Design Work: My Chosen Images

These are the final images I chose to be in my magazine. I chose these images because I felt they fitted the classy and stylish consistency of my magazine. The models look like real artists and not people posing for me.
The costumes I chose because of the genre of music being indie I needed to reflect this through my images.

• The first shot I used was a two shot for my front cover, I chose this because I feel it looked artistically composed with harsh lighting to give the deep intelligent meaning to the artists. The mise-en-scene I styled to look like a music video or stage set up with the equipment and wires casually lying about. I shot it in black and white because when I evaluated my student magazine that was something I looked at and compared it to the quirky take 'COMPANY' magazine had on an online digicopy. The use of a bowler hat for my male artist gave him that individuality that is seen within the indie genre, I tried to contrast this with a simple T-Shirt as I didn't want something over crowding and distracting on the front of my magazine to make it look amateur or out of place.
• The main image I used for the contents page was a strong pose. The close up side profile was striking to look at meanwhile the dangling hair looked soft and feminine, something I didn't want to lose. I gave her a white top to wear which fulfilled the conventions of a professional magazine by having different outfits for different appearances in the magazine. This made it look more thought out and planned, and showed my efforts. It also gave her a different look to the bold and dark front cover image we saw. Having her in white added a certain innocence.
• I used my idea of having the set like mise-en-scene in the background for my image on the contents page featuring my male cover star. Without the hat looked more natural and the pose was very relaxed, this showed how I wanted my artist to be seen and presented. I think it meets the expectations of an indie/acoustic fan's personality being quite chilled and happy in their environment.
• I liked the softness of my female artist that was there for my left hand page, so I wanted to reuse that when I placed her image next to my male artist. Using the black from before so they co-ordinated side by side, the close up of her face displayed her soft expression and girlish charm.
• For the DPS I didn't want it to all seem too serious as that wouldn't have captured the spirit of my young target audience and keeping them in mind I used a fun shot to connect to them. The way her hair spun round adds a lot of life to her look and it shows my creativity as a photographer. I think it embody's the youthful appeal I wanted to sustain and keeps to the quirky look of my indie genre.
• I used a second two shot in a medium close up to show their relationship being connected by music. It displays both their faces well and gives a moody/straight attitude that they would have for their writing. I think it projects them as established artists and gives the photograph a sense of professionalism. The co-ordinated black outfits shows the thought behind it and not randomly strung together.
• Again using the set like mise-en-scene I posed my female artist on an upturned box to create a platform, showing she is a high achiever through physical leveling. I really like how bold and in control she looks, the delicate placing of her leg doesn't shy away from her representation on the contents page but doesn't present her as a silly little girl. I think it gives off a head strong impression readers would assume to see from an indie musician.
• I wanted to display her unique outfit more and take the fashion side of it as part of the shot focus. Her individual choice of dungaree styled pinafore dress was something that clearly fulfilled the indie and individual aspect of the genre and representation of artists. Using the box again as a prop really makes her stand out in the shot and shows I am not afraid to use props and set to aid the visual appeal of my photographs. It's the type of idea that would be expected in a real magazine and using this wooden box meant that I could recreate the contents page image to show her link and that it was her in the front of the magazine. It reaffirms her soft sweet edge popular with female musicians.
• I really liked the two shots and in a conventional magazine with lots of imagery you get similar shots that have subtle differences to show it was a full working photo shoot. This gives my DPS collage a more professional edge because it's almost like it's off a proof sheet or photo reel. I really like the way the lighting captures the expressions and creates shadows on their faces. The low key lighting and center framing captures the dark and light effortlessly.
• The close up styled shot of my male artist posing with the bowler hat uses a prop to show his style and keep the British feel I wanted the magazine to have. I think this higher key lighting works well for the closer shots of the face and this one clearly displays how the shadows draw you into his bone structure. Having him look away gives him a shy quality that connotates to 'indie boys' and makes it less daunting or intimidating for the reader.
• For this medium close up I used a horizontal shot rather than a vertical like previously and gives a more spaced out feel. Having my female artist look down the camera lens gives her control, and my male looking at her reaffirms she's the main star of the magazine. It also reinstates his soft representation as shown in the previous image. The lighting picks up their cheekbones and catches their hair in a way that makes the photograph seem as thought it could be in a conventional magazine.
• I finally used a softer shot for my female artist to avoid confusion of her being dominating and in demand. I had her look down and seem thoughtful to show a sense of reflection that she would have in her work (her music) and how she feels as a person. This connects to how the female readers will be feeling as the age they are and shows she is on the same level as them, giving her a likability factor needed to sell magazines and her music. By doing this I have shown I am able to relate to my readers feelings and aspects of their life that they would seek some kind of similarity or resemblance from those they admire or aspire to. This connection makes sure I met the conventions of the genre and shown my artists in a way the media stereotypes them in society as hard working and philosophical of themselves and the aspects that surround their lives. 

Overall I used a total of 12 photos to give a variety and show my ambition with this project. Having a range of shots too choose from gave my more time to experiment and create a collection of beautiful images that meet the requirements for my target audience. I think I successfully managed to obtain a series of images that meet the brief's needs.

Additional Photos: Dom

Although I have taken over 800 photographs for my magazine using a professional camera and studio, I felt I needed some more down to earth a natural shots of a male indie musician. Going off of looks and style I chose my friend Dom to pose for me. I was going for a more urban, real life, street kinda theme, however the mise-en-scene of the photographs location didn't work for me as well as I wanted it too. I was disappointed with the outcomes of my shots as I don't feel I did enough to make them look interesting or current. I think I posed them too 'boring' and although I planned to have them looking quite static and plain, my vision hasn't come through in these shots here. Another issue was due to the poorer quality of camera, touch ups and editing was far more difficult to do and looked very fake and unrealistic to the conventions of a magazine. 

My Photography - The Full Shoot

For my magazine shoot I used my friend Kiera as my model. I chose her because she has the 'look' that I was after for the indie/acoustic genre with her long hair, simple makeup and skinny frame. She's skinny which in the photographs came across as really artist and looked how I wanted it. I chose her outfits, hair styling (I did want to use a heavy plum/dark lipstick to make her ice blue eyes stand out. However Kiera would have had an allergic reaction to the makeup so because of health and safety I decided it wasn't worth it) poses, set, lighting - everything. I did want my male model's T-shirt to be tight fitting however we picked up the wrong T-shirt and it was too late to go back and get the one I wanted. 

These photographs have not been edited or changed, the lighting and effects you see are what was captured on the day. Some parts may be slightly cropped out because of the software I used to upload them with, not because I cannot frame my photographs correctly. Anything that looks obscure like it is missing a section is the programmer not myself as a photographer.

There has been no post production work, the photos are of the highest quality possible to take photographs with, however the edited video (sorry about the length of it) means that the HQ of them might not be as good as if I had individually shown them on my blog.

I used a professional studio and a camera worth £2,780 to take my shots, the set and tripod were all at the studio. 

This was Kiera's first proper shoot so I had to give a lot of direction. The shoot took roughly 3 hours to do and I took around 700 photographs. The only ones I haven't uploaded are those where she blinked in the shot so her eyes are odd. 

Research & Planning: My Music Magazine (Photoshoot Plan)

I created a photoshoot plan for my 'artists' to give them and myself a clear target to work towards. I think this makes it easier to stick to a schedual and any improvisation is seen as a bonus.

People I am Photographing	Where I want to Photograph Them	How I want them to pose/ Look in the Photo	What I want them to wear	When I want to Photograph them
Will	In an outside/graffiti looking urban location.	Very mysterious, charming, not looking at the camera, hand under chin. Stood up but casual.	Shirt, skinny jeans, an oversized jacket, modern/hipster footwear	In a bright outdoor light
Kiera	Either in a studio against a blank white background or outside in a woodland/country location.	Very pretty and Vintage looking to her side or directly down the camera lens. Lots of flowers and soft pastel feel.	Something girlie and vintage that looks cute but original	In a sunny but slightly dawn/dusk feel.
Eloise	In a city looking location (such as Brighton) or an open park.	With her guitar looking daydreaming with concentration. Not looking anyway, profile or from the back or a high angle. Something special in the eyes.	Something hipster mixed with indie vintage. Really personality reflective mixing dark & light colours. Knitted jumper, denim jacket, leggings & casual footwear and lots of accessories	In a daylight but slightly shadowed light.

For my music magazine I have planned to use four different 'stars' to photograph based on their fashion sense and how that relates to my chosen genre of magazine. I will display my photographs in a similar style to COMPANY magazine hopefully creating something with a similar look about it. I have gathered examples of page design layouts I like and thought about how I could intrept this into my own magazine.
The following two pages I really like how they use font type and boxes to create a scrapb booking effect to the page. The first one I think would be best for my contents as it could be changed into a fresh idea for the main features (the people I photograph). The bottom one I think would be a great way to present my chosen artist for the double page spread (my interview) as it shows a simple design idea I could employ myself and create on my own.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9FT6gbzLzA www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyrjq2q9ZpI

Research & Planning: Conventions of Target Audience

Here is my prezi on the representations of indie fans:

I created a mindmap of connotations and words associated with the indie genre:

Research & Planning: Representations in my Chosen Genre

Here is my prezi on the representations of Indie/Acoustic artists:

The other influence on indie music is the words behind the songs - lyrics. They are a story telling/narrative device or pointing out situations in a more literature or poetic way as a stimulus than other genres such as pop music. This is what gives a deeper connection and stronger following of fans in comparison to other genres as it gives a more emotive and larger understanding between the artist and the audience. I think this is something I want to represent in my design work, that the music is the core of the artist.

I found this funny internet picture that works as a diagram for band names. When thinking of names to give my artists on my design work, this formation is something I could use as a tool:

Research & Planning: Indie/Acoustic Genre

The indie and acoustic genre is often defined as Indie folk. This type of music came about in the 1990's after stemming from singer/songwriters from the indie rock music who were inspired by the folk music that was about between the 1950's to the early 1970's. It blended country music with indie rock to create a fusion that is popular in today's music scene, such as English folk rock band Mumford & Sons-who after recording an EP 'Love Your Ground' and performed in small to moderate venues in the UK and US built their audience exposure before recording a well supported album. The have gone on to festivals, sell out concerts, two Grammy Award nominations (one for 'Best New Artist' and another for 'Best Rock Song' - "Little Lion Man"). In 2010 they  won the ARIA Music Award for 'Most Popular International Artist' and a year later snagged a Brit Award for 'Best British Album' and the same year recieved a European Border Award for their international success.

Since from the early millenium the genre has expanded and stemmed into more and more bands and artists that build today's music community. Some artists include: Stornoway, Bright Eyes, Beirut, Bon Iver, The Avett Brothers, Arthur & Yu, Fleet Foxes The Decemberists, Iron & Wine, Okkervil River, Manel, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros,Noah and the Whale, The Mountain Goats, Cloud Control, Boy & Bear and more.

The artists go for a 'lo-fi' aesthetic (i.e., an often deliberate lack of polish and a more "authentic" roughness and imperfection) has often been associated with indie, particularly when slick, polished recordings were the preserve of the commercial music industry; this line has since become blurred, in a world where high-quality recordings can be made increasingly easily with inexpensive computer-based recording systems and where commercial production teams often deliberately utilize a "lo-fi" sound.
The fashion and look of indie artists shows the concern for self-expression more than commercial considerations. Because of this the 'do-it-yourself' sensibilty that was originally seen with the 1970's punk era gives more often than not  internationalist outlook, which stems from a sense of solidarity with other fans, bands and labels in other countries who share one's particular sensibilities.
Small indie labels will often distribute records for similar labels from abroad, and indie bands will often go on self-funded tours of other cities and countries, where those in the local indie scenes will invariably help organize gigs and often provide accommodation and other support.  This strong sense of camaraderie that emerges from a selflessness among indie bands and often results in collaborations and joint tours.

Acoustic music is often just known from BCC Radio 1's 'Live Lounge' where performs out their own stamp on another artist's song by covering it to suit them. This has made the acoustic genre more popular than ever as it comprises music that soley or primarly uses instruments that produce sounds through entirely acoustic means.

This means there is no electric/electronic means to create a sound.
To give the volume needed for mass audience hearing acoustic performers often use electronic amplifiers that are kept seperate from the microphone (which is connected by a wire to an amp) in front of the instrument to amplify it (so the natural sound is still reproduced accurately). This increases the volume of their output singing.
Music reviewer Craig Conley suggests, "When music is labeled acoustic, unplugged, or unwired, the assumption seems to be that other types of music are cluttered by technology and overproduction and therefore aren't as pure."
Using this style is something that really connects to my personal taste of music and how I like the style. My prezi online presentation analyses the look of the artists and how I can use this in reference to my own artists.