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Task 4; Reflecting on my work

Trying to please my Target Audience…

‘Essex Life was the magazine that i had chosen to take 3 photographs for. I purposely made sure the photo’s were taken in Essex, and would appeal to it’s buyers. My most obvious target audience for the magazine is the older generation, as when looking up information about the magazine, they were it’s highest buyers. It’s a known fact that the younger generation wouldn’t be keen buyers of the magazine, as i’m sure that looking at photos of trees and scenery isn’t what they call ‘interesting or fun’. I think the younger audience would find the magazine tedius, however I purposely tried to make my third photo suit a wider audience because of this concept. If younger people were to buy the magazine after seeing my photographs, then i’m sure it would be possible to provide more captions that would appeal to the younger audience and its current buyers also. The magazines main focus is the life of Essex, that including beautiful images of the county’s areas, aswell as information about all that goes on in the area.

A main reason for my target audience being in their older years, is for them to feel part of the community. If you were to look on the Essex life website you are able to join the community within a touch of the mouse. The highs of joining the community is you have a say about all that is to appear in the magazine. After all, the magazines main reason for existance is to give it’s readers what they want. Whether it’s saving well known forest’s in their area, or adapting the magazine to include more things that they want to read about. As my magazine reaches a highly defined target audience i would say the majority are the elderly, therefore they are in their 40+, OAP’s, retired. This is good as these type of people are known to have more spare time on their hands than say a employeed mother of 3. The majority of the magazines audience will be eldery, however their are always other readers, depending on the months issue.

Once i had finished editing my pictures, i then had to exhibit them to the other students and receive positive feedback about the photographs.  For my first image, that being the black and white one of the tree that i took in college, one person called Holly Rejis said: “It was very detailed and although it was black and white is still was bold and eye catching.” Another person called Zoe Ireland said: ” It show’s texture and it was well edited from the beginning to the after photo.” One more person called Jack Wynn said: ” the image is so defined that it looks like a drawing.” On my second picture of the gate and bushes and greenery a few people made a comment on. These comments consisted of ” it looks well nice and green aswell as that “it catches the eye”. My third drawing also got the odd comment which mentioned how it’s good that the focus is just on the feet as it draws you into the photo. And also that: “the clothing the girl is wearing is a good contrast against the colourful leaves”, which was said by Holly Baker and Kendall Stokes.

The context of my magazine…

I carried out the task of supplying my hired magazine three images that they could use. It was a simple task yet like all tasks it had requirements. I needed to take pictures straight away, as I was given the Novembers month issue. That meaning, i needed to take pictures that refer to the November month itself. Of course it was important for me to capture these images in the changing month as it would have to show autumn changing, that showing the leaves falling from the trees, and the dark nights drawing in. I wanted my images to make a statement, aswell as them suiting their purpose.

Would these images be used for the magazine?

I went on the essex life website and looked up some picture they have recently issued in their magazine. Here is the link to it’s website: http://essex.greatbritishlife.co.uk

By looking on their website and in magazine they had issued in previous months, i was able to see if my pictures would be used for the magazine. After looking through a few pictures i knew my images were in the same style. I would say i have met the target. Below are some of the images from last months issue:

My Personal Achievements…

Now that we’re coming to an end with our photographic practice, I thought it would be a good idea to look back on what i’ve learnt over the 3-4 month period and analyse my achievements also.

Firstly, I have become a confident user of the effects photoshops offers, aswell as the wide range of adjustment tools that can be used to manipulate photo’s. When I first started doing the course, i knew nothing about photoshop whatsoever. I think i have come a long way from when i first started out, as i now know several different effects that can make a photo appear much more professional. I honestly never knew what editing a photo could do, and i never knew how much of a difference mucking around with photoshop can make to a image.

Over the duration of the photography course, i have learnt some interesting terms that photographers consider to make there photo’s better. I’ve learnt about the different types of lighting. There is such thing as three point lighting that illuminates the shots subject. I never knew there were different types of lighting such as key lighting, which shines directly onto the subject of the photo. I have also learnt there are three typs of lighting. There is such thing as fill lighting which comes from the side on the photo aswell as back lighting, which brings light from behind, hence the name.

Another thing i have learnt is how using a tripod can benefit your photo/filming. Firstly it can reduce shake, allowing the camera to be held steady. It also gives a good composition and gives you the oppurtunity to be able to take a photo without having to look through the view finder.

I have learnt about thirds. When photographers are capturing images they always consider the ‘rule of thirds’. By doing this it makes them think of the best way to position a person infront of the lens. The rule of thirds, includes nine equal squares visualised in the view finder. I found this picture on: http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds

For example the photographer has put the positioned the persons face in the frame where the lines cross, the horizon is positioned in the upper third section.

My Self evaluation

I personally feel that i have tried my hardest in each task i have carried out.  I also feel i have been well organised, as i time-managed my work well. I have met each and every deadline on time and to a high standard. Also when given feedback on each task, i made sure i was to take it as constructive critism as i knew in the long run, it would help benefit my final grade. I changed all i have been told to, and asked for feedback on the areas in which i could improve for each task.

When producing every photo i did, i made sure i considered the lighting in which i was taking the photograph, aswell as the setting in which i was to use, and whether i was able to apply the rule of thirds correctly. I remembered to think of this as i knew by doing it, it would have a possitive effect on my final image and may even participate in getting a better grade.

I remained optimistic about each task i had to do, and tried to approach them all head on. I followed a sequenced routine when given each task, this involved giving myself different materials, whether it was doing a brainstorm, writing a list of ideas etc. I made sure i knew what was expected to be produced by the deadline, aswell as making sure i knew what is was i had to do to reach my full potential.

I do feel that my ideas were well thought of, especially when i attempted to do my social documentary topic on teen obsessions. I thought long and hard about making my pictures stand out from everybody elses. I know in the long run, that topic was changed as i didn’t feel my pictures were strong enough to get me the marks i wanted, that being a distinction. When taking the photo’s i always tried to imagine i was a photographer and had to deliever ‘ideal’ shots to please my audience. I tried my hardest to consider the angles i would use, the settings i would adjust, and which lighting would benefit each caption. When uploading each photo i had taken i always played around with photoshop or corel paintshop pro, so that my pictures would have the best effects applied to them that was possible to do. I made sure i was adimant that i was happy with each photo before i finished editing.

My Strengths and Weaknesses

i would consider my time keeping as a strength as i always met deadlines for each task. i would also say i was good at making my work better than it originally was. A benefit of being on time with each task was that i could fulfill both strengths and still have good time management.

A strength that was once a major weakness for me is using the rule of thirds. At first i didn’t manage to capture the ‘rule of thirds’ right, however now i can. below is an example of a picture i have taken that has met the rule of thirds.

i have also learnt the method of changing a colour of an object for example the berrys on this photo below were originally like this:

then i edited then to make them red as that it the colour i wanted them, to make them look christmassy.

i would consider my patience with photoshop a weakness as sometimes it can be frustrating when things take so long or things don’t go the way you want them to.

below is a screen grab of me editing a photo;

landscapes:

brainstorm..

i made a brainstorm to prepare myself for the task, i also did it to put myself in order, and know where i am going with the project itself. i know that i have to end up with 5 final images but i didn’t know exactly what i’d want them to be on. so when making my brain storm, i had to figure out different areas of my specialism i could use as potiential ideas to cover and take photographs of. below you will see a picture of me making my brainstorm, aswell as a picture of the final piece. below is my brainstorm of landscapes that i did in class. it shows the areas in which i will be thinking to cover whilst specializing in this specific category.

my chosen genre..

i have chosen landscape photography for my specialism. this type of photography has three recognized styles, they are representational, impressionistic and abstract. the representational style is also known as the straight descriptive style. Landscape photography is all about showing scenery in the best way possible, so that the audience get a feel of the well being of the image, or may even desire to see the view in through more than a camera lens. i’m going to take photographs of different types of scenery. the reason i changed from social documentary to landscape photography was because when looking at images on google, i thought it attracts a wider audience. plus the pictures look more ‘professional’. when researching the topic several ideas came as potential photograph ideas. i thought about using the fields where i live, and taking pictures of the surrounds in my little village. Doing my chosen specialism on landscapes is much easier than social documentary, hence the reason for wanting to change. i wasn’t happy with the images i produced, as i didn’t feel that they looked appealing etc.

My inspiration…

A photographer who’s work i was keen to visualize and keep in mind when taking my own photographs was John Potter. I felt his images were different in an unusual way to Charlie Waites’.

I really like this picture captured by John Potter. I think it’s really cool, the way the texture of the clouds is so visible and also the colours are so dull, yet the contrast of the clouds on the dark sky make the image bold.

This picture is also by John potter. This one is my favourite, i think the angle of which he has taken it is from a low angle. I like the fact the all the colours look so good against each other. And likewise with the other photo, i like how the clouds are shaped and textured. I got this picture off google, the link address is: http://cumbriamagazine.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/jp13_borrowdale-from-walla-crag-22-aug-2008-4045.jpg

My magazine…

I have been hired by ’Essex Life’ magazine to supply 3-5 images of landscaping photography. I have decided to take photographs of things in my village or the village next to me, as i want to keep the images based on one area. i also want the ‘essex life’ audience to know of where i have taken the images, and more importantly, i need to keep the pictures based on Essex as thats what the magazine is all about. my purpose of taking these photos is for me to then show the magazines audience how amazing scenery can be. The context my photographs should cater for is an older audience as the people who by the magazine are in their older years, and into garden or beautiful looking landscapes. I want to provide outstanding images for my audience to ponder upon.

Test shot images:

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My first image:

original photo of a tree in college:

i put the picture in black and white as felt it makes it look more authentic. i also thought by doing this is attracted a wiser audience, mainly because the old fashioned looking photo’s are rare, therefore they are popular because of there rare ability. i then edited it using photoshop, i used the shadow and lighting tool to make the branches look 3d. I also edited it to make the tree look more bold. I did several different brightness and contrasts and a vast amount of hue and saturation’s. after all my editing i produced a changed image that looks like this:

My first final image:

This is my first photograph that i decided to use for my chosen magazine. i wanted to make the photograph stand out and be intense for its audience. i wanted it to catch peoples eye, even if people werent to pick up and buy the magazine, the image would have the intentions of catching their attention. i changed the lighting settings on this photograph  several times, i wanted the picture to be bold aswell as in a way dramatic. i think the lighting looks unreal, however it’s its unusualness that makes the picture half of what it is. i want the readers to see beyond the effects i have used, after all, my reason for doing such striking effect was for the purpose of drawing people into the ‘Essex life’ magazine. i decided to use this photograph on the front cover of the magazine. my reasons for doing this was it’s bold like i said above, which will be brilliant for attracting a higher range of audiences. also, i decided to use this one as it caters for my main audience, (nature lovers) aswell as the fact the picture is a5 size show will be proportioned adequately on the front cover. i want my magazine to be different from all the others, and i want it to be a hand size one. i want people to be able to fit it in their handbags so they can read it on the train, or show to friends without any hassle. my magazine will have a small amount of pages, because after all it’s quality not quantity my readers want.

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My second image:

I took a picture of my friends green, and the gate infront of her house, i thought it was a typical village house, and her garden was good for the creation i wanted to produce.

Making my second image suitable:

in this print screen, i did a depth of feild adjustment as i want the bushes at the front of the picture to be blurred to give an ususual effect. my reason for wanting them to be blurred was because i wanted to show that it’s all significant even if it doesnt always look this way.

the next thing i print screened was a clarify effect, i wanted the picture to look more sharpened and have more shaded areas. this tool gave me exactly what i wanted out of the picture.

this was my favourite adjustment i made to make the final photograph, i thought by using the Historgram Adjustment it really made the picture come alive. not only did it brighten the entire image up but also focused the trees features more aswell as the darkness of the branches etc.

My final second image:

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My third image:

when i was doing teenage obsessions i always have a person in the photograph in some way, whether it was their stomach or face etc. i want to bring a young person into the picture and make it different from all my other nature photos. i decided i would take a picture of my friend standing on a log, in great hallingbury.

Making my image suitable..

brightness and contrast, i wanted the orginal image to be spruced up and look like it was a nicer day than it actually was.

i enhanced the photo as i wanted the carvings and shapes on the log to stand out to make a better final picture.. i also did depth of field again on this photo, like i did on a few others, aswell as used the blurr tool to make the leaves at the back less important as the ones at the front of the photograph. if you look in depth at the photo you should see what i have done.

My final third image:

i took this picture of my friend tiptoeing on a log, i wanted to show that nature can be used in more ways than just the visual aspects. i wanted to show that we need nature for more than just nice photographs. we can perch on nature, stand on it, or just walk through it. i also wanted to get the message across that by tredding on this log, are we damaging nature? so many people approve and dissapprove of different ways to look at things. in my eyes it’s just a piece of wood, but in some one elses it could be a big issue.

this type of picture would go on probably an inside page, or the back page of my magazine, i think it’s a good picture as alot of old people like nature, yet because friend is tip toeing on it, with her ballet shoes, it may appeal to a younger generation. i thought by only capturing the persons feet it would make more of a statement than an entire full body photo.

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task three - teen obsessions!

brainstorm…

i made a brainstorm to prepare myself for the task, i also did it to put myself in order, and know where i am going with the project itself. i know that i have to end up with 5 final images but i didn’t know exactly what i’d want them to be on. so when making my brain storm, i had to figure out different areas of my specialism i could use as potiential ideas to cover and take photographs of. below you will see a picture of me making my brainstorm, aswell as a picture of the final piece.

why social documentary..

i have chosen social documentary photography for my specialism. this type of photography can be emotional, realistic, and is often focussed on small things aswell as worldwide issues. to me, the small things are what i’ll be pointing out. i’m going to take photographs of different emotions, and problems, the two will link by what the problems make the emotives like. the reason i choose to do social documentary is when researching the topic several ideas pondered into my head of aspects i could cover. aswell as the fact, when i looked at photographs produced by  social documentary photographers by using google’s search engine, i felt alot of them weren’t really my cup of tea, and several weren’t really to do with the 21st century, after figuring this out, i thought there seems to be a space in the genre where i could fill it. By thinking this, it made me more determined to make the pictures i take more related to the century we are now in. for example it made me consider taking extreme actions and focusing on things like smoking, drug abuse, and problematic issues that the younger generation face today, and that werent such a bad thing 30 odd years back. i thought by doing this i can in a way show how each generation changes, and show how the importance of an issue or a variety of them can become both minor and major in a short space of time.

i wanted to say there is a photographers who’s work i’m really keen on but i’d be lying if i said there was because the topics they have focused on aren’t really what would attract me to a photograph, i like deep, engaging images that make you intrigued and wonder what the story is behind the image.

creative thinking..

when thinking of what topic i will choose in the social documentary category, i thought about doing something that would appeal to me, after all i am the one creating the images and it’s important for me of all people to have a strong opinion on the topic as well as having a good feeling of the photographs i have captured.

i thought about several topics like anorexia, drugs, relationships, fashion, all the kind of things that are major issues and importance’s to a teenage audience. i know that the older generation feel that their sons/daughters/nephew/niece etc.. are too obsessed with their image, reputation, and the way their peers judge and perceive them. i know this isn’t just the case for younger people but the issue is higher for them than it is for adults, so i thought obsessions are a big thing. i came about the idea of doing it on teenage obsessions, things that we all love, but how would i figure out what teens care most about? i went around the college asking friends of both sexes and asking people i was unknown to, but as you can imagine people weren’t as freely spoken about they love to a complete stranger as i would have wanted them to be. after not much success, i searched google to find an answer. it came about that the new generation are ‘obsessed’ with drinking,  socialising, sex, drugs, music, makeup, and fashion etc.

after figuring out the areas in which road i will need to go down, i had to think creatively how i am going to make these obsessions be shown in a still image. for the likes of some of the loves it was much easier than others..

my magazine…

I have been hired by ’Sugar’ magazine to supply 3-5 images of teenage obsessions, whether they are good ones or bad. I have decided to take photographs of things i feel and other teens think they are obsessed with. my purpose of taking these photos is for me to then show them ‘Sugar’ magazine to make teens more aware of the problems obsessions have on us etc.. The context my photographs should cater for a teenage audience as the people who by ‘sugar’ our girls aged 11-18. Another reason my pictures will appear is to show what the younger generation feel like and get up to, aswell as make people aware that obsessions have a major impact on each individual in some way. And every obsession can have a minor/major effect on our emotional feelings and perspective of life.

test shot #1

i brought alphabet spaghetti from sainsburys & decided i would write some words that refer to a teenage audience on a piece of toast. i chose to take a picture like this as i thought it would be imaginative and original as it’s an unusual idea. i also decided to do a test shot like this as i thought it’d be fun to make which it was aswell as it would attract peoples attention because it is not a typical photo. the picture i feel show’s creativity. this is my test shot #1. i put my message across that being that sex, drugs and rock n roll sells to us teens, i thought by putting it on something so creative, the message would come across as funny aswell as relate to the people it is meant for, that being us youngsters.

originally the photo was like this^^, but the spaghetti juice made the toast all soggy so i have to move everything onto a new plate and not include so many bits of alphabet spaghetti.

test shot #2

this picture was originally three seperate photos as shown below. i edited the contrast and brightness on all three, added in unusual features to make the picture seem more dramatic, and spice things up. the image show’s individulaity, which i feel is something teenagers these days lack. when walking down the highstreet every teenage looks pretty much the same, whether everybody has caked on makeup, white foundation lips or similar clothes from popular retail shops. to me, this pictures show’s a way of standing out. if you look closely at the image you can see, one side of the face is suttle makeup, that including bronzer, clear lipgloss and a small amount of mascara, whereas the other side is much more dramatic as it has red lipstick, red cardigan, pink flower, and heavy eyeliner. i combined the images. the big flowers show confidence, something not many teenagers have much of in themselves. below are the three separate pictures that haven’t been edited and put together, you can see the difference photoshop makes;

this picture was the less dramatic side, it shows how we all come across everyday and how we never really think outside the box. the fashion side is grey as it shows how dull it can be seeing the same thing all the time.

this picture is bright, colourful and dramatic, it’s basically the opposite to the other photograph. it was made to show what a change a touch of makeup can do, and how a change of coloured clothing can tell alot more about someone. teens are so self concious on what other people think, but really everyone is out to outdo everyone elses style. bright colours show statements, a persons appearance can tell you alot about someone..

i personalized this image, added buttons onto the cardigans, and enhanced the makeup and jewellery that little more to show the difference in a wider scale. i did half the face natural looking with ample amount of makeup and then the other side with that little more and less suttle. the reason for doing this, is to show how teenage girls can hide behind makeup, and let it speak for them. it also shows what a big difference the little things in life can make.

test shot #3

below is the original, by looking at the before and after you can see how much of a difference editing a photo can do.

it is a well known fact that adolescence can be for many, a time of emotional turmoil and stress. in the pre teen years, boys and girls experience a huge surge in hormones, development of the major sexual characteristics that we associate with men and women and start the process of the final stage of separation from family and local neighborhood. it is for these and many other reasons that there has been an increase in the number of teenagers who engage in self cutting behaviors.

it is said that the reason this self harming behaviour happens is because it reduces their anxiety, to allowing them to feel a sense of control over their bodies when they feel they have no other kind of control over their lives. others state that it expresses emotional pain for which they have no words or that pain is better than feeling nothing. one of the most worrisome things about self injury is that it can become addictive.

i chose to do an image like this as it wasn’t until i was researching teen obsessions, that i saw how big this one is on the list. in ranked in about 5th place going up against, underage sex & drinking, music, fashion, weight etc. i made this photograph using ketchup and a knife. i adjusted the colour saturation to make the blood look more real and spookier.

test shot #4

i took this picture of my friend charlie. my reasons for doing a picture like this is because these days our laptops and computers are what us teens all live on. whether it’s social networking on facebook, twitter, myspace, or chatting to our friends on msn, it plays a big part in our daily lifes. i choose to take the picture with NME cuttings on his wall in the background as it makes it relate more to the target audience. i also chose to take it infront of the clothes in the background as it’s a typical teenage bedroom, and also shows him doing work.

test shot #5

my aim of doing this picture was to show how self concious girls are about their weight, most people see themselves as fat (right picture) whereas it’s all in their heads and they’re actually looking like skinny (left picture). some people have anerexia in their head.

test shot #6

i went by the little old river in thorley and saw all the mould and lime-scale on the chipped painted bricks and walls. i made my friend sit down by it and position her head as if she was sad and ready to jump off. i wanted to show that life has an effect on everyone and the things in it, whether it’s from a person to an object around a little river.

this picture has had several adjustments made to it, from sharpening to blurring to changing contrasts and curves. my main purpose of editing this photo was to really show the lime-scale, the sticks, and brightness of the girls hair against the background itself. i thought by brighting things up it would show a contrast of the colours.

what i’ve learnt;

theres three things that make a good picture, them being the lighting, the photographer, and without a doubt photoshop.