Photos from photoshoot

On Thursday I did a photoshoot for what will hopefully be my front cover, contents page or double-page spread, using one of my friends as my model and a music practice room as my location. I've tried to abide by the rule of thirds, as well as attempting to combine creativity and originality into my photos through my use of colour coordination and props.

This was the camera I used, a Sony Cybershot.


This image would a good image to go alongside a featured article in the contents page; as it is a close-up, the full effect of the image could still be able to be appreciated even if it was of a smaller scale. It would also be effective as a double-page spread image, but as it is not a portrait image it would need to be edited using Photoshop to fit in with the portrait measurements of the page.


This image would be extremely effective if it was used as the front cover; this is the photo that follows the guideline in my mock-up, and simultaneously creates a striking, eye-catching appearence by abiding by the rule of thirds, having the figure look directly at the camera, and through the colour coordinating props, such as the jacket and the apple. The idea of the model wearing a hat takes inspiration from key figures in independent rock music such as Pete Doherty, and would help to reinforce the indie-rock genre of my magazine so that potential buyers are aware of its target audience. The image abides by the rule of thirds, leaving sufficient space for headings, subheadings, quotes and possibly additional photos of a smaller scale. If this was to be the cover image, I would get rid of all shadows using Photoshop, or even completely white-out the background in order for the image to stand out more. I would also increase the saturation of the image, so that the colours appear more vivid and striking.


This photo would be an effective image for a double page spread, as it is colour-coordinated and makes use of props such as the apples and mug to give it a casual yet creative feel. The white of the piano keys is quite central and eye-catching against the other colours, and the piano has quite an old, rustic look to it, providing the photo with a warm colour, making it more appealing to look at in contrast to the neutral wall behind, which would also act as a good area to insert quotations or subheadings. The photo abides by the rule of thirds, with the figure positioned to the right of the image, looking directly at the camera in order to create a false "relationship" with the viewer so as to draw attention to the photo. The guitar is leaning on the piano at a jaunty angle, which reinforces the casual, fun appearence of the overall image.

Second survey results and overall follow-up of feedback

Regarding the name of my magazine, I have followed the feedback from my first market research survey and have gone with the name "Underground" as it was one of the most popular name choices. I thought this name also fitted in well with the indie genre of the magazine, as the term "underground" has connotations with things that aren't out in the open or well known, and is often used to describe new and unknown indie artists. This also fits in with the results of my second survey which concerned the contents of my music magazine; the results were as follows:

1.In a music magazine's contents page, what do you find the most effective?
-A collage of lots of different images, surrounded by bold text and the contents in a column down one side - 88.9% of votes
- A single striking image on an uncluttered background with the contents in a column down one side - 11.1% of votes

2. What do you most look for in a music magazine?
-Interviews - 44% of votes
-Gig reviews - 22% of votes
-Information about new bands - 33% of votes
-Album reviews - 33% of votes

In a music magazine, what type of images to you prefer?
-Small, discreet images that don't distract from the text - 11.1% of votes
-Large, striking images that take up the same amount of room as the text or more - 66.7% of votes
-Images of the band/artist posing - 33.3% of votes
-Images of the band/artist performing - 33.3% of votes

Regarding my double-page spread, the option of "information about new artists" was quite popular, as was "interviews," so I've decided to make my double-page spread consist of an interview with a new up-and-coming artist, as is common in indie magazines such as NME. As the option of "album reviews" was also quite popular, and "gig reviews" only had one less vote, I am going to include these two articles in my contents page.
In answer to the question "In a music magazine what type of images do you prefer?", "large, striking images that take up the same amount of text or more" was the most popular, so I have decided that my double-page spread will consist of an image taking up one page, with the relevant article on the other page. Concerning the subject of the image, "images of the band/artist posing" and "images of the band/artist performing" were equally popular, so I am going to use a photo of an artist posing for my double-page spread, and photos of bands performing for my contents page. In terms of the layout of photos on my contents page, "a collage of lots of images surrounded by bold text with the contents in a column down one side" was much more popular than having "a single striking image," so I am going to use several personal images instead of just one. To give me inspiration for this, I have researched other music magazine's contents pages, such as Kerrang and Q:


In Kerrang, the images are symmetrical and all have borders, with the contents to the right, creating an eye-catching contents page whilst appearing tidy and uncluttered despite the fact that every area of the page is filled with text or images. Furthermore, a shadow effect has been put on the images, which makes them stand out.


In Q, the images do not have borders and overlap to create a more "collage" effect. Each image is not as easily identifiable as in Kerrang, but the contents page does look quirky and original, which would make it appealing to its target audience. Again, the contents page is on the right.

In following up this feedback, I will be fulfilling my target audience's expectations, while making my magazine look appealing to the public to ensure that more people are tempted to buy it.

Mock-up of my magazine

Here are the mock-ups/recce shots of my front cover, contents page and double page spread.



This is the mock-up of what will be my magazine front cover; I'm hoping to achieve a cover that will look striking and stand out, which will be contributed to by the image itself and the fact that I aim to not over-clutter the page. However, as you can see from the mock-up I will still include the eye-catching information regarding the contents of the magazine, such as headlines, pictures and quotations so as to grab people's attention. I have yet to do the photoshoot for my magazine, but I will try to stick to the guideline of the picture on the left (which abides by the rule of thirds) in which the figure is in a casual position that still resembles a "pose."

The props I will require are firstly a guitar, which somebody has already agreed to lend me, and secondly an apple which will match the colour of the model's coat.



So far, I envisage that the contents page will be quite simple so that it will appear striking, and all the information will be easily accessible. At this stage I can't be certain about the exact layout or what it will include, but I have made a survey regarding this, as well as the contents and layout of my double-page spread.



The layout of the double page spread will consist of a page featuring an article on the right-hand side, and a picture relating to the article on the left-hand side, with a quotation from the article to the side of the image. This is often the traditional layout of double page spreads, which will help mine to look as professional as possible. Again, I will decide on the exact contents and layout of my double page spread, such as what type of article to include, once I have made and received feedback from a survey regarding this.

Front cover and props brainstorm

Following the feedback from my market research (where it proved to be the second most popular genre) and my own personal preferences, I have decided to make an Indie-rock music magazine. My principal idea for the front cover and/or the double page spread is to incorporate various shades of green, as it is an eye-catching colour that connotes nature, youthfulness and freshness, as well as a sense of innocence, themes that could be continued throughout the contents page and double page spread. To make the cover even more striking, a black and white version of the main image against a white background with the shades of green picked out using Photoshop would make it stand out. I intend to create an original, quirky and "indie" (independent) style for my magazine; for example one of the props in my main cover image will be a bright green apple. After researching other front covers and photos from articles from NME magazine on http://www.nme.com/, I have found that the use of unusual props adds to the overall effect of the image:


Here, Robert Smith from The Cure is pictured sitting in a golf buggy; the contrast of the Robert's gothic style with the stereotypically civilised sport of golf creates humour, and is an effective method of making the image look original, different, and stand out.



In this photo, the black and white colour scheme adds a moody and "cold" feel to the image, which is contrasted with Thom Yorke from Radiohead's sunglasses and ice-cream, which are both in the semantic field of summer, which is when the photo was taken and is intended to demonstrate; this also adds a humorous tone and a light-hearted vibe.


This image features James Allan from Glasvegas, and was taken near Christmas. The addition of the sparkler emphasises the celebratory feel of the season, while at the same time making the image stand out and appear more powerful.

I hope to recreate the style of these images through my use of props, in order to make my magazine as original and eye-catching as possible.

All images (aside from the collage at the top) are taken from www.nme.com and were all taken by Andy Willsher.

Shot list

I have done a lot of planning into the composition of my front cover and double-page spread, as it is vital in helping to catch people's attention. For the front cover, am I torn between using a central close-up (such as in the first image below) and a mid-shot that abides by the rule of thirds (such as in the second image). Both would be effective, as the close-up would be the central focal point of the cover, but the mid-shot abiding my the rule of thirds would be equally eye-catching as it would meet the natural eye line. When I do my photoshoot, I will therefore take several photos of these two different types of shot, so as to decide which would be better.






For my double page spread I have decided to abide by the rule of thirds, as, in double page spreads such as the one below, this provides a very effective, stiking contrast with the text of the article itself. However, as I am also undecided in whether to use a close-up or a mid-shot, I will, again, take several photos of each of these types of shots before I decide which looks the most effective.

Second market research survey

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

The purpose of this survey is to find out exactly what my target audience want from a music magazine, concerning my contents page and double-page spread. I will try to stick to the feedback as closely as possible in order to meet my audience's expectations and demands.

Feedback from market research

Here is the feedback I have collected from my market research survey:

1. What is the most you would be prepared to pay for a good music magazine?
Answer: 30.8% of people voted for "£3.00."

2. Which name do you prefer for a music magazine?
Answer: The most popular names were "Switchback," "Underground," "Neon" and "Infinity" which all recieved 30.8% of votes.

3. Which music magazine do you usually tend to buy?
Answer: "Kerrang" was the most popular with 38.5% of votes, while "NME" was the second most popular with 30.8% of votes.

4. Which music genre do you prefer?
Answer: "Rock" was the most popular with 53.8% of votes, while "Indie" was the second most popular with 38.5% of votes.

Doing this market research will help me when planning the genre, audience, price and name of my music magazine, and I will bear this feedback in mind when writing further blog posts.