Final Photos

Creating the Zine on InDesign

This was how I set up a new document that then became my zine.

This is how the document came out, this allows me to have creative freedom over each photo I put into this zine. I will use my paper mock up to help create a base before I make any major changes to it.

To make sure I have access to the tool bars, I changed the setting on the top right from ESSENTAILS to ESSENTIALS CLASSIC.

I changed this setting to make the zine high quality without having to use the shortcut SHIFT W to remove the guidelines.

Front Cover

Page One

Following my paper mock up I put these three photos on the first page after an empty page. By matching up the images making them into a sort of joined tryptic photo. This worked well and created a bold, interesting first page setting the narrative for the rest of the zine.

Page Two

Before

After

For this page on my mock up I kept the background blank, however when I did this on the actual document it appeared too empty so I experimented with backgrounds, before settling on the one above. This actually then helped link the next page in as the next page is all black and white images, while also providing context as the rest of the photos are mostly small snippets and details shots. I also made this a double page spread to give the images enough room to be seen without being overcomplicated, I used the imagine in the middle to split between the two pages as it is a detailed image unaffected by being folded across the two pages.

Page Three

This was my original design however I felt the bottom left photo of a roll of rubber wasn’t quite right. The shadow was distracting and the lighter tone didn’t quite fit. To fix this I re-cropped the image and re edited the image. This made for a much better overall look.

Page Four

I kept this page the same as paper mock up as it worked well when I placed it onto the pages, I like the contrast of the full size black and white image with the two smaller full colour images.

Page Five

Again I tried making the page the same as the paper layout but the page appeared to blank with too much free space. To fix this I added an abstract detailed photo in the background with lowered opacity. I also made sure the colours in the three images worked with the background photo.

Page Six

As I had used the original photo on the left for the background of the previous page I needed to swap the photo on the left out. The photo on the right matches well as this is actually the same wall as the photo on the left just at different points, both are important historical points to the Jersey harbour. The photo on the it is a traditional Jersey arch with the three blocks sticking out as the style and the lamp acting as a ‘traffic light for boats’.

Back Cover

Front cover . Back Page

The final page I kept the same as the front cover, however I flipped the photo so if you opened the pages out it appeared one whole image rather than the same photo twice. I also put my name on the elastic band to keep it almost hidden.

Overview

I have now finished the zine and as above I have captured the process I went through to select the final version of the zine from a paper mock up to the final print out. By recording each decision I made allowed me to reflect on the choices and how I could change things to fit with each other as well as giving me an opportunity to understand my own choices and how well the narrative flows by how easy it was to explain in words. I found sometimes I was making connections only I would as I knew my work and photos as well as what I was trying to say so this gave me a point of comparison to reflect on. The zine captures the harbour well, I paired it with the title ‘Lobsters, lamps and lochs’ as I felt this was a simple overview of the zine and also harbour through an intriguing alliterated phrase. As the zine goes on the the history is more and more obvious highlighting further specific links to the Jersey harbour over any other harbour. I have shown this in the photos, for example on the second last page there is a photo of an arch and pump which is where sailors would have gotten fresh water from, but the arch is specific to Jersey as the design of three bricks sticking out on the non curved part.

I decided to go with the second version of my zine because I preferred the layout and images selected and because I felt that they coordinated with my intentions much better.

I chose to go with the name “Thalassophile”, meaning love of the sea or someone who loves the sea, for my zine because it made sense with the story I was trying to convey.

What Is a Narrative?

A spoken or written account of connected events; a story that you write or tell to someone, usually in great detail. This may be fictional or real, it also usually involves characters, a plot, conflict and eventually a resolution to the problem. These narratives typically covey a ‘deeper meaning’ to something.

What is a Zine?

A zine is a small booklet of photographs created by someone or a group of people, they are created using a photocopier or a printer and help to convey self expression, community, creative freedom and encourage a do-it-yourself dynamic. They also help to allow individuals to share their unique perspectives and connect with other people.

What is a Story?

A story is a similar to a narrative in the sense that they both have a plot, setting and characters etc. They also are used to entertain people and covey deeper messages. Stories can help people to share ideas, experiences and emotions and connecting with other perspectives. Storytelling enriches lives and provides a way to understand the world.

What is MY Story?

– 3 words

Unseen, dedication and diligence.

– A sentence

The unrequited effort that is put in to produce food and to keep our Island beautiful.

-A paragraph

My Zine reflects a story of a mixture of the outcome from the effort put in to keep our harbours clean, tidy and charming for citizens and tourists to enjoy. I also wanted to display the hidden work and labour of hundreds of people which is concealed and goes unnoticed. I displayed this element in my zine by showing the not-so-noticed parts such as the equipment, people and uniform. I chose for there to be a mixture throughout of outcomes of the work put in, mixed with industrial side to the harbours of Jersey. I wanted to incorporate close up’s of production materials such as oars, buckets, buoys, boats etc. In a way to attempt to make them look just as interesting and amusing as the amazing sea views.

Mood Board:

This was my mood board of ideas and photos I found of Jersey harbours that I used for inspiration and ideas when taking my own photos.

This was my mood board of photos I took of Jersey harbours that I used in my Zine chose for my final product.

Typography:

I chose the title ‘Mariners’ as I thought It described the people and their work that is done everyday perfectly.

I also then used the words ‘Fair Winds and Following Seas’ as It is another way of saying ‘Good Luck’, I thought this was a wholesome reference which conveyed the peaceful and tranquil community well.

I also used a nice and simple font called Cambria Math. This keeps things easy to read and used a white colour to make it eye-catching and also easy to read as It does not blend in with the background.

I created my InDesign document first and the settings I used are below;

I created 16 pages for my 16 photographs, just like on my prototype booklet.

I used the square selecting tool selected below to chose the size of my image and where I wanted it.

Next, I went to file and place and selected which image I wanted for this page.

Then, I right clicked on the image I had chosen, once it was placed and went to fitting and selected fit frame proportionally. I did this, so that the fitting would be more accurate and the image would fit perfectly within the selected box.

I could also go into display mode, so I can view my work in high resolution, so that my images were clear. This helped me be able to experiment and see what I did or didn’t like.

Experimentation

Once I had finished inserting my images, I wanted to experiment with my layout and be more brave with my juxtaposition, so I made an alternative layout, where I could swap my chosen images around in the layout.

I experimented with many different orders of my images. I also decided to get rid of some of my images and include one extra different image. I did this, because I wanted the include my landscape images as a full page spread.

Writing Experimentation

Next, I experimented with my text and typography. I experimented with the size of the writing for my title, as well as experimenting with the different fonts and colours of writing. I also had to layout my writing where I wanted it.

I experimented with lots of different font type, but in the end, I decided on ADD, because I think it best suited my zine, as it was the nicest font, but it was also a font that suited the harbour theme, unlike very posh cursive writing would for example.

Next, I experimented with the size I wanted my title and my name. I chose 30pt for my title, because I think it perfectly filled up the negative space at the top of my image. I chose 18pt for my name, because I wanted it to be slightly smaller than my title, but still stand out.

Then, I experimented with the colouring of my writing. I wasn’t able to use darker colours like black, brown, red for example, because the space where my writing is is very dark, so the writing would not be visible. That is why I have chosen to use white for my writing, because it stands out well and looks the best with my front cover and against the dark background.

Finally, I wanted to experiment with adding writing to my images, to explain my narrative.

I experimented with this, but ultimately decided I didn’t want writing throughout my zine, because I wanted my images to speak for themselves, and I didn’t want the writing to distract from my images.

Final Print Out Booklet

Finally, I printed of my images and folded them using a paper bone, so the pages were folded perfectly. Then, I put my images in order and stapled my booklet pages together.

My Final Layout

In my zine that I am creating I have experimented with the layout of my images, and using images, which have relationships, so that I am able to create a narrative (story) portraying St Helier Harbour. I also had to create a visually appealing zine in InDesign.

What is a story?

A story is a narrative about people and events, usually including an interesting plot, is a story. A story can be fictional or true, and it can be written, read aloud, or made up on the spot. Journalists write stories for newspapers, and gossips spread stories that may or may not be true.

There are also picture stories, which are the intentional use of pictures and words assembled into a story. You can also have a picture story, without writing.

STORY: What is your story?
Describe in:

• 3 words- ‘Life at the Harbour.’
• A sentence- ‘The different elements of the harbour include, fishing, sailing, salting fish, selling fish and so much more.’
• A paragraph- ‘At the harbour there was loads of different elements and workers working together, to keep the harbour life running smoothly. There was fishermen, salesmen, sailors, harbour masters and so many more people working together. They had to work together, so they could capture, salt and sell all different types of seafood, as well as transporting goods.’

NARRATIVE: How will you tell your story?

• Images > New St Helier Harbour photographs
• Archives > Old photographs of St Helier Harbour from SJ photo-archive or JEP Photographic Archive
• Texts > Write a short introduction or statement about your picture story, image captions
• Typography > creative uses of words, letters, font-types, sizes

About my Zine

In my zine, I used my images, which I had taken at the harbour, but I also wanted to experiment with old photos of the harbour from different archives, including the JEP Photographic Archive. I wanted to experiment with the archives, so that I could compare today’s harbour and the harbour from a long time ago and present the similarities and differences between them in my photos. However, in the end I preferred my zine with just the new photos of the archive that I had taken, because I thought they had more of a relationship with each other, and I just wanted to be able to present more of my work. I also experimented with different texts on my zine. I experimented with different titles, until finally deciding on, ‘Life at the Harbour.’ I also experimented with different texts inside my booklet, but I ultimately decided I preferred my zine without the writing, because I didn’t want to take attention away from my images, and I believe that the images speak for themselves. Finally, I experimented with typography, using different sizing, fonts, colours etc. for my title.

I used many differing images in my zine, that weren’t necessarily related, but also were, because of what I was trying to portray with my zine. I used images from all over the harbour and images of all the different aspects, eg the workers, the alive crabs, the seafood being sold, the boats docked, the rowing boats and crew etc. I wanted to include all of these images, so that I could present every possible aspect of the harbour, because a day at the harbour is never the same for everyone and I wanted the portray that. In my work I also didn’t add any text other than my title, because I felt the images speak for themselves, but because I also wanted to leave a level of subjectivity for the audience in my work, so the viewer can interpret my work in their own way.

What is a Zine

A zine is short for a magazine and it is a small self-published piece of original work, which can be presented as a booklet or magazine, with appropriate text or images. This is typically used as a form of developing identity by expressing artistic vision about a certain topic. This is non-commercial print-work that is usually produced in small, limited batches. Photo zines emerged from punk, DIY movements, and underground culture as an alternative way for photographers to showcase their work.

Experimenting with the Archives

Old photos of the harbour

For my zine, I want to experiment with archives of the old harbour and compare them to images I have taken of the harbour in present time. I want to experiment with this, because I think comparing and presenting the differences and similarities between present and past time harbours. This would enable me to create a narrative of the progression of the harbour.

JEP Archive

I also want to experiment with the JEP archives, because they contain images that famous Jersey photographers have taken during their life and time in Jersey. I could also compare my images to these images, and I could also edit my images into black and white, so they are the same as the archives, or I could leave them in colour to create a juxtaposition between my images and really present the differences in the old time harbour images and the new harbour images.

Final Selections

Before starting my zine on InDesign, I printed out 19 images, which were my best images, that also had a relationship with each other. I experimented with the layout and order of my images on the table and finally narrowed my 19 images down to 16 images and chose m final order and layout.

Next, I made a 16 page booklet with 4 pages of plain white paper and folded them all in half. Then, I stuck my images in the booklet in my chosen order, using masking tape. This allowed me to easily experiment with my images and see what my zine would physically look like, before creating it, so that I saved time and it was easier to create my zine.

Mood Board of Selected Images Before Experimentation

Harbour photoshoot

I used Adobe Photoshop to make my virtual gallery’s. I used the images from my zine.

I firstly designed a small blueprint of my zine on paper. I chose where my photos would go and which photo would go with another and etcetera and started placing them on InDesign in the places they are mean to be.

I finished putting all photos where they needed to go and started to work on the font of the title.

The font used in my title gives almost a pirate vibe. I thought this was fitting for my zine because not only is it about the harbour itself, it shows a story of the boats and reminds viewers to not only look at the physical side of it but the emotional side that the lives that these people lived.

I matched the theme of the front cover and back cover to show a similarity through the zine too just for some almost comfort.

Virtual gallery –

I created two virtual galleries to display the final images I used within my two zines using ArtSteps. My second gallery however shows a smaller amount of images as some of my images were shared between the two zines:

Zine 1:

Zine 2: