Here is my first draft layout of my zine design. I believe my choice and sequencing of photographs and my use of basic text is very effective and clean. I have tried to keep things as minimal as I can as i didn’t want to draw any attention away from the photographic content itself. However something that I am not too sure on at this point is the layout in terms of alternation and sizing of the images, I think if I was to experiment with alternative layouts using full bleed spreads and maybe overlapping images this could make for a more visually interesting sequence of images. So this is something which i will try when coming up with my final design for my zine. I may also experiment with the placement of the text used in the zine because at this point it is all very central rather than alternating or randomly placed etc.

ZINE IDEAS / RESEARCH / INSPIRATION

Here is the creative process of an existing zine called Ooi Qui Min which I was fond of, it shows a range of different presentation techniques and compositions which I think makes it a good zine to explore in order to get layout ideas for my own zine.

Here are some images of the creative process of the Ooi Qui Min zine…

 I believe that this zine is a very successful outcome as it covers various different compositions and layouts of images whilst remaining minimalistic. I also like the basic fonts used in the zine as they do not distract of draw attention away from the images themselves, this is something which I hope to do in my own zine.

Here are some alternative simple layout ideas for a zine, which look at different compositions, use of text, framing, colour and sequencing. I believe that it is good to look at many different examples of what it is that you are creating, as it will give you as much creative inspiration as you may need.

A zine is a small-circulation of self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via photocopier Zines are either the product of a single person, or of a very small group. Zines are used as an effective way of marketing and presenting ones work and often will stick to one small topic throughout all the pages. They incorporate a basic design layout with usually one image per double page spread and sometimes one image per page.  Among the various intentions for creation and publication, the idea behind zines are to develop one’s identity, share a niche-skill or art, or developing a story, as opposed to seeking profit.

When researching visual inspiration to develop an understanding of a theme, i decided I was most interested in the zines which featured architecture. I am interested in exploiting derelict architecture however i also think it could be interesting to contrast this with new buildings such as the new finance center as well as buildings within the development stages. Within my zine i intend to create a narrative which tells the audience how the area of St Helier has been developed and also left to suffer. I want to capture photos at night time and portray St Helier as a vibrant chaotic place by using techniques such as slow shutter speed.

Other than just displaying a sense of the different buildings around St Helier i intend on reflecting on the people that live within these communities and show how they use the area of St Helier. I think that a narrative could easily be created throughout my zine by starting off with some of the buildings located in St Helier and then moving on with the people that live here and how they use the areas.

Each artist in this collection of images has provided me with inspiration for how I would like to capture the essence of St. Helier. I have selected images from the archive. I noticed a lack of portraits and the few I found were composed by Francis Foot, this has enabled the idea of capturing the people of town rather than architectural and landscape based pictures as I believe that what makes up St. Helier is the people and community. 
Another artist I would like to base this project on is Walker Evans and his collection of photos of American workers - 'Labour Anonymous' set out in the style of typology. He used the method of standing still with his camera set up by his waist shooting passersby framed by the negative space of a wall in his location. The collection of images are all candid and even when the subject realised their photo was being taken, their expressions were still honest and they almost give a bigger insight of who they are as individuals. Although all the pictures are set up the same and look alike, each person creates a different mood and emotion.
The last artist I drew inspiration from is Lewis Bush. The images I chose use a technique of cutting and pasting and repeating one image that creates an intense and overwhelming feeling. If I could apply this to portraits I would hopefully  like to emphasise the emotion and individuality of each person I capture on the street by repeating key parts of their portraits that add flavour and insight to who they are and what their motives are in that moment.

Using some of my photographs from my first and second shoot and a newspaper article about heath and safety issues such as injury, death, drugs and assault. The point of this collage was just to explore ideas about the concerns of the new hospital that is being planned for in the near future. The two street portraits of two diverse subjects in the collage are meant to signify the fact that people of any class, race, religion etc. will all be in need of health-care at some point in their lives. The photograph of the back of the current hospital is simply meant to show how dated and in need of renovation the current building is. The photographs of signs that have been included in the collage are all supposed to be a symbol of danger or warning which is commonly something that leads to injury and therefore peoples’ need for healthcare.

Here is a photograph of the physical collage before then being digitally manipulated…

I then went on to use Photoshop in order to make the collage digitally versatile. I did this by cropping down the original and then increasing the exposure of the image. I then made the image black and white and adjusted the monochrome tones until I was satisfied with how it looked.

Here is the outcome of this…

 

Critical Selection

This blog post covers my critical selection of images which I have made using Adobe Light room from all 3 of my photo shoots which I  took in my allocated area of St Helier. These are the raw images before any editing and I have chosen them based on various aesthetic aspects such as the simplicity, colours, textures, and with the portraits based on the physical content of the images such as the expressions of the subjects of their surroundings. The images which I believe need to be slightly altered or manipulated I will caption with those needed changes, most of these slight alterations needing to be an increase in contrast, but i personally don’t believe that any of my favorite images which I have chosen need major changes to be made.

Shoot 1 Favorite images :

Could be slightly increased in contrast

Possible black and white, definitely increase contrast

Increase brightness and contrast to enhance the white

Black and white, possible increase in contrast

Enhance and darken blue tones

Experiment with saturation and hue of tones

Increase in contrast and slight decrease in brightness

Slight increase in contrast

Shoot 2 Favorite images :

Slight increase in contrast, maybe alter hue of red tones

Shoot 3 Favorite images :

Cropping, Increase contrast, possibly black and white

Cropping, slight increase in saturation

Slight decrease in brightness, maybe alter the hue

RED = UNSUCCESSFUL 

YELLOW = SUCCESSFUL / POSSIBLE USE

GREEN = SUCCESSFUL / USE FOR EDITING PROCESS

I went back to the same location for a third time, this helped me notice new things I had not seen the first and second time.

Below I have selected and displayed my favourite photos from my third shoot.