Final Magazine Layout

Possible Double Page Spread Images

After taking lots of photographs at nighttime, I have edited together at collection, which I need to reduce down to 3 images (1 landscape image for my title page, and two portrait images for the second double page spread).

I like this photograph because of how the lighting has shone on the models face. The slightly directional lighting has cast a small shadow on the right hand side of his face, which makes him look mysterious. I also like the edited 'bokeh' which forms nicely in the background.

I'm not too sure I like this image, for the reason I feel it is too contrasted in representation of the other images I have edited. The lighting falls well on the models face and the 'bokeh' in the background is kept to a minimum, meaning the model is the central focus.

This is the edit that I feel like I will be using for my final double page spread title page. I edited together an image of the model standing against some 'bokeh' from buildings in the background. I then added some more 'bokeh' in the left hand side of the image. The title "City of Colour" came from the appearance of the 'bokeh' in the background, and the different colours that glow from them. As these were all shot in the city of London, I felt it was fitting to include something about the location in the title.

The blur is off on this photograph, but I wanted to include this as a possible final image as I love the formation of the 'bokeh' in the background, rather than it being spread, it is very concentrated.

This was the image I edited the most. This has a total of 5 layers, including the background layers, to formulate this cityscape inspired image. In the background is the Shard and the Tower Bridge, and the light being exerted from these was fitting to include in my background. However, I am not overly keen on the overall colour of this image, as I feel it is too bright and colourful against the dark shadow on my models face. I have tried to lighten the contours of his face using Levels and Curves, but to not avail without blowing the entire details of his face out.

The same applies to this image, the models face is too dark in comparison to the background. Therefore, I do not think I will be using this image in my final edit.

This edit looks too obviously 'edited', so to speak. The right hand side of the model is too bright in comparison to his dark jacket, so you can see an obvious join between layers.

This photograph was taken at Canary Wharf, and we used an external light off a mobile phone to light the models face.

I think I will use the above image, and the other image displayed taken at Canary Wharf, to make my second double page spread, as they are barely edited, but both include inspiring, colourful bokeh which represents the theme "City of Colour".

Female Photoshoot

Yesterday, I took back to the studio, and decided to take some Spring themed photographs with the female model I was originally going to use for my final magazine. I hired a MUA and she designed a bright pink and lilac look to match my models blue dress.

I didn't feel that this shoot worked as well as my shoot with my male model. The MUA took a long time (but a short time respective to what I have seen other MUAs take), so the 2 and a half hour studio slot was not enough to take photographs. In the end, after setting up my lighting and studio set up, and the model getting changed and the MUA doing her work, I had 30 minutes to pack up and take photographs before my time ended. I didn't feel that it was the most successful shoot I have done to date, which is rather annoying, as all the studio shoots I have done so far have produced some really good, ascetically pleasing photographs.

Above, are my edited photographs that I have retouched in PhotoShop. I duplicated my layer and applied the Gaussian Blur tool. This perfected the models skin as there as some shine from where the make up was hit by the studio lighting. This made my model look airbrushed, which is the normal thing to do in magazines. I actually preferred the look, as it made my model look perfect.

Cecil Beaton

After changing from female to male model, I have been given the chance to reshoot with the original female model in the University studio before my deadline.

After researching the work of Jane Bown a few weeks ago, in regards to my male model and how I was going to edit the photographs of him, I decided to look into another iconic black and white photographer who used subjects and shadows to gain depth into their photographs. Cecil Beaton was a photographer who shot images of subjects such as Queen Elizabeth and Elizabeth Taylor (above). His iconic style makes me want to look into how I photograph my model and the way I use light to create depth within my images.

My original theme was Spring, which was later ditched due to the changing of models and the way which Spring could not be used with a male model as well as I thought. However, now I have this opportunity to continue this idea, I wanted to look at this iconic image of Beaton's which I recognise as being one of his most famous images. The pressed flowers and leaves which have seemingly been suspended in the background of the model represent the idea of Spring, and although the image has been shot in black and white, I feel the colour that was probably there to be brights that are associated with Spring (orange, yellow, blue, lilac!)

Typography Advertisement

When placing my font down on my advertisement, I had to think about all aspects of placement and look, to try and replicate the real Lynx advertisements that we see in the media. Placing text has been so difficult for me during this assignment, as it was something I didn't need to think about. I downloaded a vector logo off Google, and placed this in the bottom right hand corner of my image. I was then going to copy the 'Even Angels Will Fall' logo that they use on all their Lynx Excite advertisements, however, I wanted to keep some originality. I therefore, downloaded a font called Ultimate Midnight, and wrote 'Excitement Will Fall', as a spin on the well known slogan.

FONT:

http://www.dafont.com/ultimate-midnight.font?text=Even+Angles+Will+Fall

Typography Front Cover

I decided to use the font that Vogue use themselves. I was originally going to call my magazine 'Rogue', so then I did not copy the magazine completely, but Rogue means a con man, so I didn't think it was best suited. I used Google Translate to translate the word 'man' into homme to make it sounds more stylish.

I used the font 'Baskerville Old Face' when typing my text in, and lower the opacity. I was going to use the clear brush and erase the text from above my models head, but because of it being so dark, all that was left was the V and E, which looked ridiculous.

Sam Bokeh Editing

I shot my images in RAW, so therefore, I had to open them up in Camera RAW on my laptop. Using Camera RAW means I have so much more control over my image and how I work with them. I used the healing brush to clear up the skin and get rid of any stray hairs and spots that were on my models face (I wasn't going to ask my model to go through a strict beauty regime before the shoots just to save time editing this way!). I then noticed that because of the lighting that we used in the outdoor photo-shoot, the face was not bright and blending into the bokeh background. I selected the face and used the brightness to make the face brighter, I then used the clear brush tool to blend and make it look one. I shot extra bokeh on a separate occasion when I was in London, and overlayed this in the background. I then erased the bokeh to make the models face come back into the frame and become the centrepiece of the image. After I was happy with where the bokeh was placed, I colour balanced the image to make it less orange and red and become more like natural skin tone. 

Editing in Camera RAW

Using the healing brush to clear skin

Clearing bokeh

Adding bokeh

Clearing shine from eyes.

Brightness and contrast

Adding contrast with curves

Typography Research

For my research into typography, I am going to look at some front covers for male fashion magazines, as well as female fashion magazines, double page spread articles and advertisements for Lynx, Sure andRight Guard.

I love the background that has been placed onto the image here, however the text is minimal. The printed bottle is the main focus of the advertisement, so that people are drawn in and can see the what the bottle looks like, so they can go out and purchase it.

The text on this advertisement is really bold and big, so the viewer can see the advert from a distance. I love the simplicity of all of Lynx's adverts, as they are a successful brand, so therefore, do not need to promote extensively.

Lynx are known for their raunchy advertisements and sexually provocative hidden meanings within both their printed and video advertisements. I did not want to take this approach when photographing for Lynx, as I did not want to concentrate on solely portraiture. The text on here looks the same as the Lynx logo, which matches their mantra and makes it easily recognisable.

I decided to research into the advertisement used by Sure, as Lynx never seem to use bottle of their product in their advert, just women models in underwear. I like the advertisement produced by Sure, the  'ice cool' surrounding makes the bottle look in place, this is something I want to do with my Lynx bottle, make it look like it belongs to the background.

I decided to look at Men's Health Magazine for ideas on how to create a busy magazine cover, which is something I have not researched into. My composition that I have created using the studio would not really help, as the model here is shot from the waist upwards and does not photographically take up the whole frame. My photograph does, so therefore, I do not think it will be possible to add a lot of text to the cover.

I love this style of magazine cover, a simple layout with the photograph being the main focus. I think I will produce something that is like this, as it makes my photograph the main attraction.

When I was trying to produce my double page spread layout off the top of my head, I found it difficult to get started and my text looked to be all in the wrong places. I researched into the articles that Vogue produce, documenting celebrities or fashion trends, and took some inspiration from that. With how I have taken and edited my photographs, I do not think that producing a full blown article would be beneficial for the layout. Therefore, I am going to take the majority of the inspiration from the double page article below in terms of composition and text placement.

I am going to take great inspiration from this in terms of how the text has been placed. I feel that adding the text in the bottom left hand corner would be best suited, as my photograph is right hand sided (my model has been placed on the right hand side.

Bokeh Shoot

Bokeh in Japanese means "blur", they are out of focus highlights. I used my 50mm f/1.4 on my Canon 60D and took out of focus images of the lighting from office blocks and pubs that were on our street. These were valuable images to overlay onto my double page spread images.