Analysing my first set of photos

                                                        IMAGE1
This is not a good location for the front cover of my music magazine as it has no relevance to music at all. However, if i didn't take the photo in this location i would not have come up with the pose, and i think that the pose would work well on my front cover if it had a different background. The lighting in this photo doesn't work very well either because it is coming from behind her so her face is not highlighted. This takes some of the quality away from the photo as her features are not the main focus. It is a medium long shot, this would work for my magazine because i would have enough room around it to write and insert pictures.

                                                      IMAGE2
The hair and makeup in this photo would work really well for the pop genre i was thinking of doing. I think it would work better if i could explore on elements whether or not i could make the grass a bit greener to lighten the photo up without it looking too edited. It is a medium close up shot which is good because you can easily see her features and the pop style makeup and hair wills stand out and this is one of the ain things that will appeal to my target audience. The clothes i have chosen for the model work really well but i could have chose a better time of day so that the reflector i used would have been more effective.

                                                       IMAGE3
This image is the most genre based photo. The costume, instrument, makeup and background all work in harmony to create the look of a country magazine. I asked her to smile/laugh because i wanted to show that she was enjoying herself. Maybe the photo would have been better if the sun was out but i couldnt control that,  however the tree and grass in the background lighten up the photo a little bit. I chose to do a medium long shot so that you could see her guitar which adds to the musical country genre.

Evaluation of key skills

Evaluation of key skills
So far, in media studies i have learnt a lot about photography such as the rule of thirds, and how important lighting and sharpness is when taking my own photos. I've learnt how to pose a model in different ways depending on the genre of the magazine and its target audience.
 I have also got to grips with a lot of key terminology for magazine analysis which has allowed me to write more confidently about magazines that are already out there.
I've learnt a lot of skills on photoshop like how to make people look flawless and correct imperfections, and how to screenshot which has been very useful when i'm blogging.

I am getting more confident with the concept of signs and representations, how most things have a hidden meaning or symbolise something else. I understand how different magazine genres follow codes and conventions which help the reader know who the magazine is aimed at and decide for themselves what genre it is. I've learnt more about how to post my photos onto Flickr which is useful as people can comment on how i can make my photos better in the future.

Contents page

My contents page is similar to others i have seen in that it has pictures and words. The fact that there are lots of pictures shows that it's aimed at a younger audience because they would rather have things to look at rather than having to read. 

Selection and rejection

Research into music magazine front covers

MAGAZINE1




















                                                                             


The masthead is in sans serif font which is simple and readable, perfect for the magazine's young audience. The 'W' is in a different font to the rest of it, this makes it look different and also links in with the speech bubble it's in.









This is the banner along the top of the magazine. It appeals to its target audience because it makes the front cover very cluttered so they have plenty to look at.


This is the main image on the magazine which is appealing to children/ teens because the celebrities are well known to that age range. The quotes make the reader  want to buy the magazine and see what its all about. The shot type is a mid shot which leaves plenty of room to pile writing on top.






"Hot! Hot! HOT!" adds another font to the front cover adding to the cluttered look that appeals to its younger audience. These are also buzz words used to appeal to younger audiences.


"The X Factor" is a recognised logo which will make the target audience want to pick up and buy the magazine to find out what is going on so that they can be up to date with their friends.



                                                                                                           This magazine also has a fashion section which will appeal to the younger female audience. This also has a lot of pictures and different fonts adding to the cluttered look of the front cover.






This is the pug. it shows the price, date, issue number and website.

This is a banner along the bottom which shows more of whats inside and makes sure every inch of the front cover is filled.






This shows some of the posters that the reader will get inside the magazine. As it is aimed at a young female audience they love to plaster their bedroom walls in posters of their favourite celebrities and this will encourage the reader to buy the magazine because they're popular celebrities among the younger audience.





Perrie Edwards of Little Mix is a popular role model of the younger female audience. Seeing that they can "Look like PERRIE" will encourage them to buy the magazine to reveal the secrets on how to look as perfect as a well known celebrity.

Harry Styles will appeal to most of the young female audience so by having him on the front they are likely to sell a lot of copies and maybe pick up some new readers. The quote will make the audience want to read inside because it's an unanswered question which will become clear if they buy the magazine.