to be partly pixelated.

I added a masthead in the top left corner as this is usually where the masthead is located on a magazine, I also included a bar code as this is usually located on the front of a magazine.

Doing this task has helped me gain a better understanding of Photoshop and what I can do to make images look better. I have also gained a few ideas on how I can layout my own magazine. 

Double Page Spread Deconstruction - Top of the Pops Magazine

This is an image of a double page spread from the magazine Top of the Pops that I will be analysing.

Layout: On this double page spread there is two columns of writing, each article is an interview with the artist featured on the page.  There are two images on this double page spread, one member of the featured band is featured on either page and take up half a page each. There are two headlines featured on this double page spread, a headline per interview. The headlines are quotes from each of the

Images: There are two images on this double page spread. The image on the left is of Zayn Malik from the band One Direction. His facial expression and pose match the quote that is used as a masthead for his interview as he looks quite closed in on himself and defensive as he wrap his arm around himself as if for comfort. Though he gives the reader a direct mode of address he gives of a mysterious, closed off vibe. The other image on the right page is of Harry Styles, also from the band One Direction. Unlike Zayn Malik, the image of Harry Styles gives off a very relaxed vibe and he gives a hint of a smile as he gives the readers a direct mode of address.  His relaxed pose hints that he does not care too much about the quote that is used as the masthead for his interview.

Text:  The text used on this double page spread is of a standard font and size. It is in white to oppose the gray background and make it easier to read.  Unlike a normal interview there are no questions featuring on the double page spread, instead there are titles that give the reader a basis on what they artist is talking about.

Double Page Spread Deconstruction - We Love Pop Magazine

This is an image of a double page spread from the magazine We Love Pop that I will be analysing.

Layout: There are three columns of writing that make up this article for the double page spread though the article continues on an over leafing page.  There are two images on this double page, the main image is featured on the right hand side and takes up a whole page of the magazine There is another smaller picture of the artist on the left page.  The main headline for the article is a quote taken from the artist and made into a title, this gives the reader a brief overall idea of what will be featured within the article.  

Images: The large image on the right hand side of the article stands on its own with no text as it has the potential to be cut out from the magazine and be made into a poster. The smaller image on the left hand side of the article is showing the artist on the red carpet, this proves the artists credibility to the readers and also juxtaposes the main headline as red carpet events are seen as glamorous where people would be presenting themselves on their best behavior.

Text: The font used in the article is of a standard size and is nothing out of the ordinary, it is black to make it stand out from the white background of the page. The interviewers questions are written in pink text to make them stand out and to make it easier for the reader to see which bit of the article is a questions, and what is a response to the questions given by the artist. There are also particular bits of the article that are highlighted in yellow. These are things that have been said by the artist and the magazine has deemed them important and has highlighted them, this attracts the readers eye and if the reader quickly skimmed the article the highlighted text would give them a brief overview of what is featured in the article.

Double Page Spread Deconstruction - Q Magazine

This is an image of a double page spread from the magazine Q that I will be analysing.

Layout: This double page spread featuring the artist Lady Gaga has 3 columns of writing, these columns are partially and interview with the artist and partially background information. The double page spread features only one image of the artist, this image is featured to the left had side of the double page spread and takes up the entire page, representing how big or important the artist actually is.

Images: The double page spread is image led and the main focus seems to be the portrait of the artist. The image is simplistic and is also black and white giving it a vintage and classy feel, this juxtaposes the image itself as the artist is in fact nude. The artist has a direct mode of address choosing to look right at the audience, this makes her appear more ‘human’ as in something a person can aspire to be or strive for. This image also gives the artist sex appeal that would appeal to male as well as female fans. Her look is enticing as we as a reader wish to read the article to find out more about the artist herself.

It can also be commented that the large letter ‘L’ that features on the right hand page is also an image as it does not tie in with the text. This image again reminds the reader of exactly who they are reading about and how important the artist is. It suggests that the artist is so important that even seeing the letter L it should remind us of the artist.

Language: The font used in the article is standard and also a standard size in accordance to the size of the article. There is swearing and graphic language featured heavily in the article also, making it clear that this magazine is for an older, more mature audience.

Contents Page Deconstruction - Top of the Pops Magazine

This is an image of a Contents page from the magazine Top of the Pops  that I will be analysing.

Mast head: On the contents page of this magazine the mast head isn't featured. It appears only on the image of the front cover which appears as an image on the contents page.

Necessary Information : The date and issue number are also not featured on the contents page of this magazine, this information is on the front cover. The page number is located centrally towards the bottom of the page. 

Text/font : The text used on the contents page uses a direct mode of address to speak directly towards the audience and tell them exactly will be featured within the magazine. There is a fairly substantial amount of text on the contents page in comparison to the amount of images. The text is featured beside the page numbers of the articles and give a small insight into each particular article, quiz or feature in the magazine. The text on the page is all written in black, but particular text is highlighted so the reader can identify which articles will help them ‘get inside boys’ head’, meaning the reader can easily identify the articles. Bold text is used for the names of artists and important parts of the of the magazine that would be interesting to the reader. The use of bold text attracts the readers eye and makes it instantly recognisable what the important features on the magazine are in the particular issue.

Images: There are six images that are featured on this contents page. The images on the contents page vary only slightly in size, the largest image is of the front cover and the smallest image is of the purse with the label ‘36’. The images are used to tell the reader what is featured within the magazine, from the front cover, Fearne Cotton to nail polish and fashion items.  None of the images are anchored by text but they have the page numbers they are featured on directly next to them, making it easier for the reader to see which page they are on.

Composition: The images relate closely or directly to the text they are positioned next to, this makes it easier for the reader to identify where to look and what they are looking for exactly. I think the contents page is neither text or image led, they both share fairly equal amounts of space and neither draws attention away from the other.

Colour: The colour used for the text on the contents page is black, this makes it stand out from the predominantly white background of the page. A main colour featured on the page is pink, this reflects the target audience of the less mature female audience.