Production Task One : Photography

 In order to realise the idea of my first edition, which was focused on an upcoming star who produced from his bedroom, I decided to create a more relaxed photoshoot which aimed to highlight a more natural, and authentic style of photography to accentuate the ideas I hoped to promote. Therefore, the mis-en-scene of the shoot is meant to create the idea of everyday life and reality rather than something crafted or done especially for a produced shoot, desoute its manufactured nature

I experimented with different positions for my model in order to see what would best suit the ideas which I wished for the magazine to evoke, both with and without a jacket. However the photo which I eventually chose was one taken with a jacket rather than without, due to the desirable effect which it created, seeming more natural and realistic than other photos which seemed to be more clearly directed and produced.

I also tried to use different forms of gaze, both with the model holding direct address and also with him looking more directly at the guitar, as if he was performing at the same time and while the direct address may have drawn the audience in, making them feel more connected, it appeared to more clearly create the ideas I wished when he was looking at the guitar as he played it rather than simply idly holding the guitar like an accessory.

This is the photo I intend to use for the front cover of my first edition which creates the idea of a star who still operates out of their own home, showing how down-to-earth and relatable the experiences he has are rather than a star who has been forced to their position at the top of stardom. The setting feels quite personal and close to the singer potrayed here, as it is meant to represent their bedroom where they produce the music which is the focus of the coverline, therefore creating anchorage.

For the contents page I wanted to continue with the same location in order to create a sense of cohesion between both the front cover and the contents page in order to draw the whole edition together. Moreover, it added to the idea of just how central and important the room was to the subject due to his deep connection with it, especially in relation to the music he produced. The pose used was to try and evoke a sense or relaxtion and comfort which the room allowed for in the subject to again highlight the way it has shaped and affected his music, however I expiremented with different places for him to look and facial expressions to hold as many looked extremely unnatural and forced which would have created a level of uncomfortability in the shoot which I wanted to eliminate overall.

The photo I choose to use for my contents page will accompany the reference to the story within that page allowing for an alternative view of the photo shoot which continues to add to the relaxed and natural essence of the photo shoot, however the photo will need to be edited prior to being added to the magazine, to truly focus on the model rather than a wider focus on the background.






This edition of the magazine will also be aided by another story about a recap of the very best concerts throughout the past year and so it will be a compilation of images from different pop concerts throughout the year in order to show the year of events which we've had. This will be a smaller image and will be used to accompany only one of the stories in the contents page, showing anchorage.

While the photos are from a limited amount of concerts, they encapsulate the year of concerts we've had with the massive production and presence provided by these events allowing for millions to experience a collective wonder that can't be found without such events. The way these will be compiled in the image will almost be a sort of pinboard style like they're memories pinned up on a wall to show how fondly they're remembered and the idea that it's looking back at the memories made throughout the year. As the edition will be published for an autumn release, it allows for a more retrospective look at concerts in the pop genre, reminiscing at the very best throughout the year.

Initially I had planned the front cover for my 2nd edition to be a side profile seen from partially behind the model, as if she was looking out into nature, however upon experimenting with the different locations of my photoshoot I decided to use a focus which had her as the focus with a direct gaze in order to draw the audience in and make her feel more warm and welcoming, as the pop genre is expected to be. The photo still encapsulates the idea of nature as a central theme with the bright sunlight creating a sense of life and the background being dominated by flowers and greenery highlighting the connection that the artist has to nature.

Due to this shoot being an outdoor shoot to show a clear distinction in location between the two front covers, it allowed for a greater variety in exploring settings and areas for photos to be taken in order to create a wider range since the 2nd edition will be featured within my website also in order to draw cohesion between all of the aspects of my magazine. 

This is the photo which I decided on for my second edition and utilises the idea of direct gaze in order to draw the audience in and feel more comfortable with the artist depicted on the front page. I experimented with different levels of blurring in order to make the background seem more or less focused to draw attention to the model, who is the main focus of the cover. While I wanted to draw more attention to her, I was careful not to detract heavily from the background since it was also essential to fully realise the message of the magazine.




For the contents page of the 2nd edition I revisited the idea of having a photo taken with the model facing nature rather than the camera and so I took photos in different locations yet utilising the same idea of having her back towards the camera. This was successful in highlighting the importance of nature to the artist and especially the photo looking out on to the lake allows for a greater sense of how powerful and important nature is to everyone, making the model look almost minute in comparison to the rest of the nature in the foreground. Therefore, I chose the lake photo as my contents page due to the ideas it helps to create. As a contents page this shows a different aspect of the photo shoot yet helps to build upon the ideas presented in the front page of her connection to the subject and its importance within her life.

For my contents page on my 2nd edition I also wished to include a story relating to Vinyls within the current climate and how their sales are continuing to skyrocket with a resurgance of physical forms of media. Therefore, the photos I used to accompany this clearly show a connections to vinyls with someone looking through vinyls. The selection of vinyls presented are still clearly pop music linking to the overall magazine genre and also they feel very candid as if it's just a natural scene rather than produced. I chose the second photo as by beginning to pull a vinyl out it actually appears to be with a purpose rather than searching in order to fulfil the intention of the photo and adds to the story of the photo, especially in relation to the coverline it links to.

I chose another photo from the shoot for the 2nd edition for the website in order to again create a greater and link between the two entities which would encourage audiences to engage with both, rather than just one.

The photo I have chosen for the website combines different ideas created throughout the other photos with a deep connection to nature, yet due to the positioning of a low angle photo, the power of nature appears greater and far more important than us and allows the themes and ideas of the magazine to manifest itself within the website also.