DEVELOPING PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS - PRACTICAL

In today's lessons we are going to practise taking photographs in a set up studio with artificial lighting and dark background. I am going to take images suitable for my magazine cover which I will then develop. While capturing photographs I will consider lighting, positioning, depth of field and colour in order to obtain successful images. I will be also continuously sharing gained skills with other students which I obtained in AS Photography course. I think this is a good way to do a practical as it allows me to apply and combine knowledge from other subjects. I will be also considering the difference of a portrait image which is slightly different within the media section comparing to photography. 

This is a studio set up which we created in one of the media rooms. We chose a dark grey background, in order to obtain full focus on the portraits itself rather then a busy surrounding. This also allows to easily manipulate the images by cropping them out and placing within different backgrounds. In addition, we also used an artificial light. This was a really important element which allowed us to obtain different exposure effects within the images. However, the overall lighting was quite limited as the room was really dark. This affected the overall compositions of the images.

Here are some examples of photographs which I took at the beginning of the session. The quality of these images is really low and this is affected by the lighting but also incorrect use of camera settings. Within these images I particularly used a setting without a flash, as I thought it would allow me to obtain natural effect. However, this was also affected by wrong positioning of the artificial lighting, as it wasn't fully reaching the area where the image was taken. I also took the photographs from the same level as the models. All these problems affected the final effect which I then decided to improve. Firstly, by spotting all the problems. 

This is the improved version of my photographs within which I tried to use different camera settings and positioning. In the first image the lighting is much better however, the shadow is slightly appealing within the facial area. However, this can be easily developed using editing program. Furthermore, in the middle image I decided to use flash. This worked quite well as the exposure of light is much higher. This allows to capture a clear and bright portrait with a strong but small shadow that can be cropped easily within one coloured background. In addition, I think the last image is the most successful one, as the lighting is particularly balanced while the colours are natural. Although, I think I could improve this image even further on by applying more suitable image within the background that would reflect the school/ college environment. 

INVESTIGATING PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

Here are some screen shots demonstrating today's task, which was based on sharing my own photography skills with the rest of the class. I constructed a presentation which shows variety of different aspects and tips of how to take a successful medium close up shot for our own magazine cover. I particularly included elements such as exposure, depth of field, colour and mood, as those features depend on the successfulness of the image composition. 

I started off my presentation by checking the students current knowledge. I showed two images which we then discussed as a class. The next element was based on demonstrating the importance of light. I found two pictures which show two different examples of lighting used within images. The first photograph contains too much light. This causes unclear facial features. Furthermore, the other image shows a opposite effect. The photograph is underexposed, which means it's too dark. The outline of the main focus is slightly highlighted. (This is effected by limited amount of light) Another important aspect of successful image is the depth of field, which makes the photograph even more clear, allowing the main subject to stand out.  In addition, the depth of field makes the image much easier to manipulate as the background is integrated through the blur, separating the composition into two pieces. 

This is another section of the presentation in which we talked about which elements make the medium close up successful. As a class we came up with different elements such as clear focus on the face, facial positioning, eye contact with the viewer but also exposure of light. Furthermore, I showed my own examples of a medium close up. This is when I introduced the importance of colour composition, as not all photographs have to be vibrant and intense. Through an image of my brother I showed how black and white effect builds up mood of the overall composition. The image also contains balanced amount of light, slight depth of field but most importantly clear focus. In conclusion, I found this task quite useful as I shared as well as learnt new stuff about photography elements.

HEADLINES IDEAS 

Here are some headlines suggestions for my college magazine. I particularly tried to make the headlines catching for the audience. Looking at other school/college magazines helped me to create my own cover stories which will be suitable for young adult audience who attend college or sixth form. Another inspiration source was based on quotations about motivation and success. 

'Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going! - Find out now about NEW revision techniques! '

I particularly like this headline as it's quite thoughtful. While writing this cover story I was inspired by a motivational quotation which I found on the internet recently. This was a really useful source as I think it made the title even more successful due to its direct point. It also makes the viewer think about exploring new revision techniques.

 

'Strive for progress, not perfection'. Exclusive interview with Anna Flinch - graduate of Oxford University' 

This is another headline which is attracting the viewers to read an article from a graduate student of one of the most famous and exclusive universities in England. Applying a quotation from an 'interview' makes the reader see the content of the article. The vague information given makes the reader want to read on. The use of naming a prestigious university might also attract the viewer more, as it is particularly well known.

 
 

'TOP 10 COURSES IN COLLEGES - FIND OUT NOW WHICH ONE IS THE MOST SUITABLE FOR YOU !'

This is an eye-catching headline which is suitable for people who are willing to find out about different popular/successful courses found within colleges. The use of direct address in the title makes the readers want to pursue an interest with the magazine. The use of singling out courses makes the readers want to continue reading as they may want to know what makes the courses so popular/interesting.

 

 

'PANIC EPIDEMIC! ADVISES ON HOW TO COPE WITH THE UPCOMING EXAM PRESSURE!'

 

The use of the phrase "panic epidemic" at the beginning of the headline makes the viewer read on and find out how to cope with upcoming exam pressure. I think this is successful as the phrase seems to be worrying at first, however, the given solutions contradict the worrying phrase. Within this particular headline I could use bold, eye-catching font which would grab the audience with this particular phrase. 



MAGAZINE LAYOUT IDEAS

 Here are some print screens taken of my magazine layout ideas 
for a front cover and the content page of a college magazine. While drawing out the ideas I was trying to apply the knowledge which I gained through all the previous research that was based on analysing different magazines and their successful parts of it. I also looked at college magazines by which I was quite inspired. This allowed me to create my own ideas, which I am going to develop further on using DTP program.

 FRONT COVER LAYOUT - IDEAS

 CONTENT PAGE LAYOUT -IDEAS

RESEARCHING POSSIBLE MAGAZINE TITLES 


'C O L L E G E   W E E K L Y'

This is one of my suggestions for a college magazine title. I think this particular title would be suitable for this type of magazine as it's aim would be to continuously publish news with relation to a particular college. In addition,the title clearly suggests that the magazine would be published every week allowing the readers to be well informed.    

'T H E   E D U C A T I O N A L   T I M E S'

This title was significantly inspired by 'The Times'  newspaper. Despite that the college is a continuation of further education I decided to create a title 'The Educational Times'. I think this is another good example of a title which directly links to a college magazine. It also gives a clue that the magazine would be reflecting the events and news happening within the time spend in college.

'S U C C E S S'  all depends on the second letter 

This is one of my favourite titles which I came up with so far. I particularly like this title as I think it  would grab people's attention. The work 'success' has a powerful meaning as it's something that most people want to achieve, particularly while continuing with further education. They set themselves goals which they want to reach. I think this is a good title for a magazine which would include advises on how to succeed in education and come out with positive results that would to full fulfilment - success. The magazine could particularly cover themes based on revision techniques and examples of top grade work from different subjects. 

'T H E   W E E K L Y   R E C O R D' 

I created this title while thinking about different elements of the school curriculum. One of the main aspects is based on  keeping the record of students development, however in terms of the magazine title the word 'record' would have a significant meaning based on discovering news and events happening within a week time. This would be supported by the eye catching headlines reflecting the content of the magazine. 

DEVELOPING PHOTOGRAPHY SKILLS

This is a development of the photography task that was based on improving photography skills which I will then use to capture a set of high quality images for my own magazine. While taking these photographs I particularly paid attention to the lighting, positioning and angles in order to obtain images suitable for a front cover of a magazine. 

This is the first set of photographs which I captured inside the classroom. The quality of the images is quite poor due to the limited light. I tried to capture images on a white colour background to make the students stand out. This did not work quite well due to different objects appearing within the background. I decided to develop the images furthermore using Photoshop, as this would allow me to apply different backgrounds which would be particularly suitable for the college magazine. 

This is another set of images demonstrating of two male students. Within these photographs I particularly focused on improving the lighting. I think this worked quite well as the images are much brighter and clearer. I also chose props  including a blue folder and a college card. This gave a clear idea that the images are focused on a school theme. However, I think I could improve it even more by taking the photographs in different environment to obtain variety of backgrounds within the school surrounding. 

This is my final version of a developed photograph. I started off by importing the image on 'Ipiccy' program. I increased the contrast and brightness to obtain a better quality image. I also applied an effect which increased warm tones within the image composition. In the next step I used Photoshop in which I separated the portrait from the background. I collected a secondary image representing shelves of text books in a library. Finally, I merged both images together. I think the final outcome is quite successful, as the overall composition looks very realistic. To improve the cover image I should take primary images within different locations found in school. This would allow me to explore which surrounding looks most effectively on a front cover for a college magazine. 

 QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY -INVESTIGATING TARGET                     AUDIENCE 

Here are some images which I took while investigating target audience for my own school/college magazine. My aim was to explore variety of different elements that would make up a successful magazine, enjoyable to read to a certain age group. My research was based on a questionnaire survey which I done using specialist website 'Monkey Survey' but also through handing out the original questionnaires. I techniques allowed me to gather useful information which will then help me to plan my own magazine. 

     ONLINE SURVEY 

    

Here are some screen prints which demonstrate process of the online survey.  First of all, I typed up variety of different questions using the 'Survey Monkey' website. This part of the task was quick and easy as I was able to choose many suitable layouts for different types of questions. Once I finished my questionnaire I send it to other students using email. This allowed me to gather responses which the 'Survey Monkey' automatically changed into result charts for each question. I found this really helpful as it allowed me to analyse the findings clearly.  Then, I applied these findings to my magazine research.

The online questionnaire results showed that most of the respondents were males, however all repliers were from the same year group. This might be seen as a problem as the responds are in the same age group. Nevertheless, the overall results weren't repetitive.  Many of the students responded that they don't usually read school/college magazines. This might show their lack of knowledge of what a good magazine should include. However, as students they stated what they would like to see in a successful magazine. 

Furthermore, the results showed that students would want to see a portrait photograph on a cover page. While some prefer to see a wide shot image. (A portrait image is seen as standard but also in my opinion it's the most effective way to catch people's attention. This is why I am planning to use it within my own cover. Additionally, the colour scheme should be kept bright and eye-catching rather then dark or colourful. The magazine should also include student interaction pages such as puzzles, competitions or word searches. This would be followed by latest/ upcoming news, reviews and images which would make the magazine enjoyable and interesting to read. However, respondents clearly don't want students to be directly involved in the magazine (for example; student interviews).

    HAND OUT SURVEY 

    

Here are some more print screens which demonstrate my own layout version of the questionnaire, which I created using 'Word Document'. I particularly mixed different answer techniques, to obtain different types of responses, I used boxes in more open questions whereas I used ticking boxes in variety of closed questions. The questions were kept the same. Overall, I gathered similar responses to the  online survey.  This only re-insured me about the gained responses and gave me a starting point for my own magazine. This is because the survey allowed me to discover how students would want their school magazine to look  like and what they would want it to contain in terms of content. 

RESULT UPDATE

This is a screenshot demonstrating the update in my survey. The results slightly changed due to bigger amount of answers. The previous results were obtained by people from the same year group. However, this screen shot shows gathered responds from students attending to year 7 and 11. This automatically increases the usefulness of the survey as the results are not biased. Some of the replies are clearly identical to the ones obtained before. For example; within the student interaction section they would want to see variety of crosswords,competitions and games. The layout of the magazine should be kept formal but at the same time easy to read. However, in the front cover image they would want to see an idealistic example of a student for example; a shot while reading or doing any other activity relating to education.  In conclusion, the results haven't been significantly changed, however the usefulness has definitely increased as I gathered replies from different age groups, from the youngest to the oldest. This will now help me to decide my target audience for my own magazine.