Planning for Photo Shoot


  • What kind of pictures would I find in "The What's New Magazine"?
    • "Readers tend to be more educated", might think about symbolism and message more deeply.
      • If I plan to write about unique areas of science and the philosophy of science, I should use my pictures to symbolically and suggestively implicate scientific and philosophical ideas.
    • Upon further analysis, I found that its better to describe the art style of Popular Science not as just "futuristic", but as a cross between "modern" and "postmodern". There are sometimes clashing elements of modern, material design against deconstructivist and chaotic illustrations. 
      • It might be a good idea to reflect on this technical code and create a custom piece of art for my own magazine using one of the images I take.
    • Some of the pictures used were designed to look like hyper-realistic cartoons.
      • In the spreads I analyzed in my previous posts, I discovered the use of close up profile shots for each of the feature spreads. However, for the article I intend on writing, I think I would like to break from this convention and use more of this sort of cartoonish style mixed with some of the aforementioned postmodern elements. 
    • Observational photography
      • I won't be able to "stage" the class working, so my best option is to try to get picture of people in movement while they are working and thinking. Few of the pictures and infographics I discovered in Popular Science contained this. 
        • I think doing this will create more of a "student newsletter" feel to my magazine. Though in other contexts this might come off as more "unprofessional", I think doing this sort of photography will actually give me more creative freedom apart from the technical codes I seek to model from Popular Science. What's more free and forward-thinking than a student publication?
    • Philosophy and other influences
      • I think science can be beautiful.
        • The lab I will be taking pictures in have these very unique grow lights for the experimental plants. 
        • The looks of fascination and genuine interest on my classmate's faces when they work with the growing apparatus + plants reminds me of a certain 17th century style of art that uses the blending of light and perspective to create symbolic meaning (freedom, science, discovery, revolution).
        • Opportunity to play with postmodern art to create meaning in the same way Popular Science uses it to.

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