Edited photographs

After my photo shoot, I decided to try to edit my photos in order to make them look more suitable for my magazine. I tried to use techniques that I developed previously when creating my school magazine for the preliminary task, and also techniques that would develop my images in the style of photographs that I'd seen in previous NME magazines. 

Above is an image that I took at the Scotch Piper pub in Lydiate. Above is an original photo, and below it is another image from this shoot that I have edited. I got the idea for this shot from several sources like the Jake Bugg NME cover, where he is sat at a bar with a drink and the black and white shots of Lindsay Wixon in Vogue. I really liked this image as I think the pink lemonade and the outfit that Ellie was wearing captured the 'girlyness' and youth of her (this was exactly what I wanted to be portrayed through the connotations of the elements of the image as I mentioned in my previous post). To edit this photo I used the spot healing brush on photo shop to remove any blemishes from her skin (like spots and the dark circles beneath her eyes) and I also used the clone stamp to remove the yellow sign from the window behind her. I boosted the contrast and brightness accordingly and also boosted the saturation of her lips to exaggerate them when I turned the image black and white. A print screen of this is shown in between the photographs. I will use this photograph for the front cover of my magazine. 

I think that this image is effective in portraying my model as how I wanted. The mid close up allows for her expression to be clear, and her expression (the way she is staring down the barrel of the camera) makes her seem strong and independent. Also, the back-lighting almost creates an angelic glow around her, which connotes an innocence that suggests youth (which is a characteristic I want to represent through this image).