Research: Lifestyle Magazine (Image Composition)

     With the narrowing down of the genre, I now want to take a look more into what exactly the conventions are of a photography magazine. 

    Image quality. The quality of these images can really elevate the authenticity of a magazine. I mean, no one wants to purchase a magazine and only to see blurry photos. Additionally, it's not necessarily a matter of just bringing down the authenticity of a magazine, but also when you look at these high-quality images you want to evoke the response of "wow" or something along those lines.

    Okay so you have the image quality now what? I asked myself simply just having a high-quality image doesn't make it "good".   So, I did a bit more research on compositional rules such as rule of thirds, leading lines, and foreground interest. 

Rule of Thirds, pretty straightforward. It divides the photo into nine parts, and you should place key subjects along the lines to offer a more balanced look. Overall, this is key as it would make the entire photo flow more easily adding to the aesthetic of my magazine.

    Leading lines, also quick they basically guide your eyes to the main subject from the foreground. These lines could be something like roads & rivers. Having a leading line creates more depth in the image and makes it more engaging for looker.

   

    Foreground is the bottom part of the frame of a photo. It creates depth and detail to the overall look, and definitely is something that I shouldn't overlook if I am looking for that "wow-factor" in my magazine.

    Okay, with figuring out the technicality of images I also need to figure out a way to have these images flow on paper. Because then again, this isn't a picture book it's a magazine. There will be captions and wording and graphics, so all of these components have to blend together.

https://iceland-photo-tours.com/articles/photography-techniques/rule-of-thirds-explained#:~:text=The%20concept%20of%20the%20Rule,elements%20where%20the%20lines%20intersect.

https://www.naturettl.com/composition-landscape-photography/#:~:text=Rule%20of%20Thirds&text=Generally%2C%20when%20following%20the%20Rule,me%20well%20over%20the%20years.

Magazine Genre Research

    From a young age I was always interested in seeing grand landscapes or scenery. Although, my budget is not fully there to travel to numerous landmarks across the globe, but I have been blessed with traveling to a few places around the world. Through my travels of Europe and South American I began to largely enjoy capturing landscape photos of scenery. It's hard for me to describe the feeling I get when I capture something I guess it feels almost surreal. With that enjoyment, I chose to explore the genres of photography, travel, and lifestyle for my magazine.

    Starting off I had to ask myself that if I'm going down the route of these genres is what takes a good photo? All three of my chosen genres share one thing in common, pictures. And not just subpar photos, good quality ones. People see with their eyes and feel emotions through sight. My goal is to go through different magazines and seeing the quality of images. What kind of lighting was used? Were these photos simple or was there a lot of contrast (colors, objects...)? Is there a specific kind of camera I need?

    I needed inspiration of photos, so I took a lot at Elements Magazine. They specialize in landscape photos which goes in hand with the kind of magazine I would create with a photography and environment magazine. 

    This is a perfect representation of what I am trying to go for. Pictures that make you stop and feel "small". 

    After looking through a couple more photos and magazine examples, I ultimately decided to go for a lifestyle magazine. Primarily, because it can be a combination of photography, travel, and environment, so I can get more creative freedom.