Preliminary Task - Orginal Photos

Here are all the original shots I took of both Sam and Neha for my preliminary magazine task. I particularly like these, as they are mostly clear mid shots or mid long shots that fit the conventions of a magazine photo. They are both wearing smart clothing, Neha holding a folder, whilst they are both revising together, representing the idea that our school in a community and work well as I team. I decided to not have all the backgrounds the same when talking my photos, some having a clear white background and some in the library. This was to ensure that the pictures had different backgrounds to see which one would be best when I start editing. I was also unsure on whether to have one person modelling for the front cover or two, therefore, I tried both to see which one looks best when I edit the pictures later on.

Picture 1

Even though I like this picture as the background relates to the school and both Neha and Sam are central in the picture, this will be difficult when editing as the 3 colour scheme, red, white and black may not stand out. Therefore, it may be hard for the reader to see what the text says. Additionally, the picture has been taken landscape, which means that when I edit the picture for the magazine (A4 portrait) the picture will not cover the whole front page. This could result in me has to make enlarge the image and then cropping out their arms our folders, which could ruin the picture.

Picture 2

Similarly to the picture above, I took this picture landscape, not realising that when I start editing my images it may not fill the front cover causing problems later on. However, I like the fact that they both look happy in this photo, representing the idea of them have fun revising together. They also look natural in this photo and not posed, which is another reason why I think this is a good photo. Additionally, the lighting is naturally bright and with the clear background, it will be easier to work with when editing, as the texts (red and black) will stand out on white. The fact that they are central of the photo, means there will be more room to put information and anything else around the picture.

Picture 3

This photo is fairly similar to the one above, however, it is placed more to the right, which I don't really like as it has more restricting layout to put all of the information, school logo etc on the front cover. Although, the lighting is good and they look like they are concentrating in the book, I personally do think it is the best photo that I've taken.

Picture 4

With this photo, again I think the lighting is really good as you can clearly see their faces and their expressions, showing they are smiling and into the book. The fact that it is portrait helps, as the image will fit on the front cover, meaning I will be able to put things on top of the picture. Although it is central to the picture, there isn't much space to put information around the outside. This could result in me having to cover Sam's or Neha's arm in text, which could distract the audiences eye from the picture as well as the information not standing out as much like it would on a plain background.

Picture 5

By having just one person in the photo means that I will have more room to put all the information I'd like to include on my front cover. I also like that Neha is positioned in the center of the page, resulting in more space for everything to fit on the front page. On the other hand, the lighting isn't as good as the other photos and she looks like she is posing more for this picture and think I would prefer a more natural looking pose.

Picture 6



Lastly, with this photo I like the fact there is a lot of natural light coming through from the background, which means there would be less need in editing it as much, keeping it a natural looking photo that I am aiming for. Like above, Neha is in the middle of the photo, resulting in the information being able to fit around her. Furthermore, it is portrait meaning it will be able to fill the cover, not having to stretch it or fill the white space with too much advertisement or enlarging the title etc. The only thing that I dislike about the photo is that because she was moving her head at the time as she wasn't expecting the picture being taken, her face is slightly blurred. Therefore, I would have to see if I could sharpen the photo, in order for it to be used.

Conclusion:
Overall, I have decided that I am either going to use picture 2 or 6 as I believe they are the most natural looking photos and they will be the easiest to edit and work with. Even though picture 6 is not necessarily a mid shot picture it could be easily cropped if I needed too. Plus, this way I can decide which looks better and works out best, a picture of both of them studying in or one of just Neha on her own.