PLANNING TASK 7: Contact Sheet Photo shoot 1

These are the first images I had taken, these were not originally planned as I had first decided to take images of another model, but as I had to practise taking some shots to see what would work best and lighting alteration etc. I had taken these and was happy with the result, therefore thought it could be used for my work.

I had first taken images of the wall only, as I thought this could probably work well for a background as it is plain yet creates a very bold effect due to it being a brick wallpaper, but looks realistic and so I thought this would work for an R&B genre.

I had turned off the room lights and put the flash light of the camera on to test lighting and brightness etc. Doing this had created a very different look to the original light of the bulb as it has created a mysterious and dramatic look. The center being light with the edges darker made a very effective look especially with the corners having an even stronger shade.

I then took some close ups of the wall as I thought this showed the fine details and could work well for any parts if I wanted a bigger sized brick or if I use it for sections where I want it to be plain yet have something to create an effect and not keep it a matt, flat colour.

I had then take some mid shots of my brother, with random poses that he had come up with, but keeping in mind that it had to have an R&B look to it. The poses are what some artists within this genre do quite often and for some ti is their "signature" pose. Most of the time it is hand gestures, such as pointing or the rock themed gesture of pointing the index and baby finger.

The pose on this photo takes more focus on the model and minimises the background, this shows how the artist wants full attention and that it is all about "him".

This pose of the index finger and small finger being pointed out with the rest curved in, is a typical rock symbol but many R&B artists use the sign as well, showing excitement and dynamism.

The following images will be quite difficult to work with due to the model smiling and laughing in the shots, this takes away the strong character of the artist and replaces it with a bubbly fun personality which would not work for the whole "rap" look.

The movement of the head and arms symbolises the slight dance motion that "rappers" and "R&B" singers do when listening to good music or when having a great time. This can work well for information about a concert or an album release.

The images below are the ones where the model has used some props, to have a variety of shots taken with the model interacting with items such as; the earphones, iPhone and chains.

Pointing to the phone shows association, by the artist listening to songs, this can be the artist's song of what the model would be representing. This can work well for sections where it is about the artist's latest song and it can be downloaded, therefore this shows how you can listen to it on your phone.

The image of the long shot/mid view of the model has better lighting due to his face being lifted slightly and the camera being held vertical.

Below are long shots taken of the model, this gives a range of photos to work with, but the only problem with the images is that the floor got into the photo. Due to it being wooden flooring, it takes the "rawness" of the brick wall and clothing

But the images below has cropped the wooden flooring, therefore keeping that "dark" theme and also making it still look like the background is of outside, and the wall is of a "real" brick wall outside.

Keeping "serious" was quite difficult for him therefore there has been some images where he was smiling and laughing, this takes the "stern" look, which would not work for front covers or contents page, but can work for sections such as the double page spread as it can be have a short article of something the artist had done which was quite humorousness.

The close ups of the model, I thought could work well for sections such as the front cover, as most magazines have a close up/mid shot of the artist and not a long shot. This is so that the connection of the artist and audience increases.

Therefore images such as eye contact, which is shown below, furthers the attention and makes the audience want to read on more.

The point towards the left can work well if the image is used on the cover or double page spread, this is because it can look as if the person is literally pointing at the information about themselves. Or if images of another artist is placed on the left, it looks as if the model is pointing to them.

The image below has a slight seriousness to the mood, by not having any smile or expression but looking to the side, created a dramatic/mysterious look which most male R&B artists go for. And so I feel this image could work very well for the front cover due to the correct distance of the image.

This image can also be used for the front cover, due to the correct distance and expression used as it still has a seriousness to it but in a pleasant way by having a slight smirk. This is making the character look laid-back.

The shots below has a slight body posture change of the model, by facing the back to the camera but turning the head to see over the shoulder, This also shows connection, by the model physically turning to look at you. Also the point of the finger, shows that the model is looking at you and "talking" to you.

PLANNING TASK 6: Location Recces

For my magazine I wanted to have simple background as I wanted the models images and texts to stand out and for the audience's attention to be drawn to the model and any important information. Therefore I looked at backgrounds where I do not have to edit as much, but have neutral and earthy colours. And so I have taken images of these brick wall backgrounds, the first being a white and grey look and the second the usual brown, reddish with the cement. 

 The first image is not of a real brick wall, but is a wallpaper which is in my brother's bedroom therefore I did not have to go out but easily took the images at home. I had turned off the room light and put the flash light of the camera on in order to experiment with different brightness and tones. And so by doing this, an effect of darker shadow, blur has been created on each side and then increasing on the corners. This gives a very dramatic as well as mysterious look as the center has a spotlight effect, blending out into the darker shade of grey. This gives a very high quality capture and shows how not much editing has to be done.

While the second image is of a real brick wall, therefore took the image outside near my house as a brick wall can be easily found and so I did not have to travel much. This image had been taken in the evening therefore it was quite dark but the flash of the camera was on, making it come out much brighter but still creating a slight affect of the center being slightly more brighter than the edges. There has been some faint graffiti on the wall, but is not as noticeable as it is a neutral colour of light grey, making it not as much of a distraction. But this also adds an effect making it natural yet could work nicely with a genre of hip hop/rock theme.

PLANNING TASK 5: Photo-shoot Planning

For the different genres, a variety of images and poses would have to be taken and used. Therefore I have looked at various images with difference in pose, lighting and camera shots.

There are numerous types of shots such as:
- extreme wide shot,
- wide shots,
- extreme long shot,
- long shot,
- mid shot,
- close-up,
-  extreme close-up,
- two shot,
- over the shoulder,
- point of view,
- low angle,
- high angle,
- establishing shot,
- birds eye view,
- worms eye view

Below are the images I have looked at, each indicating the genre and style:

R&B/HIP HOP:

As you can see, the males within this gene have a very serious and dramatic look, most of the time they are not smiling but keep a "mysterious" feel. The only part of their body they alter is their hands and arms. They keep the rest of their body most of the time straight but pose by moving their hands such as; pointing or doing the peace sign etc. Whereas the females within this genre are slightly more fanatical as they do poses that are very "glamour" look and not natural. Most of the time the females wear very revealing clothes, making it aimed at a higher audience age. And also pose in a way where teenagers and young adults would be appropriate to view.

POP:

Within this genre, the females tend to have many props to pose with, this creates a fun and interesting theme which could range from different age audiences. Some do close ups, therefore the make up is very focused on and some are longer shots, showing the props. Their expressions also change depending on the theme such as; "sassy" looks will have a slight more dramatic expression whereas the "cute" look will be smiles. The males within this genre have a slight laid back look, yet very intense, they tend to not have props but especially in boy bands, they show laughter and "craziness".

ROCK/PUNK:

There are mostly bands within this genre, therefore many of them pose standing altogether to enhance this or they stand with their instruments, showing what each member does within the band. They all have a very "lazy" and rough look by having very casual clothing and quite a "drowsy" expression. The older bands tend to have an even more "grungy" look whereas the new artists have a more simple but very dramatic look.