29/3/17

1. What have you learnt about technologies from the process of constructing this
product?
I have learnt about new technologies and software during the process of constructing this product. Some of the equipment and software I had not used
before this process, and others was further deepening my knowledge on the technologies. I also learnt about importance of the equipment, software and
platforms available and how these are all used together to create this product.
Camera: The camera I used to create my draft magazine photos and final magazine photos was the Nikon D3200. I used this as it was a good quality
camera, which created sharp and clear images. This camera was available from the studio at school, which meant it was easy to access and use. I am
pleased with the images I created using the studio at school and lighting as I was able to create shadows and brightness specific to each shot. I decided
not to use a tripod to take the images as I wanted a more natural approach, and this also meant I could quickly change my position for taking the photos
so create different levels and brightness.
Lighting: I used artificial lighting for my images as this was available from the studio at school. I wanted bright and well-lit images which required artificial
lighting rather than natural lighting which is unpredictable. I was able to move the lights and change the angles and intensity of the images. This created
bright clear images which look sharp and professional. But I was also able to create darker and more serious images with shadows and darker sides to
images. This is shown on the double page spread of my magazine where my model has one light on the left side of her face to create a shadow and half
lit image. I used the same lighting for my draft and final magazine as I liked the final image created and the style of a bright and clear photo. I had never
used lighting before to change the appearance of an image so I took the time during the draft photoshoot to experiment with the lights and test how
varying the height, angle and distance of the lights can completely change the mood of the image and can create a serious or relaxed image.
Computer/ Macbook: I used the school computers and my own Macbook for working at home and in my spare time at school.
Photoshop: I used Photoshop as the software for creating, editing and adapting my draft and final magazine. I haven’t used Photoshop properly before
so I had to learn about how it worked and what tools to use. I experimented with using different photo editing tools and adding text, creating a
background, resizing images and text and cropping. These tools allowed me to create the ideal magazine, which was representing to the Indie Pop
theme. I also used the blur tool to edit photos further and the colour editor to change the colour levels in a photo to appear more pink and purple. I have
built up my knowledge of the software and I am now much more confident than I was before starting the coursework with Photoshop.
Blogger and Google: I have used Blogger to upload all my work to my blog. I am now confident in using it as I understand the importance and
usefulness of the software. I have uploaded every piece of work to Blogger as there, it is easily accessible for me and my teachers. I have uploaded all
my work including all my research and planning, the stages of making my magazine and the evaluation of the magazine. I have uploaded my work in
various formats to add interest to my blog by uploading work as a standard blog post, through sribd, slideshare and prezi. I have also used Google to
search for my research and planning section and to gain inspiration from existing magazines and social media sites such as Instagram and Twitter. I was
able to research magazine layouts and how a successful magazine is made through Google, which helped me when creating Violet Noise. Google
enabled me to research what magazine features are usually in an Indie magazine and a Pop magazine to combine the ideas to create my magazine.
This also helped me gain inspiration for the page furniture I created and gain inspiration from existing magazines.