Image decisions

Last lesson we discussed the importance in images and how they can change the whole meaning of an article. We looked at how using Mise-en-Scene, personal experience and creativity can help you get the best image for your article.

Mise-en-scene is particularly important for magazine articles as when you are trying to tell a story it is better to have a naked image rather than a edited, cropped and photo-shopped one.
Personal experience is also very important as it makes the reader able to assosiate with the photographer and the creative director.

Finally, creativity is essential when trying to find a cover image or an image for a feature in your magazine. Sometimes it is best to be simple and basic like the TIME front cover showing Obama's inauguration.

Or, you can have a less obvious picture that does not really tell you about the article, like this image of George Cloony, it does not tell you anything about the article and without the title of it you probably wouldnt guess that to be the title. Although making the reader have to guess what the article is about and drawing them in is important, it is sometimes appropriate to just have a simple image telling the story.

For my front cover, i decided I was going to have a spread of objects to do with student life such as revision books, i-pods, phones and pens and pencils. They were going to be in a disorganised style and will be the picture for an article called "The Perfect Student?" talking about how its impossible to be perfect but how to get the closest to it. I decided to do this because I know that most people will choose to use a person on their front cover however I would like to subvert the norm and create a front image that is not conforming.

However, recently, I realised this was not the most exciting front cover and would probably not attract a lot of readers. I then decided to use an image of two students, one reading a magazine and listening to her i-pod and the other one with an apple, a set of exercise books and a pencil case. I wanted to create a contrast and it sets the scene for my article which is about the typical "perfect" student and if being overly studious always works out best. I think my image shows that perfectly. I may still use the other image somewhere else in my magazine.