Photoshoot 1 Layout

 Photoshoot 1 Layout

By: Sharmeen Shivji

This week I finalized my first photoshoot picture which is of Shayan Shivji. This process was definitely a long and hard one. I was having a very difficult time of removing the background of the original picture and I had no idea how to do it. In my last post I said that I would leave it as the nature background and then just remove any unwanted objects. However, after planning out the design I decided to make all the pictures have a plain background just of different pictures. 

Here is the process of me figuring out the the best layouts for the final pictures:

This was the original picture and as you can see there is a car in the background but I felt like even after I removed it, the picture wasn't fitting the whole vibe of the magazine.

This is the picture with the background removed. I was thinking about keeping it white but it just looked way to plain to go on a whole page of a magazine. Next I experimented with the colors of the background:

Here's the final picture with the background. 

Just kidding, I would never.

I know this wasn't a good choice, however I thought the background went really well with his outfit so I thought of using green and as you can see it definitely didn't go well. I don't know what I was thinking to be honest, it just looks so bad so don't worry this is not the actual thing.

After more experimenting I decided to move onto to more neutral colors so the most obvious choice besides whit and black is... GRAY!!

After trying the default gray, I just knew that this is the color that would work the best. It just compliments his outfit so well and looks so professional. I decided to darken the gray's a but because I felt it was a little to light and it just needed a little more pop to it. 

This one is by far my favorite , I love it so much and I am so excited to the rest of the photoshoot pictures. It just looks so perfect and put together. I am obsessed!!

This one has a hint of blue and purple in the gray which I just wanted to try out to see if it would look better since the main model's background might be light blue. However, I just think its too much on the purple side and the blue of his shirt doesn't compliment the background very well.

For this one I just decided to see how it would look an it is definitely too dark and it overpowers his outfit completely. I will not be choosing this one. 

Next I had to put the picture in the layout that it would be on the page. I don't want the the whole page to be covered just with the gray because I think it would look less professional. I just want to add a border which I feel like would complete it. Adding a little more too it would make the simplistic side stand out and I just think it would look better overall.  

Here are some of my layout ideas:

So for the white background picture I decided to add a gray border, I am not sure how I feel about it. It just looks off and I don't know whether I like it or don't.

For the next pictures, you can't really tell but there is a white border the same size as the one in the last picture. I love the way these came out and now its just choosing which gray to use.

After seeing all of these with the border I have decided to finally use....

I just love it so much, its the perfect shade and it just compliments everything so well. So this photoshoot will be two pages, so I just had to figure out everything for the first page and now I just have to copy it for the second one. 

Here is the second picture:

 

Again there is a white border in the background, its just blending into the page. 

Lastly, in the first photoshoot picture, Shayan's ears are red because of his position in the sunlight. Unfortunately I don't know how to remove it from his ears so I will have to ask my teacher for some help but trust me it will be gone before the magazine is finished. 

Photoshoot Picture- UPENN

 Photoshoot Picture- UPENN

By: Sharmeen Shivji

So this past weekend I was able to scout locations for where I want to take my UPENN students picture and take them. His picture will be one of the photoshoots placed towards the end of the magazine. These pictures will be full page with additional elements to make them stand out. For his picture I decided to go more with the nature background, because the lighting has been perfect recently and I found some pretty places. Here are the places that I thought would be a good fit and then the pictures that came out.

Location Scouting:

So obviously the house and the dead trees won't be in the background, but I thought that this place had very good lighting and with the right clothes Shayan can stand out. 

I didn't end up using this location because the sun wasn't hitting it in a good way, but I just thought the flower was really cute.

This place was my favorite and the one we ended up using just because the sun was like perfectly hitting Shayan. Also, we did move up a little so the car or the house wouldn't really be seen in the background as it is now. 

I didn't chose this location because the sun was getting completely blocked by the tree so there wasn't good lighting there AT ALL. 

I also really liked this spot however I wanted the picture to be a medium close up and when we did the background had just the trunks of the palm trees so it looked very bad. 

AND FINALLY...

The Photos:

So the reason why this picture is included in with the rest of them is because I really like the position of his body, so maybe if I can use his face from one of the other pictures using my "amazing" editing skills it will definitely be used.  

So for his pictures I want to use one of serious ones and then one of his candid ones. The car did end up showing in the background so once I get rid of it and edit the pictures a little bit, it will be perfect to use. These pictures need to come to life more so they will look different than what they do now. 

Double Page Spread Layout

Double Page Spread Layout

2/20/2022

By: Sharmeen Shivji

So this is my last blog post of the week, and I have already planned out my cover and the table of contents so today I will be doing the double page spread.

A little about my spread:

My double page spread will be an interview with pictures or just designs depending on how many pictures I am able to take because I wanted to do a 4 page spread with two pages just being pictures and the other two pages being the interview. This will all depend on how many pictures my cover model is able to take, because I want to use a different outfit than what he will be wearing on the cover. For the interview I have a list of 15-20 questions that I need to ask my cover model which range from his favorite shoe to how he grew his business. The questions and answers will be formatted so a question is stated first and then the answer. If I can't get two different pictures I will be just doing a double page spread but hopefully I can do a four page one. 

Layout:

The layout that I have put here is if I can go through with the 4 page spread. I hope I can get enough pictures to do that because it is how I want my magazine to come out.

Where the words text are will be where my interview questions and answers go. Also, as you can see I didn't chose the colors that I originally planned on because it was just coming out very tacky and was going away from the simplistic vibe I was going for. So I decided to chose the second most chosen option for the color palate. 

Cover Layout

 Sharmeen Shivji

Cover Layout

Since I won't be able to take my pictures until next week, I will be planning out all of my features which include the table of contents, double page spread, and the cover. This way after I get the pictures I can just have the rest of the feature ready. My last post was the layout for the table of contents so today I will planning out my cover. 

LAYOUT:

These are my top 2 layouts with all of the information I want, I just slightly changed where the cover titles would be placed, but I will finalize that once I get my pictures in because if the picture is more towards one side I can adjust according to that. 

Table of Contents Layout

 Table of Contents Layout

By: Sharmeen Shivji

So over the weekend, I was planning on taking pictures of my cover model, however he canceled last minute. Also, my other models were also not available, so basically I'm already behind according to my timeline. Two of my models are available on Feb 26, so I will be taking both of their pictures then, and then my last model is only available on March 6. Until then, I will be planning out and finalizing my cover and table of contents just without the pictures.

Today, I will be focusing on the table of contents, I decided to do this over the cover because I need the article names in order to do the cover which I will get from my table of contents.

Article Names:

1. Cover model: 

- "How a 22 year old owns a 500k shoe business"

- "Inside RARE: 500k shoe store opened by a 22 year old"

- "The Scoop on a 22 year old business owner"

- "Shoe Diaries: Nadir Manjiani"

- "The Truth Behind the 22 year old business owner"

- "Building a business from the ground up"

2. Dental student:

- "How a 20 year old got into Dental School"

- "Tips and Tricks for getting into Dental School"

- "The Golden Rule for getting into Dental School"

- "The Ultimate Guide for getting into Dental School at 20"

3. RN:

- "The life of an RN"

- "How do decide if the medical field is for you"

- "10 steps to your RN degree"

4. UPENN Student

- 15 Tips to get admitted to an Ivy League

- What you need to do to get into an Ivy League

- Getting into an Ivy League: The Definite Guide

- What it takes to get into an Ivy League

- What it Takes: Shayan Shivji

5. Other article titles:

- "What makes a prodigy?"

- "What Ivy Leagues don't tell you about admissions"

- "10 Tips for Growing a Successful Business"

- "26 Signs you Might be an Entrepreneur"

- "How to become a Millionaire by 30"

- "15 tips to Deciding what college is the best for you"

Layout:

After like 2 hours of working, I was finally able to put together a layout that I actually like. This layout is obviously not the final table contents but it will look really similar to this. Once I get my pictures and add in the colors, I will basically be done. However, I won't put in the colors yet because I want them to compliment the pictures so that will influence my decision. Other than that, this layout is pretty much my end result without the extras. 

Getting Ready for Photography

 Getting Ready for Photography

By: Sharmeen Shivji

This weekend I will interviewing and taking pictures of my cover model. So for today's assignment I decided to plan out what questions I will be asking, outfits I will be asking my model to wear, and locations where we will be going to ensure that everything runs smoothly for my cover model. I also will be planning out the outfit and locations for my other models so I can be ready ahead of time. 

Cover Model

Interview Questions:

1. When and why did you start @Broward.kicks?

2. How did you decide that you wanted to transition your instagram account into actually opening a store?

3. What steps did you take to open your store in an actual mall?

4. How did you come up with the name RARE?

5. Describe yourself in 3 words.

6. What was the first shoe you ever sold?

7. Most memorable career moment that you've had so far.

8. What is the most challenging part of your career?

9. Top 3 must have shoes.

10. What is your favorite shoe of all time?

11. What is one shoe you never want to see again?

12. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

13. Top 3 things on your bucket list?

14. What are the next steps for your career?

15. What is some advice you can give to people also wanting to start their own business?

16. What is something that you'd like to be remembered for?

17. Why is RARE better compared to other shoe stores?

Outfit aesthetic: 

So originally, I wanted to go for a professional but stylish look, however, now I want my magazine to be more trendy and appealing to the youth so for the clothing I will be doing more trendy clothing. The most popular clothing right now is street wear which can be worn in a variety of different ways. The model that I will be photographing is actually very stylish so I will just be telling him an idea of what I would like him to wear but I can trust him to decide for himself. 

Here is the overall vibe I am going for, for the cover model:

Locations:

So as for the locations, in my survey, the audience preferred a plain background over the beach, a car, and nature. Nature was also another popular one but the plain background was most voted. Also, in fashion and business magazines the plan background covers are the ones used. However, I don't just want to have a plain wall so hopefully I can edit in some features. But as of right now, staying with the simplistic look I want to have a plain color background. 

Here are some of the colors that I like:

With these backgrounds being plain I want to have the model stand out, so the clothing they will be wearing will definitely stand out. 

Dental Student Model

For my dental student model, I will be having her picture in the table of contents saying that she is one of the feature articles in the magazine. For her picture, I want her to look relatable to the audience, this way people will feel like they can relate to her and can even be like her. 

Clothing

For her clothing, I want her to wear stylish clothing to make her more relatable. She also has a very nice style so I can trust her to choose what she wants to wear. However, I would like to give her some creative direction. 

Here is some pictures of Mahek and her style:

Here are some clothes that I like the vibe of:

As you can see the style that I want and the model's are very similar so I am confident that the picture will be come out exactly the way I want it.

Location

Since nature was the second most popular vote, I will be taking Mahek's photo out in nature. However, even with nature in the background, I will have to make sure that Mahek stands out. As for the specific location, it can really be anywhere outside. It can be in my backyard or even her backyard. 

RN 

For my RN, I will also be having her in my table of contents as another one of the feature articles, which will also be stated on the cover. For her clothing I also want her to be relatable, but because she is a little older than the rest of my models, I can use her to attract a more older audience. 

Clothing

I want her in stylish and cute clothing or a little more formal one so she presents as a little older. For this photo, I am a little more flexible with the outfit since she can wear a range of outfits. For this outfit, I am going to take inspiration from her closet and choose from their rather than showing her inspiration because I want my model to feel comfortable. I don't really know her style so I think the best way is just to chose from her closet and ask her what outfits she has. 

Location

For my RN, her picture will be placed in either nature or a plain background. I think this model's idea is way more flexible in my head so for her I am just going with the flow. 

UPENN Student

My UPENN Student will be a model for an advertisement because I just think he is the perfect candidate. He will be another page in my magazine. 

Outfit

For my UPENN student's outfit, I want him in a casual and stylish fit. I want him to look relatable but still in with the trends. Specifically, I am envisioning a jean jacket moment with just some ripped jeans. Here is some inspiration:

Location:

For his location, I want him to be in a very cool place, meaning I want his picture to be very artistic. I want him to look relatable and for the audience to double take on the picture. Specifically I am imagining a bridge for this picture because I think it is the perfect place, however also I really like the idea of a nature background. 

These are all my outfits, locations, and information for all my models, and if everything goes according to plan, I will have all my pictures done by the end of the month.