Potential images of magazine and decisions

By Nasrine Djemai

Location of photo shoot.

The location that I choose to take my pictures in is a local

park in Stepney green which is located in East London because I wanted to change the grim perception of east London and show that it is home to in fact un noticed talented youth. It is also a very multi cultural, urban part of London which has a great minority of people with either African or afro Caribbean descent. This park is a public park and is known to have young people visit every day. Parks also represent a get away haven for young people as it is easily accessible and is a place of leisure and relaxation.

Through out my production of my magazine I have been experimenting and learning many ways in which to capture the moment in order to make sure my target audience are able to fully consume and enjoy this product. I have decided to use my friend, lets just name her X for now, because she fits the ideal model for my chosen genre afro beats and sub genre Bashement even though the magazine will be dominated by Afrobeat stories due to her ethnicity which colides with the origins of the genre, of course the target audience will not no her exact ethnicity but will have a fair idea. In the first shoot I have taken pictures of X individually in many different types of angles, poses and shots in order to make sure I have a full variety to pick from later on in the process. Some of the issues I came up against was the lighting and in some cases the brightness of it. At times the lightening would be very dim. However most turned out very bright and professional. I wanted to portray X as a very successful young independent artist who has managed to make it up to the top with real music by her side. This way my target audience will aspire to be her but also when they hear her song at a party they will instantly be able to recognize whos track that is.

I used close up shot to reveal the real, true emotion behind Cleos character. This way the audience can see that she is a human and not just an object. The close up also emphasizes on the popular brand she is wearing which is also featured in highly respectable music magazines such as The Source. We also see direct mode of address which will catch he readers eye instantly as it creates a relationship with the reader and the cover star. The background of the pictures creates a clam relaxed atmosphere. I have chosen this place specifically because it represents Afro beats as more neutral and open to everyone rather then just stereotyping it to one ethnicity. It is also a public park so it links to how Im trying to convey my genre; making it more free and accessible rather then confined. The focus on her creates a bond between the reader as it shows that nothing else exists but Cleo, the reader is in the moment with her and there fore is able to feel the happiness and success. I intentionally put Cleo in that spot because behind her is the isle of dogs which contains many high buisnesses this initially shows that Cleo has moved from the slums she used to live and in powers her to show she has beat the hierarchical structure that we live in. I have tried to use this as a front cover but the picture didnt seem very out there and so I have decided to use it as part of my cover story.

In this shot I used long shot, mid angle in order to show my audience a full perspective of the artist. The pose is very chique and urban which will appeal to urban young adults and teens because everyone wants to look cool and hip and she looks like the type of artist to always have a number one hit single. The long shot also reveals her full body and not just her face so this creates sex appeal with the older male readers and aspiration for the older female readers. Her direct mode of address catches the readers eye as her facial expression in general is very provocative. This has potential to be a front cover picture but I on the other hand dont want to use it as a front cover because I dont want to objectify Cleo to much but instead empower her.

2 ?
models

 As I began to become comfortable with the camera and the way

I was taking my pictures I then decided to use a second actor just to see what it would look like having two cover stars. They look like a couple which is what teenagers and young adults look to read about; cover stars relationships. What I intend to do is have Cleo feature by herself as the cover star and use the picture of both models for the double page spread as one of my pictures to show a relationship as my article will be based on Cleos rise to fame and who helped her through it. This will engage the audience as it shows how music builds relationships with people, particularly Afrobeats.

Double page spread

I have chosen this to be my double page Spread image because during my photo Shoot I specifically put her in the position Shes in so I have space to write in the open Area. I wanted to do this because it created A more natural relaxed atmosphere and Its as if the reader is in the moment with her.

Shoot two

I decided to do another shoot with Cleo because I realized the first one was not glamorous enough for a front cover shoot but instead I could use these photos in my contents page and perhaps extras in my double page spread.
The props I decided to use in the shoot are as follows; Silk chair to blend in with the golden silk curtains in the background. I decided to have a gold background to create a sense of luxury and prestige.

The first outfit was of Cleo was a black lace dress to create a more sensual feel to the magazine. The second outfit is of Cleo in a red dungeree. I wanted to use this colour because it is quite passionate and quite sexual attractive as well so it will catch the eyes of the male audience. The final outfit consists of a blue and white baseball top and Cleos red dungeree. This is a more laid back casual look which I was hoping to use for my contents page. Although I mentioned at the beginning that I didnt want to expose Cleos flesh a lot I decided that the bagyness of the top would compenesate because the other crop top was very tight and much shorter and more cleavage revealing.
The jewlery used were simple things such as chains which are associated with wealth but street culture, pearls which are associated with class and wealth and diamonds which are associated with wealth, class and Africa.

 I decided to use this high angle

shot in order to allow the audience feel some superiority just to get a taste of what Cleo has managed to achieve. I also choose this angle because Cleo is looking down and smirking; metaphorically this means that she is looking back at the people who told her she couldnt do it.