Question 2 - Photo comparison


I compared my photo from my two page spread of Polly smoking with a similar photo that I found while I was reading LOVE magazine, the similarities between the photos were immediately evident to me when looking at them side by side I felt that the key elements in my photo are also in the photo that I chose.
My photos are definitely used to create a continuing sense of subversive artists in both fashion and music; I think it is important that the people in your magazine appeal to the audience. It is important that you are featuring people that they would want to read about. I have tried to represent the people in my magazine as real musicians, people that are dedicated to what they are doing and I think this idea is put across in the pull quote I have used because it shows that she is not worried about romance however far more interested in her career, and I think this gives out a positive message to the audience, that as a teenager you can rebel but still be successful and this is the story that is told by my main artist.
The cigarette in the photo is used as a way of representing the target audience, a lot of magazines feature the sort of people that are likely to read them as it helps form a connection between the magazine and the audience. In a way through using a rolled cigarette I have subverted female stereotypes, this is supported by the masculine costume I wanted to create a balance that contrasts between masculinity and beauty, I feel that this juxtaposition makes the photo much more interesting. Through using my model effectively and making the photo sultry/moody rather than sultry/sexy it shows that women don’t have to use their sex appeal when being photographed.
The background or setting of the images is also similar; they both use a sort of industrial hard background to contrast with the soft beauty of the models while mine uses red crumbling bricks the other uses hard blue steel. Although the backgrounds are different they both have the same effect on the picture.
Both use their eyes very effectively with the camera to create a cool sultry look and I think this helps to engage the reader with the text because it feels like the models eyes penetrate through the page of the magazine, and as though you are actually looking into their eyes, I find on the whole photos that include direct address are much more powerful.
There are also certain aspects of the make-up and costume that draw parallels in these photos. For example both photos use red nails as a way of creating contrast, white in my photo I use to contrast with the darkness of the rest of the picture; however in the LOVE photo it used more to create a contrast between the striking blue background. Both are very effective and the red stands out in both images to make them more dynamic and diverse in terms of colour. However the other photo uses red lips to reemphasise this which I think works really well within the image, but I don’t think I could have done the same idea in my image because I wanted the overall look to be quite androgynous but used the red nails to add more femininity I think red nails teamed with red lips would have been too much. Similarly, I used subtle eye make-up whereas the other photo used dark smoky eyes to increase the drama of the photo. I chose thick lashes and black outlining rather than big dark eyes, because I was concerned that too much emphasis on the face would detract from the costume which is what gives narrative to the photos. In terms of costume the photos don’t have a lot in common, other than both use fur collars, although mine is significantly more subtle they both use it to support the theme of the, in mine I have used a faux sheep skin flyers jacket to reinforce the military/air force idea, and in the other image it uses a real fur gilet to create a high fashion sleek look. The cigarette is the final thing that the two images have in common and they are both used connotes rebelliousness. In both images it is the element that completes it, while in mine it used to create a much more indie idea, in the other image it is used to create an idea of glamour and high fashion. It is used as a way of representing the target audience, a lot of magazines feature the sort of people that are likely to read them as it helps form a connection between the magazine and the audience. In a way through using a rolled cigarette I have subverted female stereotypes, this is supported by the masculine costume I wanted to create a balance that contrasts between masculinity and beauty, I feel that this juxtaposition makes the photo much more interesting.



I had considered using this photo for my photo comparison. It is a photo of I blame coco and it like mine has tried to create a very indie and bohemian theme within the photo, I really like this photo and think it links well to mine, however I couldn’t reference which magazine it had been printed in originally so I chose the other image as I know that it is from a magazine that has a similar audience to my own.


Here are some of the alternative images which I chose not to include in my magazine. While i took over a 100 photos in prep for the magazine here are some example of picture types that I didn't use and why.



While I like the use of alternative angle in the picture, I felt that it was not as effective at filling the space of the frame and would be less practical to use the magazine stories to frame the photo. Also in this photo I was not able to capture the high fashion sultry look I was aiming to achieve.


First of all this photo is frames a lot worse than the final one that i used. But the smile on the model's face does not achieve a cover look which i was looking for. The smile, while very pretty is not appropriate for the cover


I like the use of the cotsume in this photo as it makes it more dynamic. However i do think it looks unprofessional as it throws of the composition of the over all image. I also think a lot of the rest of the costume is lost in this photo and that the photo works better when the model opens up her body more.


I did a series of photos not using the military hat to see how they would turn out. Unfortunately i think that it is the military hat which ties the whole image together it would have been nice to have more diversity between the cover image and the two-page-spread image but i do think it adds a sense of continuity to the piece.


I feel that with using cigarettes in high fashion magazines there is a fine line between sophisticated and low rent. This was even more of a risk for me because i chose to use a rolled cigarette than a straight cigarette, i feel that in some of these images the cigarette does not give the look that i had desired.