Evaluation

Evaluation

 

I will be evaluating my Final Major Project; Flight and the processes of how I got from from the word flight to my finished production. I will be identifying aspects of the project that went wrong and how I recovered from them and also aspects that went well. Initially after being given the brief I started to look at basic photos of the different interpretations of what flight could mean, I thought about more of the literal action of Flight, for example birds, but I knew that I wanted to base my production of my passion for makeup and fashion. I started to look at all sorts of different genres of photos, I decided to do a photography based project because I have not done photography for a project. I looked at photographers that photographed levitation, after seeing photos of levitation I started to study levitation and felt keen to produce something like this. I came across the photographer Tim Walker who photographed for Vogue magazine and for many high end fashion magazines, he has photographed famous people such as Kate Moss and Vivien Westwood. Although he photographed some more natural photos he also used to love to be imaginative with the fairy-tale theme. I gathered research and many photos that inspired me and also photos that I did not like.

 

I started to be ambitious about what I could create, I began to start preparing for my production, I had found a model who I knew would be perfect for the role that I wanted my model to look and be like, I wanted to create photos that would be almost impossible for a human to do, my model was a gymnastic which meant that she could create poses for the photos that not many people could. I had researched on how to actually perform levitation photography in the studio and also editing wise.

After taking my photos I uploaded them on to the mac ready to edit, on my camera (Nikon D3300) they looked fine but on the mac they were to over exposed and the background was creased this was because I could not use the photography studio because it was fully booked. I tried to work around this and I tried to fix this my editing the exposure on Photoshop. The first picture here is the photo with out being edited as you can see the second photo obviously looks less exposed but it looks darker.

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I edited this photo together I edited this photo together to show that I tried and proved that these photos weren’t going to work, as the contrast and exposure was ruined. To improve this and to ensure this does not happen again I will make sure I pre plan ahead to book a studio so I can make sure my photos are exposed, and I can make sure I can get it just right for them to look professional. After realising that these photos weren’t going to work for my production I decided to do some more research and I diverted my interpretation of Flight into a more emotional perspective. Once again I start to gather lots of pictures for my inspiration, I wanted to express makeup and how it can express someone’s personality and how it makes someone feel powerful.

. Although I explored different types of formats I thought that creating something that relates to fashion and makeup a magazine would be perfect for this. I started to explore the different types of magazines and the covers, I analysed how the text, font, colours and pictures had an effect one the magazine to the audience. I studied my target audience and I researched which types of people read different types of magazines. My biggest magazine inspiration was the magazine AnOther, this magazine is for more of a middle class audience and people who would buy items from the magazine from expensive high street stores. I researched about their target audience and what groups of people read their magazine for example the ages, genders and also what class. I also looked at feedbackof other magazines and learnt what people were liking about the big top fashion magazines. I think my target audience was accurate as I got this from a legit website that many people use. I found comments on people’s photos like the style I would want to create and took them into consideration when creating my production. Knowing who my audience was definitely helped me when I was creating my production but also in my planning as I cut scope my magazine to a more demographic audience, I knew what sorts of pictures people liked to see, what colours and whether they preferred lots of content on the cover and inside the magazine or not. 

Throughout my project I kept to a strict time table despite my idea changing, I kept to this as much as I could. I think I worked effectively and also critically and I made sure I had everything done by the end of the week so I could then in the beginning of the new week be starting and finishing something else. This was good that I had been consistent with time keeping throughout my FMP as this didn’t cause stress and also if I did something I was not proud of or I didn’t like I was then able to go back and either do it again or to improve on. After this then had time left to evaluate and reflect on everything I had done through this whole project.

My strengths that I showed in my final major project were that despite my first project stage before I changed my mind I was able to use all of that planning for my magazine, I was able to reflect and evaluate how this all changed for the better. To prevent this from happening I will make sure that my camera is on the right settings at the beginning of a shoot to prevent wasting time.

Another strength I think I showed was that I was that I was able to show some editing skills when creating my my magazines, I was able to show how I improved the photo if it was slightly to over exposed I was able to use what I had learnt earlier on in this project. I then showed that I was able to use drawing designs in order to create something interesting. I think I showed a range of creative media techniques in my production. To improve my range of different magazine cover designs, next time I will book out a studio to get the lighting perfect and so I can get a more in detail and intimate shot with the model, or I will find a field with some colourful flowers so I can take a more playful, innocent and free photograph.

Another skill I used that I was able to show my analytical skills and researching methods. I was able to research effectively and look into techniques used by professional photographers and magazine producers. I also showed that I could research in a way that I could evidence my points and state why I liked and didn’t like certain aspects. I think I showed why I was doing what I was doing and my inspiration behind this. I also analysed every photograph I put into my portfolio for inspiration and I think this is how I was finally able to decide what content I wanted to include inside and on the covers from looking at a range of magazines.

 

Throughout this project I think I showed some valuable and good skills that have proven that I can research, analyse, create and produce to a good standard but there is always a room for improvement. I will use these skills that I have learnt or that I already had and used and use them in further projects.

 

 

Despite showing some strengths I also think I showed some weaknesses, firstly I think when I first started to do my production my camera was on the automatic setting which is why the picture was to over exposed, next time I will make sure I pay closer attention to the cameras setting to prevent this from happening because I couldn’t use these photos even after editing them so this wasted my time.

I also think another weakness was that I didn’t use really exciting locations for my photos, although I wanted to focus my photos on the spiritual meaning and also on the face of the model, I feel using a more exciting place like a colourful field this would have benefited my covers more and been more interesting for my audience.

To improve on next time, I will also use a range of models so each and every cover is completely different from the others. I will also try and use different themed covers to make them stand out from all of the other magazines.

Again I think that despite these weaknesses and feeling that I could have done better, I think I succeeded in this final project. This is because I used a range of skills to create my production and along the way showed that I can research effectively. In future projects I will take these weaknesses and make them in to strengths.

Product Evaluation:

 

Now I will be evaluating some of my best final magazine designs.

Overall I feel proud of what I made, I think that I have created a design that is of a good standard and if this would be sold in a market I think people would be interested in by this. This is proven from my feedback I learnt that 100% of people asked would buy this magazine if they saw this in a super market. My audience asked that they think the photograph showed what my project was about and what they message said.

 

To me I like this magazine because the model fits the frame of the magazine but the facial features are in the middle, I also like that the model is not looking directly into the camera I think this adds interest. I like that I added the Bokeh light effect, I did this because I wanted to make this magazine different then the others, I think this worked as it’s a natural effect from something natural and this was what I was trying to promote to the audience. I think the colours of the makeup on the eye, the colour of the skin and the hair really contrast well with each other and also the Bokeh and the gold flakes on the face.  I like this cover because all though the picture simple but also I think its effective and that it works because I exaggerated the fact that its simple by adding other simple effects. I did not want to add to much context of this cover as I think it would ruin the main focus of this cover, I am glad I did not add anymore writing onto this cover as I think it would have made it to busy. To improve this magazine, I would maybe make the Bokeh more scattered so its more all of the cover rather then just on the models face because it covers up part of the face which is meant to be the focus point.

Overall again I feel proud of this magazine and I think that the design shows that I can be creative. This is a different styled magazine covers out of the ones I created which I was a bit unsure about before I added the blue gradient effect because I though it was a bit plain. I like this magazine because of the subtle colours in the models face outline, I think this is really intricate design and I think it works. My main focus was to keep my designs simple and neat to focus all of the energy to the purpose and the meaning, I think I achieved this despite not containing some content on the cover. On my magazine covers I used a short, snappy and meaningful word to really push the purpose of my product towards the audience.

My audience when asked they all agreed that they would buy this if it was being sold, and again 100% said that they think it portrays the purpose and the spiritual meaning of Flight that I was creating. To improve this magazine, I would maybe add some content, although I wanted to keep them simple I feel that I could have added some more content of either some fashion brand logos or some key words, even though after trying this out it may over crowd the cover which is not what I wanted.

This is one of my spreads that I created for inside my magazine, I think I accomplished what I had in mind when creating my spread. Relating back to the AnOther magazine which spreads consist of mainly pictures for the clothing brands. They use minimal text and advertisement and often use just the logo/ name and sometimes just a small block of text. I like this spread page as its simple, clean and neat which is what my inspiration was like. I think that because everything is in the centre and is symmetrical its eye pleasing for the audience. I think is portrays women’s power which is what I am trying to create throughout my production. To improve I would move the photo up towards the top more so its proportional and symmetrical.

This is another spread that I designed for inside my magazine, this magazine that I created is for people that don’t like to read lots of advertisement or see lots of content, a audience that like simple and neat designs that can open a fashion magazine and just see fashion. I think I achieved this as there is no text apart from the brand logo, there is no other content except pictures. I think these pictures portray women power as the women is posed so she is higher than the man in the picture which explains that she is more powerful then the man. I also like that they model is smiling which explains that she is happy and feels confident in her own skin. I also love how to man model is looking through the camera at her I think this adds interest to the picture.

 

Overall for my final major project of Flight I think I did better then all my other projects, from learning new skills and more things I should focus on to get a better grade I was able in my opinion to create a better production. Despite this being the first photo based production I have done I have enjoyed challenging myself but also learning new things that I would not have learnt if I had created a film. I am pleased with what I produced and my research and planning leading up to this I think was productive and effective. I have produced a magazine that is suitable for my demographic audience.  I also kept to strict timetable and despite changing my idea I was able to  show that I was able to transcend from this parameter in order  to create something better.