Magazine Photos

This is a collection of the final images I have chosen to go inside my magazine. Although I will be unable to use all of them, these will be the final images I choose from as they were the most fitting of my large collection.

2 Foot Moose
2FM are a five piece rock band based in Gillingham, Dorset. Minus a bass player, they allowed me to take photos of them for my Media Studies magazine.
These are the 30+ best photos from my whole collection of approx 500. Due to the type of photoshoot and type of photos being taken, I felt it would have been easier to take as many photos as possible so not to risk only having photos that went wrong or had blurs of movement. In my opinion this worked as the majority of my photos did end up not working out and so this helped me to narrow it down to the best few.

I feel this could be an effective choice of front cover photo or page photo in my double page spread as it is set at an interesting angle, therefore making the cover appear more interesting and 'quirky'. Along with this, the reader will feel engaged due to the direct eye contact in the photo.
However, in order to make this photo look more professional, I will have to crop it slightly and replace the background for a plain black one. Cropping will get rid of the extra space on each side and will also ensure that the heads of each member come over the Masthead.

In my opinion, this is a good photo due to the lighting coming from behind that causes illumination. However, this photo would not make a good cover photo due to the lack of eye contact and positioning/angle of the photo which is not centered. Be that as it may, this photo could make a good extra for my contents page or 'posters' section on the cover.

Both of these images could make good front cover photos as each holds direct eye contact and is centered, allowing space for previews and special offers along with extra photos and the Masthead. To help them to stand out and to create a less distracting background, I would replace the background with one of plain black.








Anna Bundy
For my second photoshoot I took photos of Anna in my chosen location of Bluebell Woods. I chose Bluebell woods because I felt the location seemed menacing with it's looming trees and darkness. For this photoshoot, I took more precise photos as I had planned exactly what poses were needed and so I took a smaller number of photos, ending up with 24 good images out of 56.

I feel this is a good photo because the focus is on the model and there is direct eye contact to engage the audience. Along with this, the image is made appropriate to the magazine name of Plectrum due to the use of guitar in the photo. However, this photo would be unsuitable as a cover photo due to the obstruction of the face and position of the camera. As this is an extreme close up shot, there is no space for the Masthead or previews unless they are layered on top of the face which would be a bad choice as a lot of magazines place text around the model rather than on top.

 Both of the photos could make suitable cover photos as they each make eye contact and also leave enough space for the Masthead and previews around the edges. Along with this, the image on the left was taken from a low angle which creates a sense of power and popularity in the model as an artist.

Magazine Name

To help me create a name for my magazine, I created a mind map. This helped me come up with ideas that were appropriate to my magazine, music and genre.

I chose Plectrum because I felt it was appropriate to my genre of rock as rock is often known for it's use of heavy/electric guitars. I also felt that I had some interesting ideas as to how I should design the masthead and the rest of my magazine to fit with this name.

Masthead Font Ideas

To help with the end design of my masthead/magazine name, I have chosen a selection of fonts which I feel would fit my magazine and which I can later develop into something unique.

Alterations of Chosen Masthead

As it likely my magazine cover will have a black background, I have designed my logo on black. In this particular design, I have fitted the 'C' into a metallic in appearance plectrum which gives the Masthead a rock/metal look. However, I feel that the change in colour perhaps fades the 'C' out too much and almost splits the Masthead in two.


I have chosen to use a plectrum in all of my designs as it is appropriate to the name. In this design, to make the Masthead appear less divided, I have faded the plectrum into the background so that it doesn't distract from the name. This also helps the Masthead text to stand out as a whole and appear more bold.

For this design, I only made a small alteration of shadow inside the 'C' in an attempt to combine the two designs above.

To help the plectrum stand out a little more without seeming overbearing, I added a thin white line. However, much like the shadow inside the 'C', it made little difference and is almost unnoticeable.


I also experimented with putting the plectrum in a different place, however, I feel this was less visually pleasing and made the end of the Masthead appear cramped.

Location of Photography

These are my possibly locations for the photography of my magazine.

Photography Studio

I feel it would be good to get photos of my models with a blank background behind them as a lot of magazine covers have plain backgrounds to bring all focus to the band. A plain background is also easier to cut out using programs such as Photoshop. Along with this, such a place would be appropriate for experimenting with different light sources such as single and three point light sources.

Marnhull (or Mere) Graveyard

This graveyard would be an appropriate background for my photography as I could create a theatrical Ghostly/Zombie scene in it and Goth's are stereotypically said to 'hang out' in Graveyards. I feel there are several parts which would make particularly good backgrounds such as the large iron gates or the huge church doors as both have a Gothic look and would be much like the architectural feature in the Bad Pollyanna image I analysed earlier. Along with this, having gravestones in the background would create an appropriate background for a Ghost/Zombie scene as they are symbolic of death and would make the band seem creepy and deathly. If I were to go inside the church, I could take some Gothic looking images much like the ones I analysed earlier of the dramatic close up shots and the interestingly posed model with a slightly theatrical style. Another feature could be the small cluster of trees in the graveyard as these create a menacing and dark appearance with many dark shadows, therefore making the band seem somewhat evil which will separate my imagery from the far friendlier look of other magazines such as pop.

Old Sherborne Castle

In my opinion, this would be a fitting scene as there are lots of dark and abandoned in appearance parts to the castle, for example the photo on the right. Along with this, I could take some interesting photos with the ruins of the castle in the background and perhaps have the band emerging from the fog, this would cause the castle to appear faded subtley into the background, much like the architecture faded into the background of Bad Pollyanna's image.

Shear Water

I could create many atmospheric shots either in or around this lake. For example, I could have one of my models emerging from the water as this would relate to most horror movies and create a frightening atmosphere, therefore creating a Gothic effect of fear. Along with this, I could have the silhouettes of my models stood in front of the lake on a stormy day, therefore making the lake appear grey and lifeless and the overall image to appear somewhat angry and intense.

Crockerton Forest

To make my magazine obviously rock, I am sticking to a Gothic stereotype which is often associated with horror movies. A forest is often set as a scene for horror movies, therefore making it fitting for my photos. I could get many photos of my model(s) emerging from the trees and create ghostly horror movie style images. However, I also feel that Blue Bell Woods in/near Mere would be a good choice due to the many fallen trees and great height of the upright trees, along with this, there is an abandoned tent that looks as though it were attacked by an animal. I feel this abandoned tent would create some great images as they would appear frightening and as though they had come straight out of a horror movie.