Photography Techniques

The main image displayed on the cover illustrates a close up shot of world renowned artist, David Bowie. This shot is used to depict his facial features and expression, which is one of flirtation. His hand is raised up to his lips; this is generally recognized as a seductive stance as it draws attention to the lips. The seductive quality of the pose corresponds with the sexuality exposed in the ‘Glam Rock’ genre in which Bowie is associated with. His skin is displayed as matte which is chiefly feminine, relating to the ‘Glam Rock’ culture. The artist is addressing the audience directly, drawing them in and providing the allusion that he is staring directly at them. A lightning bolt is shown descending from the top right-center of the page, eventually striking across the right side of Bowie’s face. The same lightning bolt was famously worn in Bowie’s sixth album, Aladdin Sane a therefore provides direct recognition. The colours used on the lightning bolt provide a fluent colour scheme, consisting of deep pink and sky blue. These colours are to contrast with the black and white photograph, this is an effective technique as the colours appear bolder and manifest, therefore it immediately captures the audience’s attention.

The main image is deliberately placed to the right to fit the rule of thirds. It is a medium - long shot of the duo ‘The Last Shadow Puppets’. The shot used shows their facial features, expression and attire. The pair appear to bear fairly vacant, defiant expressions. They both wear established ‘mod’ hairstyles which unites with their music genre and the genre featured throughout the magazine - Indie/Alternative rock. Additionally, they’re sporting black Harrington Jackets which are predominantly worn by mods. The artists are addressing the audience directly, drawing them in and providing the allusion that he is staring directly at them. The image is set in high contrast, with a low saturation and temperature, delivering a fairly, cold British exterior, providing insight of their music.  Furthermore, teamed with the grainy layering, the use colour also presents a passé quality, implying that the magazine has values which correspond with previous decades. This juxtaposes with the red text, causing it to appear bolder and manifest, therefore it immediately captures the audience’s attention.

New Aesthetic is recognised for their minimalistic layouts and the heavy emphasis on their artistic images as opposed to written content; this is apparent within this front cover. The image shows a medium close up of a young, attractive female model in profile. Her hair is short and flat, in keeping with the minimalistic theme. She bears a severe, unapproachable exterior with glazed vision, suggesting that the magazine features profound lyrical artists. The image dominates the page entirely as very little text had overridden it – this infers that the creators of the magazine aim to engage the customer’s attention purely for the the sole significance of the picture. The model is raised above the frame of the picture, presenting a 3D effect. The picture is layered with a black and white filter which matches the monochrome house theme. The filter also exudes intensity, this implies that the included artists are passionate about music and not characterised by their fame and futile lyrics.

The main image displayed on this cover portrays a medium shot of notorious punk rock band, Green Day. The lead singer, Billy Joe Armstrong, asserts his dominance by positioning himself in the middle of the two. He does this as customers identify the band frequently through him alone, and therefore can immediately conclude whether the magazine caters for their taste. The shot used shows their facial features, expression and attire. Their expressions are crazed and extremely exaggerated, demonstrating a fairly mischievous quality which matches the ideology of their music. Their hair is also chaotic which relates to these values. The men are wearing matching grey attire, proving they’re all part of the same ensemble. The men are addressing the audience directly, drawing them in and providing the allusion that he is staring directly at them. Billy Joe Armstrong is raised above the masthead, presenting a 3D effect and implying that the magazine is established, therefore customers can recognise the magazine without reading the entire title. 

The main image on this particular magazine is dominated by a high definition close up shot of Oasis front man, Noel Gallagher. This shot is used to depict his facial features and expression, which is one of severity, suggesting his lyrics are meaningful and that he is of profound musical importance. The artist is addressing the audience directly, drawing them in and providing the allusion that he is staring directly at them. The picture contains a harsh gritty, high contrast filter which highlights his wrinkles and hairs, however, this amplifies his masculinity. The photo is also set in black and white, intensifying the image and supporting the artist’s seriousness. This juxtaposes with the red text, causing it to appear bolder and manifest, therefore it immediately captures the audience’s attention. Although the text covers the majority of it, the audience is able to see Noel’s ‘mod’ hairstyles which unites with his music genre and the genre featured throughout the magazine - Indie/Alternative rock.