Teacher's Comments

Photography Experimentation with the Nikon D800

In order to get more familiar with the camera, I have taken some portraits using it. I also experimented with a music theme with the 'shh' pose and dressed the model in softer, pastel colours for a vintage/retro effect. This photography would conform to an indie-style magazine, as the genre can include appreciating the otherwise unappreciated. The model I have chosen is also mixed race; often magazines of the indie genre include models/artists of different ethnicity in order to show diversity. In addition, I used direct mode of address in order to create a more personal connection between the model and audience. These are the photographs that I have taken:

Nikon D800 Camera Research

The Nikon D800 is my chosen camera to take pictures with for my magazine as it is of a high quality and I am familiar with it. It is a DSLR camera of 36.3 megapixels. It has a wide sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 6400 and a shutter speed of up to 1/8000s.


















I have researched into how to change the ISO, aperture and shutter speed of the camera, in order to understand how to use it effectively.

ISO Research

• The ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor.
• Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds.
• To change the ISO, hold down the exposure compensation button (top of camera) and spin the rear control dial.

Aperture Research

• The aperture is the opening in a photographic lens that admits the light.
• Use the over/under scale to find your exposure settings. To set your exposure using the aperture, depress the shutter release button until the meter is activated. Then rotate the Sub-command dial to change the aperture.

Shutter Speed Research

• The shutter speed is the nominal time for which a shutter is open at a given setting.
• Select OK after your selections. Hold Fn and turn the front dial to lock or unlock aperture. Hold Fn and turn the rear dial to lock or unlock shutter speed. You also can set this more permanently in f7 and not need this option.

Sources:
http://digital-photography-school.com/iso-settings/
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aperture
http://cdn-10.nikon.com/pdf/manuals/dslr/D800_EN.pdf

Existing Media

Now that I have researched the codes and conventions of music magazines in general and have chosen my target audience for my own magazine design, I can now look at the commonalities or conventions of this genre in particular. To make this specific to my target audience, I have asked my focus group on what front covers of indie music magazines they find attractive or appealing.These are the results that they came up with:

 Planning

In  order to understand why these magazines were more appealing to my target audience, I decided to look at the similarities between the images so that I can use these features/techniques in my own work. These are the similarities I came up with:

• All of these magazines have a white masthead- most commonly in capitals for a bolder effect so that the name of the magazine stands out (for marketing purposes in order to make the magazine more noticeable). 
• The masthead is also positioned at the top of the cover-either central or to the left-hand-side. I could use a similar font to this in my own work. 
• They all have a plain-coloured background so that the model/artist is the main focus and nothing distracts attention away from the main image. 
• This focus is emphasized by the use of direct mode of address in close up shot as a way of targeting and creating a more personal relationship between the artist and audience (uses gratifications theory). 
• The colour red is used in all of these images, whether in the typography, hair or lipstick (mis-en-scene). Red is a bright, bold colour that catches attention- I could incorporate this colour in my design.
•  All of these models are female, are wearing make-up (specifically eyeliner to draw attention to the eyes and emphasise the direct mode of address used), and their hair is worn down and voluminous.I could re-create this look by taking pictures of females dressed in this similar style.
• The same colour of the makeup worn around the eyes is often also used as the background colour- this is to bring the eyes out even more.
• The models are not smiling- if anything they generally have a more moody expression. 
• These magazines all have bar-codes of a small size (so it does not distract attention away from the main image). 

Indie Rock

I particularly like the last image for it's design. This issue is of an Indie style magazine (Q) but is styled with elements from the rock genre. This is portrayed through the use of it's black, white and red colour scheme for a bold, striking effect (including the bright font colour for the word "rocks"). The model is also wearing black on a black/dark grey background with dramatic, smoky makeup. I could add a rock style to my magazine in order to make it look more interesting by using similar techniques.

Creating My Focus Group

Now that I have decided on my intended target audience for my music magazine (people of both genders between the ages of 16-25), I am going to create a focus group consisting of people representative of this. This will help me with the planning of my magazine, as I can ask them questions on their preferences; which will help me to understand what will be appealing to people in my target audience. I have created a group-chat on Facebook Messenger, as this will be a quick and easy way of accessing everyone's opinions on the production or design of my magazine.