Magazine Cover Evaluation

Magazine Cover Evaluation

Photography

When taking the photographs for my background image for my magazine cover I used had the camera in manual focus. I learnt that using the focus rings on the camera I can ensure none of the photographs I take are out of focus. I now know to stand in the ‘T’ stance when taking photographs as it gives me more balance and allows more movement when taking the photographs. I am able to lean forward to get closer to what I am taking the image of, but it also allows me to bend down to lower myself to the height of the shot. As I wanted a head and shoulders image I knew to use the camera in portrait to ensure I do not end up with a lot of background which I would then later have to crop. When I first began to take my images I noticed they were not in focus, I improved this by using the focus ring on the front of the camera. I used three different techniques for lighting, back lighting, front lighting and side lighting. This gives different effects on the image by creating shadows. When using front lighting I had to be careful to make sure I didn’t cast a shadow on my model. When I first began taking the pictures I forgot to apply the rule of thirds, and had the eye line to low, but once I realised this I made sure that I applied it. I used a simple background of trees and greenery however this then caused problems when I was trying to choose a colour for my title font. My lack of people skills affected my imagery as I didn’t have the confidence to ask them to do particular facial expressions, however these feelings subsided meaning I managed to get the pictures the way I felt was appropriate.

Photoshop

On photoshop I used a range of tools such as text edit, colouring, blurring and adding/deleting layers. I found it difficult to get the hang of not being able to double click on the text to edit it as I have to click on the layer instead. I found it easy to apply effects such as ‘stroke’.  Once  I got used to how to edit my text I managed to control it very well and had no issues with positioning it, editing it and adding effects to it. The main effect I used was adding stroke to my text however I also blurred the background of my image to make sure my model appeared very dominant on the page. I did this by using the blur tool on the side bar of photoshop. As the main background of my image was green I had to try and find a colour which would be readable and stood out, due to this I chose a dark red to add definition to the page. I downloaded a font from dafont.com to use for my title, I made the decision of which font I was to use by making sure I kept my target audience in mind. I downloaded the font off the interent for free by saving it to the local disk on the computer, this meant it would appear in the text choices when I used photoshop, word etc. I used a font which was already supplied by the programme for my sell lines. I made this text white with a black outline to make sure it was defined on the front cover, this also means it is easy to read and stands out well on the green background.

Improvements I would make on my front cover would involve improving my photography skills further to ensure I am satisified with background image, I can do this by practicing my skills and developing them further with the assistance of my teacher and peers. I would also improve my front cover by being more prepared for the photographs. I would do this by planning my ideas for my background image in more detail such as, facial expressions, props and backgrounds for the image. I feel my main skills were on photoshop as I found it easy to pick up on. I was able to experiment with different techniques and effects on photoshop which meant my skills were developed further.