Photography planning

Cover imageCamerawork:I want the image on the cover to be a medium close up shot. This will mean that the main focus of the cover will be the artists face, drawing attention to them, and quickly informing the reader that there’s an article about them. A medium close up also suggests more intimacy, conveying the idea that the article is going to be very honest about the artist, and that the reader is going to get a good insight into their life. Readers want to relate to the artists, so they want to be able to see what’s happening in their lives.

Example of a medium close up shot:

Mise-en-scene:The background of the image is going to be plain white, with no accents or designs. I want the featured artist to stand out from the background, and I don’t want the background to distract the reader’s eye so that they look at that instead of the artist. There also isn’t going to be any props in the image, so that the artist is the focal point of the image. They will be looking directly into the camera, making eye contact with the audience, so that the reader feels like the artist is making an intimate connection with them. The character in the image will be the artist, who will be female, in order to target female readers, as more females responded to my survey. She will be wearing black, so that she fits in with the colour scheme of the magazine, and is contrasted to the white background. I’m going to use key lighting and fill lighting to make sure that her face is well lit.

Studio set up:

Contents page main image:This image is going to be of a band featured in an article within the magazine. They are just releasing their second album, and so are still quite new to the music industry.

Camerawork:The photo is going to be a medium long shot of the band in order to fully get in the whole band. I want the angle to be eye level so that the photo looks more natural.

Mise-en-scene:Characters:The characters are going to be a band of 3 members. They are going to be acting naturally rather than posing, as I want them to come across as relatable to the audience.

Costume & props:Instead of being styled to all look alike and match, they are going to wear stylish clothes which allow their individual personalities come through. They won’t be using any props, as they’re not going to pose, and I don’t want them to appear unnatural with the props.

Location: The location is going to be an urban setting, so that that the audience get the impression that they are current and new, which is the type of music that the magazine advertises.

Contents page sub image: The sub image for the contents page is going to be a collage of album covers, which are going to be included in the reviews section of the magazine. This is similar to the contents page from Q magazine, which I looked at in my textual analysis. I’m going to use 4 album covers, which I will make on Photoshop. They’ll be arranged together in a square to keep the contents page looking organised. I’m going to design the covers so that they look like they’re from different genres, showing how diverse the magazine is. Cover 1:The first album cover is going to be a pattern, with no people included. I’m going to shoot photos of glow sticks in the dark to create patterns. I’ll move the glow sticks around in front of the camera, and use a slow shutterspeed to capture the movement, as this will create lines of colour and patterns. Then, I’m going to Photoshop the images to change them and create a symmetrical pattern. I want this album to be appear to be a more artistic album, representing the alternative genre.Examples of how my original photos will look Examples of how I want the outcomes to look

Camerawork: The camera is going to be at eye level, so that I can fully capture the patterns that the light makes. Mise-en-scene: The background will be black so that the colours fully stand out. The colours will be bright, like blue and orange.

Cover 2:This cover is going to be a pop album, as pop also received a high response on my survey. As pop is a very wide genre, I decided to research recently release pop albums (within the last 2 years) to see what design they use.Examples of pop albums:

There is an obvious similarity in these albums. While they’re all different designs, they all have the artist(s) on the album cover. I will include this on the album cover that I make, so that it fits in with the genre. This photo will be shot in a photography studio, so that it is professional.

Camerawork:I’m going to use a close up shot of the artist. She will be looking directly into the camera, which will be at eye level, in order to establish a connection with the viewer.Mise-en-scene: The character is going to be a female artist. She will be wearing bright colours, like blue, to suggest that she is happy, and that the album is going to be fun. The background will be plain black, to contrast the happiness portrayed through her clothing, suggesting that there will also be more serious moments that discuss more honest topics. Her make up will be light, with just foundation, eyeliner and mascara, and her hair will be natural and loose, in order to show her youth, and help her to connect with the younger target audience. She will wear a wristband with the name of a different artist on, in order to show her love and appreciation for music.

Cover 3:The third cover is going to be for an indie band, as this genre received the highest responses on my survey. As the name of the genre suggests, the band will be an independent band, so they won’t have the funds to be able to afford a professional shoot. Instead, I’m going to take photos outdoors of the sun setting, which I will then edit on Photoshop to include the name of the band and the album name. This photo could be difficult to get, as I will have to wait for just the right time of day.Examples of the sunset photos:

Camerawork:The photo is going to be at eye level, so it looks like the audience is higher up in the sky, giving them a feeling of importance. It will be an extreme long shot in order to fit in as much of he scenery as possible.Mise-en-scene:The photo will have deep space, so that the reader feels like they’re looking out into the distance. This also creates a more3-dimensional image, which will be visually appealing and appealing and will catch the reader’s eye. The colours used will be natural colours of the sunset; red, orange and yellow. These colours have positive connotations, and will make the reader feel happy. However I also want to include a contrast by having the bottom of the image be shadowed, and appear to be like a silhouette.

Cover 4:This cover is going to be for a rock album, due to the positive response for the genre on my survey. I decided to research rock album covers that were recently released (within the last 2 years) to get an idea of what is conventional for the genre.Examples of rock album covers:

From this research, I found that rock albums tend to be very different. Some artists appear on the cover of the album, while some choose to use artistic representations of their album and the themes. My idea:I’m going to take inspiration from both ideas presented on rock covers. I’m going to use a photo of the artist, but I’m also going to create a more artistic representation of the album. To do this, I’m going to use double exposure. I will take a photo of my artist, then use double exposure to put a landscape image on the cover too.Examples of double exposure:

This image is going to be my main inspiration. To me, it represents the man being stuck inside his own mind, and trying to find a way out. I’m going to create an image similar to this in order to represent the same theme, which is going to be a parallel to the theme on the album. This uses the idea of portraying the album’s theme through the cover, as well as having the cover contain the artist, which I discovered during my research.

Image 1Camerawork:The first photo that I need to take will be a portrait photo. I’m going to use a close up shot to portray intimacy and create the idea that the album is going to be very honest.

Mise-en-scene:The background of the portrait will be white, so that there is no distractions, and the artist will be the main focus of the photo. The character will be a female artist. She will be wearing minimal makeup and will have natural hair, to show that she has a laid back appearance. She will have no props in the image with her, and her clothes won’t be very visible, so that the focus of the image will be only her face.

Image 2Camerawork:The shot is going to be an extreme long shot, in order to show a balance between the character and background.

Mise-en-scene: The photo will be shot in a rural area with lots of trees, so that the character looks like they’re in the middle of nowhere. The character will be wearing plain clothes, as I don’t want them to be the focus of the image.

Double page spread main image:The article is going to be an interview with a new male solo artist. The main image is going to be a photo of him alone, as he’s a new artist, and including other people in the photos may confuse the audience, as they won’t know who is the focus of the article.

Camerawork:I want to have a medium shot of the artist as the main image. The shot will be close enough that the audience will feel like they’re close to him, but there’ll also be a bit of distance, creating an air of mystery around him. The shot will be at eye level, so that he can look into the camera and create a connection with the audience, making the article feel more personal.

Characters: The only character in the image will be a male solo artist. He will be an indie artist, as this genre was the most popular on my survey. He’s new to the music scene, and this article is to promote him and his debut album.

Costume & Props:The artist will be dressed in a very simple way, rather than being dressed up too much, so that he is portrayed as a serious artist. However, his clothes will be stylish in order to show that he’s current and up to date with the times, so that the reader’s will be interested in him and will want to read the article to find out more about him. To do this, he will wear black jeans with a t-shirt, and a fashionable coat. He won’t carry any props.

Location:I want him to be stood against a wall outdoors to create an urban atmosphere. This will make him appear to be more normal and down to earth, as a studio shoot would make him look very professional. If he’s presented as normal, the audience are more likely to relate to him, and will have more interest in him as an artist, so they’ll read the article.

Double page spread sub image:The sub image is also going to be of the featured artist alone, in order to show that he’s the focus of the article and to draw the reader’s attention to him. He will be sat down writing in a notebook, which will parallel the interview, where he mentioned his song writing notebook that he carries everywhere in case he thinks of a song idea. This will portray his creativity, and representing him as a genuine artist to the audience.

Camerawork:The shot is going to be a long shot of the artist. He will be sat down, and his body will fill the frame, making him the focus of the image. I’m also going to use a low angle shot, in order to make him appear bigger, and therefore more important, representing the large impact that he’s going to make on the music industry.

Characters:The character will be the same artist as in the main image. No other characters will be in the image with him, in order to make him the focal point of the double page spread. This time, he won’t look into the camera. Instead, he’ll be looking down at the notebook, to represent how determined he is, and to show the audience how important music is to him.

Costume & props: He’s going to wear the same clothes as in the main image. He will have a notebook and pen as props, which he will be using, as this will portray him as creative to the audience, and links the image to the interview.

Location:He will be outdoors in an urban environment. This will show the audience that he feels inspiration everywhere, and will act on it wherever he is, showing his passion for music.

Locations to find:• Photography studio• Urban setting (e.g. city centre)• Rural setting (e.g. woods)

Props needed:• Glow sticks• Artist wristband• Notebook & pen