2. What have you learnt about technologies
from the process of constructing this
product?
Technologies I used to research, plan and create my magazine:
Internet-based:
■ Blogger/Blogspot
■ Google
■ Prezi
■ Slideshare
■ Facebook (Messenger)
Lighting equipment
Cameras (Canon EOS 750D and Panasonic Lumix LX7)
Adobe Photoshop
Microsoft PowerPoint
3. Internet Use
■ I used Google to search for quick tips and tutorials on how to do things on Blogger and Photoshop.This helped
as it allowed me to have no limitations in terms of ability.
■ I used Blogger to document and log my progress in researching different aspects of media publications, and
planning and creating my final magazine cover, contents page and double-page spread. I found it very simple
and easy to use, as it made uploading and editing posts very simple and quick.
■ I presented all of my work on Blogger as I found this was the most efficient and best looking form of
documenting my progress.
■ I used Messenger, Facebook’s integrated instant messaging service, to organise my photo-shoot for my final
production. I also used it as a means of getting feedback from my focus group using the group chat feature.
■ Messenger was a very efficeient and fast way pf getting feedback and making plans.This is because the
integration with Facebook, which all of my focus group actively uses, and the push notifications; which made it
very easy for me to know when I had feedback and allowed me to reply quickly and with ease.
■ Prezi made it very easy to make a high-quality presentation with no difficulty, as I had used it prior to this
production.
■ Slideshare was also very good in making a simple presentation. I had no difficulty as I am very familiar with
PowerPoint and all Slideshare involves is importing a PowerPoint presentation.
4. PowerPoint + Slideshare
■ I have used PowerPoint before this production so I was very confident in
my skills to use it.
■ PowerPoint is simple to understand and use, as it has a clear layout with
easy to follow directions and options.
■ I could easily import PowerPoint presentations into Slideshare, and then
easily embed said presentation into a Blogger post.
■ Slideshare is an efficient means of presentation as it lets users and
viewers see a PowerPoint presentation without having to download it;
and navigation is fluid and easy when on a Blogger post, requiring only
the mouse or the left and right arrow keys.
5. Canon 750D EOS
■ Prior to my final construction I had not used this camera before, as an amateur
photographer I did not have the skill set to take photos to the high quality industry
standard.To help me change this I researched elements of the camera I could change
and alter to take better photos such as ISO, aperture and shutter speed meaning I did
not have to rely on manual settings, which do not tend to give off such high quality
results
■ I was entirely reliant on this camera for my final construction as having good quality
photos was essential to meeting the industry standards I needed in order to have a
realistic and convincing magazine that would attract my audience
■ Due to the cameras practical playback feature I was able to easily view and upload the
images I had taken, allowing me to work on them quickly and efficiently
6. Lighting
■ In terms of the lighting in my images, I used several pieces of photography equipment.
I had to look into how these could be used to create different effects and decided on
using a specialised photography headlamp with interchangeable bulbs (I had to
experiment with the different combinations to find which one worked best) and two
soft box lights at opposing angles to create soft contrasts and high key lighting
■ I then used Photoshop to artificially enhance the lighting I already had. I made my
contrasts more intense by altering them and the colour levels to give my image a pink-
ish hue.
■ Although I did not need to take any photos outside of the photography studio, editing
my photos to create artificial lighting means that in the future should I be faced with
having to take a photo in poor lighting conditions I will be able to fix this using the
same software
7. Photoshop
■ As a frequent user of Photoshop I was already well aware of the different features the
software has to offer and had a wide range of skills to help me going into my
production
■ As I was already mostly coherent in all areas of Photoshop I simply used tutorials as
refreshers as and when I felt my technique needed refining.
■ Links to the tutorials I used can be found on my Blogger post titled “Photography and
Photoshop practise”
9. Conclusion
■ Technology played an incredibly large role in the creation of my magazine. Without it, it would have
been impossible to create the work
■ Using the internet to research previous works and their codes and conventions was helpful to create a
realistic magazine and online tutorials were helpful in providing me with the knowledge to achieve the
look I wanted.
■ I also used the internet to research the audiences of similar magazines and this helped me to refine my
own target audience and provide them with something convincing and appealing
■ Photoshop was essential in my production as it was the software I used to edit all of my images and
create the layouts and text for all three of my pages.Without Photoshop my images would’ve been of
lower quality and creating the layouts would’ve been very difficult
■ My camera was also an essential part of my production as without it my photos would have been of very
poor quality and difficult to access. Using the camera to the advanced level that watching tutorials
enabled me to meant that my photos were up to industry standards
■ I also made great use of social media in the planning process of creating my magazine. My focus group
was on Messenger and this enabled me to get feedback quickly and act on it. I also used it to organise
having the models and equipment I needed for my photo shoot in the same place at the same time
