Recce

As part of my research, I decided to shoot outside for the other half of my magazine images. As part of this I needed to research local, potential area's for my shoot to take place, I had some idea of that I wanted a woodland area or field as I am using coloured flares therefore as the smoke rises I need a sheltered area so that it looks most effective. Before creating a recce of locations, however I wanted to research the laws on coloured flare use in the UK as I am aware of the potential hazards that may come from using such thick clouds of smoke. I used forum websites mostly, finding a forum discussing the use recently, http://www.pyrosociety.org.uk/forum/topic/7213-is-the-use-of-smoke-grenades-in-the-uk-legal/ This forum was really helpful, taking from this thread I understand to avoid close by roads, the general public and mostly importantly be aware of the health and safety risks such as fire, providing I take this into account I should not have any issues, when it comes to location scouting I will also take these into consideration.

Before beginning my photoshoot I must find locations suitable for my needs, as previously talked about it must be a woodsy area for the flare smoke to be effective however away from main roads and the general public, luckily the two conditions for my location scouting go hand in hand. Other variable's I need to consider are the amount of natural lighting there is, enough space for shooting and flare action and the viability for creating the correct atmosphere in am intending too. My first location search began in a small village not far from my local town, I considered this location as the old pumps looked like good props to incorporate into my shoot however due to the props being in the open I did not think that the natural lighting would work in my favour, I wanted the shoot to happen during dusk as there is still some natural lighting (enough to see) however it is still dark behind objects such as trees to give a gothic feel and I did not see using this location during the dusk period to work in my favour as I would need artificial lighting and there are no electricity sources surrounding the area. Another issue with this location is that it is on a main road therefore a health and safety hazard for those attempting to drive past due to the thick clouds of smoke that will be produced, finally due to this location being in a village there was little to no service therefore if an emergency was to occur we would have difficult contacting the emergency services. Accounting for all of the issues I found with this location I decided to not use it, I didn't want to risk others due to the potential of having an accident.

The next location I looked at was the wood area of a local fishing lake, I wanted to look at this location due to its wood location however upon discovery found that a lot of the woodland had been cut down due tree age. I decided to scout the location anyway to see if there was any potential for shooting, I found huts created with the sticks used from the cut down trees, I thought that this had a lot of potential for using due to the naturistic feel of them however due to the deforestation surround the area there was nothing above the huts and I was considered about the disturbance of nature if I was to set flares off in an area like this, this particular location was also very difficult to get too and so with camera equipment it would be even worse due to its isolated location. After debating further I made the choice to choose my last choice of location due to these locations risks, I thought that the risks outweighed the value of good location potential.

                                                                                                 











                                                                                 

My finale location scout was a woods located near the Longleat forest, I fell upon this location by accident travelling home. Upon arrival I knew this was the location of my shoot, the symmetrical trees of this forest location really appealed to be from a photographer's perspective, not only this but the location was far enough from road to not be dangerous and also out of the publics way to not present a hazard. The location was not too far way from the car park to carry the camera equipment therefore less time would be wasted, as this forest was near to that of Longleat's land I wanted to ensure I would not be trespassing so once returning from the trip I went online and researched where the boarders of their ownership lay, unfortunately I found that this section of woodland was owned by Longleat however one of the top searches informs me that Heaven's Gate is open to the public 24/7 therefore I do not to be concerned. After finding this conclusion I have decided that this woodland will be where my shoot will take place.

Experimenting with test shoots

For my magazine i planned to do two shoots, one in a studio and one outside. For my studio shoot i decided to do test shoots before so that i could see the style of lighting i would need and also play around with using coloured filters over lighting to manipulate the effect used over the photography taking influence from saturated colours and neon themes found in my research on magazine covers. To show the type of cover i am trying to re create, i create a moodboard. Half showing the lighting i was wanting to create and another half showing the make up style i will be using when it comes to really shooting for my magazine. Creating my moodboards really helped to reference when i was shooting, as setting the lighting up to re create the influences on my moodboard i had the ability to look down and find a balance between re creation and new style for individuality purposes.

Once in the studio, i began by setting up the lighting using the model i would be using for my shooting my cover. I took behind the scene photos of what i was doing to show my process, i began with finding a good balance with just using studio lighting, surprisingly i found that just soft box lighting alone was really effective for giving me a spot light effect, which is what i was aiming to do for my real shoot as my model will be wearing glitter and that is what i wanted the focus of my cover to be.
                                                                               On reflection i believe the plain black back ground and one spot light on the model is really effective especially if she has editorial make up on like i plan to do however i believe that a white background would look better with the colour theme that i am planning to do of blues. Unfortunately the white back drop was not available at the time of shooting this however i will use it when it comes to shooting for my cover properly.

To incorporate the neon style that i liked in my mood board, i decided to add coloured filters to the studio filters in use to manipulate the effects possible, i found this really effective also and on reflection i favoured this to my original plain back ground due to how successful the images looked.  The half and half lighting was really effective, helping the creation of some of the magazine covers i had seen however i believe this will be too distracting from the make up i plan to do for my cover shoot therefore when it comes to shooting i will only use one colour to tie in this effect with these practise shots. I was able to manipulate the images by changing the direction of the filters used as well as the angle of the soft box lighting used giving the lighting a new direction which meant the colours met the model at different angles, giving this really cool half and half effect. As i want my images to be from half body and up i choose to head shots and up from my test shots as this will be relatable when coming to re shooting for my magazine as easy to re create if i need too.
                                     


As you can see from the images, these are the behind the scenes, i had two others to help with lighting as i shot as i could not do it all on my own . I believe that using these coloured filters worked well and will also look better when i get a chance to edit them in Lightroom for experimentation purposes to enhance the colours ensuring they are rich in saturation, i will also create a mock title page to show how i am aiming for my front cover to look. By commencing test shots  i was able to create a mock of what my front cover could potentially look like, experimenting with colour as well as the lighting that i plan re use also really helped after doing so much research. Doing these test shots has also allowed me to understand the time scale i will need to shoot and edit before beginning my layout process, i came to the realisation that there are some issues i will need to work on when it comes to shooting such as the studio i plan to use will be booked out a lot as well as that i will need the help of a model and those when i am shooting therefore others may be busy when i am free. however i will ensure to plan before when our schedules are free and collaborate then. I also ran into issues such as not having a back drop and lighting wires being too short to work from where i was shooting but now i have done my practise shoots i know to book out the photography equipment needed and use extension cables if needed. I did shots using both a tripod and without, overall i found that using a tripod worked best for me and will use the same in my shooting as it was successful.

Research reflection

After taking on my primary and secondary research as well as receiving feedback from my FMP, i realised there were many things i didnt take into consideration which i should have. I have now realised i need to include things such as recce's and excessive amounts of research, thinking about every possible aspect of my magazine. However, it is all necessary.  Beginning my primary research i found my interview with a local magazine specialist most helpful, it gave me the confidence confirming that the age range i am aiming for my magazine to reach still read magazines, my questionnaire also helped however on reflection i believe that my questions were too vague and therefore next time i ask more in depth questions which will benefit me more. My primary research also pushed my confidence as my questionnaire stated that majority of those who answered it were more likely to prefer print based magazines over digital which also concludes that i have made the correct choice with my FMP, overall i believe that from my primary research both my questionnaire and interview really benefited me, helping me to understand what was popular in with the age range i am aiming for my magazine to reach as well as understanding that print is still in the mainstream.

Reflecting on my secondary research i believe that this part helped me the most when it came to the content of my magazine such as the layout i will be using, taking influence from other published magazines which had both text based articles and image based publications it helped me to understand and find a balance between the two which i will use for my own magazine, i will also use the magazines as influence when it comes to other aspects such as the fonts used and how they reflected on the style of publication it was. For example; a more formal magazine such as Vanity Fair uses a more formal font like Serif font where as a publication like Paper magazine uses a Regal Pro type face. My secondary research also helped me in the types of articles i plan to do, i wanted to mix things up by stretching my writing abilities to three different styles of writing, which i briefly spoke about in my secondary research blog, in pre planning the amount of articles i will be doing and a rough length of each size as well as how many image based pages i will have it can give me an understanding of the time frame i need to shoot, write and edit before sending to print. Another part of my secondary research was to look at inspiration for potential photography shoots, in doing this my creativity started to show, the inspiration i found i created into two moodboards to show my influence for both my front cover and page spreads. After looking at my photography research i have decided to go with a colour theme in contrast to previous plans to have a black and white cover followed by a bold coloured content inside however for my magazine to remain consistent i have gone with a colour theme instead.

All of the research i have done has been worth my time as i believe without out, it would not have been as thorough when it came to the consideration of my magazine. Without my research i believe i wouldn't have the influence to come up with my photography aspect as well as the content i want to include when it comes to my article writing. Alot of the influence for my article writing came from other bloggers who i enjoy but also from online websites and forums which those across the world can add an input and if i choose to add opinions or quotes from those websites i have found, i will ensure to quote them, adding all of the information of the website i used to ensure that i have not stolen any of the information, i will give credit where it is due. The research i have done is my finale push to be considerate of what needs to be thought of in my magazine, it has allowed me to expand my ideas in ways i wouldnt have thought of before thanks to the influence of my internet research, i was able to pin point ideas i really liked and consider ways i could incorporate ideas into my own magazine such as layout and new ways of filling pages without advertising which i believe will relate back to my target audience well.

 

Experimenting with font

As spoken about previously, when doing my secondary research i fell upon the magazine 'Clash', their title font really stood out to me as inspiration for the style i would like. I believe font is a necessary part of research as a font can relate back to part of a magazines identity, it helps it to stand out on a magazine stand as well as each font being individual to each magazine. 'Clash' magazine's font really stood out to me for its bold stance, the width of the font can capture the page without taking away from the front cover, i believe that the font is very versatile with its simplistic shape however smaller details have been added such as A line cuts to each letter giving a more modern twist but also adds a masculine feel on such a simple font. To begin my research i began researching type faces to see different variations of regular fonts used in hope that i can find something similar.

In doing my research I came across the typeface family know as 'Neue' which is a variation from the sans serif family, I really liked this font as it had a bold stance, however the fonts design made it seem like it had a squished like effect and i didn't think this would reflect well on my front cover as it would seem as if i didn't have a have the room or page space.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               


The next font i looked at was called 'Houschka' I liked this font as it had the elements that appealed to me from the font found on the cover of 'Clash' however is original enough that it isnt going to look similar. Houschka medium is clear to be read as a title from far away and has the bold stance that im looking for, this font is different as it has a minimalistic edge to it with clear letter spacing as well as the font size being more dainty to look at.

Another font that really caught my eye was in fact completely different from anything previously talked about, 'Gloss Drop' really caught my eye due to its hand writing-esk appeal and i am beginning to think that my magazine will have, i want my magazine to have scrap book style to it after my research. 'Gloss Drop' has complexity to it that will be hard to replicate however i believe due to the popularity i have found with fonts similar to this on quotes i have found online i believe i will be able to duplicate it to a good standard. As you can see from my image, the font is quite difficult to read which my but readers off of my magazine therefore i will use this font as influence however i believe i can find something better.

Once looking at a variety of fonts that really appealed to me, i took it one step further using the website Dafont.com which is a archive of typefaces which are usable to the public (AKA me). I then began to find potential fonts using in the inspiration from above to ensure that they are the characteristics i liked. Opening photoshop i began to download fonts i believe fit the criteria before comparing them side by side to see which ones i like best, here you can see the name of the fonts as well as them side by side. Overall i believe that my stand out font choices for my Title are either 'Jennifer Lynee' 'Budidaya' due to their hand writing styles, i think that 'Blackout sunrise' is too difficult to read especially is the font is too far away. I do not like 'Throw my hands in the air' or 'Xtreem' due to their appearance, i believe they are too common but also have an amateur appearance, the same could be said for 'Serenity.' When comparing the fonts i needed to ensure that the font i choose kept with the ascetic of my magazine, as font plays a large part in the first impression to a reader, i believe this is why i am drawn to the two fonts i am. They both reflect the laid back style i am trying to portray, which is funny as when you reflect on my beginnings on font research I set out for a masculine bold font instead of what i have chosen.

After narrowing down my font search, i then experimented with what my title would look like if i used my potential font choices. The title of my magazine is Metamorphosis or Met for short, i have chosen this title due to the definition. Metamorphosis represents re-birth and constant renewal which i would like my magazine to reflect as it continues to develop and grow with the changing times therefore i believe that my font should be timeless with an effortless feel to it. As you can see from the image on the left, the fonts are not too dissimilar, Budidaya (the bottom image) seems to be bolder and more fitting to my original favoured font characteristics however the font above seems to have a more natural flow to the font, i like the relaxed hand writing style of this particular font however my only concern is that it may be difficult to read. After contemplating my choices, i believe i will attempt to work with my first font for now and work on receiving feedback before sending my magazine to print to see if it needs to be changed or not by doing surveys. Once my front cover font had been decided, i needed to consider what it would look look with images behind it, i will do this later using images from my test shoot as it will be a true best on if the font works with my ascetic, however i wanted to ensure i knew what size was accurate for print size that was also readable. For this i did the basic, considering what size i would need when it came to my layout process using InDesign, just for reference, When it comes to my print work I will do a follow up blog post, for the use of InDesign to make the clarity of my font easily readable it will need to be a very large size, 85pt or higher to ensure that the font is crisp.    


                                  

Secondary research results

As for my secondary research results i began by using the internet for such activities as researching bloggers who inspire me with the content they write as well as researching 'indie' branded magazines with smaller branding however strong reading audiences, as i found this to be most successful after my primary research. I created a mind map which included editorial make up and designs as this will be part of my creation process (shooting for my cover and page spreads) looking for inspiration for more editorial style make up as i envision a bold front cover with black and white images inside with a minimalist design set up in doing this i was able to create a mood board style visual piece which can help when when it comes to shooting. After this i began researching photographers through Google, i did this to find styles i like for the content of magazine, after researching i have changed my mind instead planning to do a black and white cover with my inside cover having the image in full colour to show the contrast. I plan for my cover to be monochrome and contrast the contents inside full of colour and saturation. After conducting my research on photographers i found the inspiration from a photographers Instagram page Brandon Woelfel who used coloured flares in his work, i instantly loved it and have decided to incorporate this into my magazine. After looking at other photography work that used flares as well as sparklers i knew i wanted to incorporate this into my work for my double page spreads as the vivid images were ascetically pleasing to look at.

As i will be shooting outside for this work, i will need to create a recce, however i will do this in another blog post once scouting out my potential locations for shooting.

After researching for the photography aspect of my magazine i began researching the content of my articles, i have made the choice to write two opinion based pieces on two very different subjects. One will be a news based piece talking about the recent discovery that government funded 'tampon tax' refunds was given to an anti abortion organisation. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tampon-tax-fund-life-anti-abortion-charity-shocking-bpas-a7663016.html
Another writing piece i am choosing to incorporate into my magazine is a poem, i have decided to do the poem based mental health as the images i am planning to take with the flares can be used really effectively showing imagery which can reflect the words used. For my research on mental health poetry i used the website http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poems/teen/mental-illness/ to study length as well as which poems were most successeful and therefore most popular on the website. For my final writing piece within the magazine i have made the choice to do a review on the newly released online streaming showing '13 Reasons Why', i have decided to do this as I think this will fit really well with the mental health poem i have decided to do, as '13 reasons why' deals with the subjects of Suicide, Rape and other harsh issues in today's society as well as the shows storming popularity since being released, I believed a review would fit well with me writing about why the subjects in '13 Reasons Why' needed to be included, no matter how uncomfortable they maybe. As part of my secondary research for this article i began by researching the different varieties of articles written about '13 Reasons Why' for reviews to articles studying the choices of music used, two arcticles that really stood out to me were http://www.teenvogue.com/story/the-importance-of-13-reasons-whys-use-of-british-post-punk-and-elliott-smith - this article studies the importance of the music used during the show, which is a key element in building up to the pinncle episode. Another article i really enjoyed was this; http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/04/13-reasons-why-review-netflix-teen-movies-tv-shows-say-anything - which touches bases with all the successful points of the television series.

Next on my quest through secondary research I began studying layout and font type of existing magazines to began the physical creation of my magazine. I began by studying layout, for this I used the website issue.com which is a website with an array of magazines online. Whilst filing through the archives of various magazines i found one called 'Local Wolves' which by coincidence had a feature piece in this months issue on Brandon Woelfel, my inspiration for my photography work. Once looking through the magazine, i felt inspired by the positioning of text and images in a style that could almost relate to that of a scrapbook as well as the fact that the font that seemed personal, like hand writings almost.

The next magazine i looked at was Ruse magazine, once finding this magazine there was nothing i found be be hugely influential or inspiring to me about it accept that the layout of images was something i really liked, not only this but the magazine included a poem. Something i plan to include in my own work therefore it was interesting for me to see the layout of the text, which i really enjoyed with this featured poem.

Once taking into account layouts that provoked inspiration i then began to look at font inspiration for my titled front page as part of my research. For this I found inspiration from the font used on the cover of Clash magazine, as i want my magazine to be bold and a statement piece I wanted my title font to have a strong structure to it which could be adapted certain ways depending on the lighting used and how the model was positioned. Clash magazine really stood out to me as a the title was used in a variety of ways but maintained a confidence and bold stance with the name. Since i have now began researching the types of fonts i like i will continue to research using the website 'Dafont' which contains a library of downloadable and usable fonts in which i can manipulate the fonts to change their formats and sizes.