2. Technology Used
I used several technologies for my research, planning, production and
evaluating including:
• Internet (Blogger, YouTube, Facebook Messenger, Prezi, Slideshare).
• Lighting equipment.
• Nikon D800 camera.
• Photoshop.
• Microsoft PowerPoint.
3. Internet
• I used the internet for a substantial amount of work for my production, particularly in the research stages
(research of existing media, codes and conventions and tutorials).
• I used Blogger to record my planning process and the stages of production. I was able to keep my work up-
to-date using this technology- this was efficient when editing any unfinished work.
• I used Prezi and Slideshare to present the majority of my research into codes and conventions- I had to use
a YouTube tutorial to find out how to embed these onto my blog (Blogger).
• I also used YouTube to find out how to use Photoshop (in order to edit my images in my production)- this
made my finished product appear more professional so it could be compared to real media products.
• In order to arrange the dates and times for photographing my models, I used Facebook Messenger. I also
used this technology in order to keep in touch with my focus group so I could focus my production on their
needs and wants- and then refer to these on my blog (using Blogger). This allowed me to quickly and
efficiently respond to any changes necessary to adapt to the results of my focus group (who were a
reflection of my target audience- this way I made my media product more suitable to my actual target
audience, therefore my magazine would be more successful). This process would have been much more
time consuming without the use of Internet.
4. Blogger Posts-Tutorials
I posted tutorials on Blogger. All of these tutorials
used the internet- the majority of my research for
these tutorials was through YouTube.
5. Microsoft PowerPoint vs. Prezi
• Microsoft PowerPoint- I had used this several times before I started this project so it was a
good choice to use this program to present my work and evaluations (easy to use and no need
of tutorials to assist me). It is easy to organise information on in a clear layout- this makes my
evaluations easy to read.
• Prezi- a more interesting and new way of presenting information (such as codes and
conventions) which might engage the viewer more than a PowerPoint would-therefore the
program is more effective. Using this technology also showed ICT skills and flexibility to work
with different programmes as I had never used it before this project.
6. Lighting my Images
• In order to light my images, I used various technologies and when these were not available I adapted to the
situation and used other objects to act in place of these technologies.
• In some of my images (see contents page), when I had access to a photography studio, I used a soft-
box/beauty-dish and brown-line light at opposing angles (one from behind to the left of the model and one in
front to the right). By having these lights in relation to each other created high-key lighting- this replicates real
media products so makes my magazine appear more professional.
• However, in the majority of my images, I used natural rather than artificial light. As I did not have access to a
photography studio in this situation, I had to set up an area in my house in order to replicate one so that my
photographs would still appear professional. I used black and white cloth as backdrops, directly opposite a
window which brought in the natural light- I took these photographs at around ten/eleven o'clock on an
overcast day so the light was not too bright as to create harsh shadows. I didn't have access to any reflectors, I
used plain, white paper to reflect this light (I got the model to hold white paper underneath her at waist level to
reflect the light onto her face, and used black paper on either side of her face to create softer shadows).
• I also did a tutorial blog post on this lighting process (Blogger).
• This adaptation made me learn that, although lighting technologies are preferred, they are not necessary in
order to create efficient lighting in an image.
7. Nikon D800 Camera
• I had minimal experience with this camera before this project, so I had to experiment with the
ISO, aperture and shutter speed- I looked at tutorials on how to use them effectively (using the
Internet). After this research, I became more familiar with how the camera worked and therefore
how to take a better portrait photograph.
• I was heavily reliant on using my camera as my final production included many images- this would
conform to my target audiences’ expectations. Using this camera allowed me to quickly and
efficiently obtain images for my production, as well as having a playback feature which allowed
me to see what changes were necessary for each picture in order to get the best possible
outcome. This means that, in order to take images, this technology was necessary for my
production. I could have used an alternative camera or my camera on my phone for this- but the
quality of the images would be lower and a camera would still be necessary for my production.
8. Photoshop
Before this task, I had never used Photoshop before. This meant that even basic elements of this software were unknown to me,
so, in order to overcome this, I watched many tutorials on YouTube- which I saved on Blogger as tutorials (see below).
Experimenting with the help of these tutorials allowed me to find the best ones to suit the effects that I wanted to achieve and
make my product appear considerably more professional.
As well as experimenting with different fonts and ways of presenting text in my production, I also experimented with effects on
tone, contrast, colour and brightness to edit my images. Below is an image comparison (from my double page spread) of before
and after Photoshop when applying this editing knowledge, as well as my product:
Before Editing After Editing Final Product
9. Conclusion
Overall, technology has played a vital role in my project. This is down to me using it in virtually every
aspect of my work, particularly in my research, production and planning. During my research, I used
the internet for tutorials and access to existing media and codes and conventions. The basics of me
learning to use Photoshop was predominantly down to technology (tutorials were available on
YouTube, which I then posted on Blogger). I was able to show the skills I had learnt due to the use of
technology; resulting in a much better outcome than what would have been achievable without it.
During my production, I used the Nikon D800 camera to take photographs, which are a main feature
in my magazine, and the computer program Photoshop to edit them to make them appear more
professional. During my planning I communicated with my models and focus group via social media
technology; this made me able to organise plans and make my product more suited to my target
audience. This process shows media convergence- the merging of these different technologies
worked together for my product.
