3. Inspiration
This front cover image of Brad Pitt
and Angelina Jolie was inspiration for
the type of image I would like to use
for my double page spread. Because
my subject is on the family life of a
hip-hop star I need an image showing
an „insight into his life.‟ This photo
gives a very serene and calming sense
to how their lives are outside of the
celebrity status and hectic fame
they‟re a part of.
The costume is clearly planned as
they‟re all in a specific colour scheme
of white which adds to the purity and
innocence the newborn children bring
to the image.
The loving facial expressions on
Angelina‟s face reinforces the care and
devotion behind a family bond.
4. Inspiration
This picture of Jamie Lynn Spears was one that I liked
and used as inspiration for the type of image I would
like to use for my double page spread.
I like the „sudden‟ aspect of the image and the fact that
it is a relatable to the audience seeing it. This is because
many people can recall a time in their life that someone
may have suddenly said “smile” or something similar
and immediately had their picture taken, without being
ready for it. Some people in this situation may shy away
and hide their face, or others may strike a pose such as
this. My notion of it being an unexpected picture is
being proven by the outfits both baby and Jamie are
wearing. They are in casual wear which is typical of the
clothes you wear when relaxing at home. This is another
aspect I am a fan of because of the casual sense the
image gives off. It is the polar opposite of the glamorous
celebrity „perfect image‟ we as viewers as so used to
seeing. The laid back tone is the same type I‟m going for
my double page spread image.
5. Initial DPS idea
My initial double page spread idea was to be of a feud between two hip-hop rivals. I got
this idea from the „beef‟ between the two female hip-hop adversaries Nicki Minaj and Lil‟
Kim. This dispute began over Lil‟ Kim believing that Nicki Minaj was trying to take over
her spot in the hip-hop game after by being the only other female rapper.
Using this as inspiration, my idea was to shoot two people who are supposedly rivals and
use one of them to be interviewed for my double page spread text.
First
Lil‟ Kim photo
Nicki Minaj
shoot
images:
6. Possible DPS image
This is an image I took as a „tester‟ shot. Therefore, it is unsuitable for the use of my
double page spread image. The reason behind taking this tester shot was to see the
mise-en-scene, check the lighting and to see if the position where I was standing was
an appropriate place in order to get the perfect shot.
Certain aspects of this image
show that it is a shot used as a
tester. For instance, the older
female model‟s phone is visible
in the shot and her shoes are
still on which doesn‟t imply the
typical „homey‟ feel. The male
model‟s facial expression shows
that the picture was
unexpectedly taken and looks
almost in a state of shock,
which is in complete contrast
to the other two female models
who managed to subtly pose.
7. Possible DPS image
This is another image I took during my photo shoot for my double page spread.
There are quite a few things that make this image unacceptable for my spread in the
magazine. Once again, the older female model‟s phone is in clear view and her facial
expression looks slightly forced. There is also a small camera spot that is present in
this image which could draw the attention away from the family.
Another aspect of this image that
makes it unsuitable is the male
model‟s facial expression. The
image should have connotations
of love and unity between a
family, instead of curiosity and a
sense of peculiarity which the
male model‟s expression seems
to suggest. The proximity of all 3
models in this image is also not
ideal as the younger female
model looks rather squashed in
the middle.
8. Possible DPS image
This is another picture that cannot be used for my double spread. Whilst taking the
images, I experimented with holding to camera both portrait and landscape to take
the pictures. This is an example of when I took the picture in a portrait setting and
the result is not of high quality.
Although the older male and female models are in a
nice pose, the majority of the sofa is cut off which
just makes the image look unprofessional. The
younger female model however, had gotten a little
aggravated and is therefore looking sad in the
image and is in fact not looking up at the camera.
This would not be suitable with the overall theme I
was aiming for so this is a large component in the
image‟s unsuitability to my double page spread.
The position I was holding the camera in when
taking this image was not ideal as I held it too far
down, exposing part of the female model‟s feet and
the carpet beneath. The female model‟s phone once
again made yet another appearance!
9. Possible DPS image
As well as experimenting with camera orientation, I also played around with having
the setting on flash both on and off. This is an example of when I took the picture
horizontally and without flash. As a result of this, the image came out slightly blurred
and with a tint browny-orange colour, as if the sepia effect had been added – which
wasn‟t.
Apart from the obvious blur
making it unacceptable to use, the
toys to the right of the sofa and
other excess homely items also
make it unusable. If it was used, it
would be clear that when the
image was taken, that the items
were mistakenly involved in the
picture also. The prop of the doll
that is supposed to be the couple‟s
„baby‟ is also too exposed, showing
that it is clearly a fake baby‟s head
rather than a real one.
10. Possible DPS image
This is a picture that was taken near the start of the photo shoot, hence the
humorous nature and unnatural tone it gives off. The older female model‟s right
hand gesture also suggests that they‟re more of friends than a couple. The image is
also too zoomed, as I wanted if not the whole, then the majority of the sofa to be on
show. But instead this image just shows a small cross-section of the sofa.
The young female model also looks too
serious as she is not smiling or pulling
a natural pose which is what I was
going for. The fact she is looking
straight at the camera could make the
audience realise that it was indeed a
photo shoot and not a natural home
moment that‟s captured. and the male
and female models are both smiling
and laughing, which is goes against the
wanted look of being in love; however,
this is understandable considering that
they‟re in fact siblings!
11. The DPS image
The chosen one
This is the image I eventually decided on to use as the image for my double page
spread. By this point I had finally remembered to put out some kid‟s toys to use as
props to put across that „hectic family home‟ sense to the reader. The various toys are
relevant to the story and add another dimension to the picture.
Both the model‟s facial expression
plus their body language are
appropriate the double page spread
topic. They are all smiling implying
that they‟re a happy family unit and
their proximity is close to
demonstrate that they love and care
for each other. The „baby‟ is well-
covered to hide the fact that its
fake, but is shown just enough for
the audience to realise that it is in
fact a baby.
