Photographer update . . .

I’ve FINALLY managed to get another photographer for the Land Girls shoot on Saturday, I was starting to panic as I had not received any responses to the email I sent out over Easter, however as people have returned to uni I’ve had a couple of responses. I chose Louise Walker, a second year commercial photography student, her work is the understated and natural look that I am hoping to achieve with this shoot, the only one thing I did notice about her work is how air brushed some of the images are, so I’m going to ask her if she could do some very minimal editing of the images once she’s taken them.

I just need to try and hunt down some wellies!

This is the link to Louise's web-site - http://www.louisewalkerphotography.com/ 

Fabpad samples . . .

I received the pages that I sent off to Fabpad today to be printed onto fabric, I’m really pleased with the results, Kizzie’s prints have come out really well, they just need a bit of an iron before they make there way into the publication. I’m also going to use some serrated scissors to cut around the edge of the pages, hopefully preventing them from fraying too much.

 

 I am however glad that I decided not to pursue the route of having more of the pages printed onto fabric, I also added the sewing product page to the prints, and the small text is barely legible, and the bigger looks slightly blurred. Maybe having the pages printed onto a different fabric would have proved more successful.

Laser Cut Advertising . . .

Whilst I was on the laser cutter I also had time to cut of the final four laser cuts that I will be using for the advertising campaign for the publication, I’m pleased with the final outcomes. I just need to find a coloured card that I can back them onto, something that I am planning on doing this weekend and then scanning them in on the A3 scanner in uni next week.

Alterations . . .

After my meeting with Jess at Velvet magazine last week I have been making some changes in regard to the layout of the publication experimenting with some of the suggestions that she made.

* I have decreased the font size on all of the pages with the main body text now down to a size 9 instead of 10.

* The main body of text, sub titles and reference text now all have their own font type so that it is easy for the reader to distinguish each feature from one another, it also makes the page more visually interesting, and I’m pleased with the end result.

* The images on the recipe pages have been increased in size dramatically, communicating to the reader what the end product will/should look like, and is now the main focus of the page, whereas before many of these images were the same size as the ingredient imagery.

* To decrease the number of pages I have shortened the Rachael Dinnage interview so that it now only covers one page, the same as the other two interviews in the same feature. Brining the total number of pages (including the front and back cover) in the publication to 100.

* To make different sections on a page even more distinguishable Jess suggested adding in more of the dotted boxes to break up the page layout and create some segregation at the same time, something I have done on the project pages, as well as getting rid of some of the text and imagery to create more white space.

* I’ve also shortened the Make Do and Mend article so that there is more white space and the page now looks a lot less crowded.

I trialled many of the suggestions that Jess made during our meeting however some were not quite so successful, adding in three column text boxes did not work on the pages, making the text look squashed. I also played around with the text on the shoot pages to little success, the closer I moved it to the image the more it detracted from it, and I want the image to be the main focus and then the text.

I have sent the pdf version of the publication off for the last time for Jess to have a final look through, as I’ve made all of the necessary changes and all of the content minus the land girls shoot is now in the spreads.

Packaging . . .

I laser cut all three boxes for the publication packaging today, it was my first go on the biggest laser cutter, which I need to use given the size of the card that I was cutting the packaging out of. I had one trial piece of card to test the power and speed settings of the laser out and to make sure that I had all the cut and engrave lines set up correctly on the Illustrator document, luckily everything went to plan and there weren't too many alterations regarding the power and speed settings.

At the last minute I changed my mind and decided to go with the simpler box design, as the previous opening out box I just didn't feel was sturdy enough, and it would not have contained the pages in the way that I would of liked. The eyelets that I had planned on using to hold the box shut were only available in gold or silver and I wanted ones that had more of a worn/aged look to them.

I also decided to include the dandelion on the front of the packaging as I had thought of leaving the front blank, but because there is no writing to say what is inside I want the dandelion to become the logo of the publication, making the publication easily identifiable to my reader on the shelf.

Below are images of the packaging being cut on the laser cutter - 

I used a glue gun to hold the box firmly together, which has proved effective and so far all of the boxes are still in tact. To keep the box securely shit I have used parcel string and a voile-esque natural ribbon wrapped around the box, with the luggage tag attached, printed with the Dandy-Lion logo and the brand strap line. I'm really pleased with the final outcome, and feel that it fully represents the Dandy-Lion brand as well as my own design philosophy.

Proof reader . . .

I received the copy of the publication back that I sent to my proof reader over the Easter break, there weren’t too many changes which I was surprised at, although she did pick up on a few things within the layout and text of the publication that I had not noticed.

Continuity – this was the biggest, I had not noticed how on some pages I had done one thing, and then on others something completely different, I’ve now rectified this continuity errors and the publication is now looking a lot more cohesive.

Spelling - there were still a few spelling mistakes, and it seems to be the same words that I keep spelling wrong!

Rachel who proof read the publication is also a potential target reader and she said how mush she enjoyed reading through it and found it very informative, I'm hoping to send her a pdf copy of the publication once I've made all the alterations to see if she has any suggestions and to get some feedback from her on it.

Meeting with mentor . . . Jess Pack

I visited Jess at Velvet magazine today, to go over my publication in person, it was really beneficial and she had a lot of changes that she thinks would benefit the publication particularly when it comes to the font type and size that I have used throughout. To save on space and reduce the number of pages within the publication, she suggested bringing the text size down to a 9pt instead of the 10pt that I am currently using, she said that this might also help the sub headings stand out more from the main body of text, as at the moment it all looks part of the same thing.

Below are some of the other suggestions that she made during the meeting -

* Images of the contributors look a little flat, why not make them into Polaroid shoots or using a drop shadow to make them stand off the page a little more.
* Inclusion of the person's photo who has written a particular article or feature.
* Experiment with more columns on the pages, keep some as two columns, but look at using three to add a bit of variation as all of the pages look the same, mix it up a little.
* Add more typefaces for references and sub titles, making it easier for the reader to distinguish between the different pieces of information.

* Look at maybe angling the images, maybe have some overlapping, or bleeding the image off of the edge of the page, play around with scale.

* The text within the shoots is really good, but be more experimental with it, try incorporating it into the image in some way.
*The main images on the recipe pages should be made a little bigger, to draw the readers eye to this image first, at the moment they are nearly the same size as the ingredient imagery. Also try and separate the different pieces of information on the recipe page, i.e. ingredients, method etc by using the dotted boxes you've used on other pages.

We also discussed some of the potential pages that could be cut or edited although she did say it would be a shame to loose any - 

* Letter template
*Shorten the make do and mend section, maybe reduce the project pages and only have one page instead of two.
* Condense Rachael Dinnage interview more, could possibly get all of this onto one page by utilising three columns.
*Could also cut out the posters at the beginning of the land girls and grow your own section.

I also asked her about what she thought would be the best programme to do my web-site on would be, I showed her The Gentlewoman site and said how much I liked it, she suggested looking at Wordpress, as it really quick and simple to use and you it also has a lot of ways you can personlise it to your own tastes/style.

Meeting with an orginal land girl . . .

I had a meeting today with 89 year old Lillian Hous, who is an original land girl. It was so interesting, Jillian had loads of stories to tell and I was talking to her for over two hours, she told such a different story to that which is portrayed in TV programs and films. Unlike traditional land girls she stayed in a hostel in Suffolk and went to farms within the area that needed the WLA help. 

Lillian also had a great selection of photo's from when he was working as a LG as well as her original LG badges, which she let me have one of, and her certificate from the queen mother and ex-prime minister Gordon Brown thanking her for her efforts during the Second World War, she also showed me a more recent medal that she was awarded in recognition of her work for the WLA. 

I would love to go and speak to her again she had so many stories to tell. Below are some of the photo's that I've included within the feature on her as well as some of the medals and certificates that she received.

Just the land girls shoot left to do now, and then the publication is ready to be printed!

Land Girls shoot . . . developments

I received an email from Ben, who was the photographer for the land girls shoot, saying that he is now unable to do the shoot due to work commitments and for personal reasons. I am so disappointed he was perfect for the shoot, and I now have a very short amount of time to find a replacement, as none of the other responses I got to my very first email where at all suitable.

I have sent out emails to the whole of fda and ba photography in the hope that I may get someone through this, I have also asked both Naomi and Vicky, who are styling the shoot if they know of anyone, as well as asking both Phoebe and Holly who were the photographers on my previous shoots, fingers crossed I manage to find someone.

River Cottage . . .

I've been of the Channel 4 TV programme for a while, but I managed to watch an episode the other day, and it has a very similar ethos and message to that of the Dandy-Lion publication. Set in the heart of the British country side in the most idyllic white cottage, the programme encourages the growing of your own fruit and veg, eating within season as well as baking and making your own bread (the episode that I happened to catch). I have since watched other episodes, I really like the emphasis on supporting your local community and enjoying food with friends and family, with importance put on fresh ingredients, a message I am trying to communicate within my publication.

From watching this programme it proves that there is interest in the subject out there, as the show is in its 7th series, and has a plethora of books and dvds to accompany the series, as well as events at River Cottage, located in Axminster on the Dorset/Devon border. Somewhere I now very much want to visit.

http://www.rivercottage.net/

London research trip. . . Old Spitalfields Market

I made my (hopefully) last trip to London today, I've now got all of the paper that I need to get three copies of the publication printed, as well as the card to make the packaging that Dandy-Lion pages will be housed in. I also picked up some more of the paper I am printing my portfolio sheets on as the deadline for the British Fashion Council portfolio day is looming and I've just about got the content for the pages sorted.

I took a trip to the Old Spitalfields Market by Liverpool Street station to take some photo's for the feature I am doing on the market, I picked a good day as it was the vintage and antiques market, I loved all of the quaint little stalls and some of the obscure things that you could buy, below are some of the photo's that I took whilst wandering around -

Developments . . .

Following my stage review with Tiffany and Josh and the feedback they gave regarding the shoots that I had produced, I have decided to incorporate text within the shoots, to make it clearer that it is about the story that the images are telling rather than selling the clothes that are featured.

For the bookshop shoot I have decided to use quotes from people about books and reading that relates to the image on the page, I also cut one of the pages from the spread, adding one of the images on to another page, I know think it looks a lot better, and the quotes work well with the imagery -

For the Beach shoot I have decides to incorporate the rhyme for 'I do like to be beside the seaside, again linking the lyrics to the images that are on the page. I cut two pages from this shoot, however have then added one tracing paper page with some text on so that it lays on top of the image below. I am much happier with the whole spread, the two pages I cut out were both of the same outfit, and were in my opinion the weakest images in the spread and just didn't look very natural or Autumnal.

I also picked up the last batch of clothes from Vintage Per Sempre for the Land Girls shoot in a couple of weeks time.

One feature down two more to go . . .

I received the Baking Vs Shop bought article from Lisa Tracey, there is a bit of editing to do, as there are a few too many words to fit into the layout. But I'm pleased that there is now a different writing style within the publication, as I beginning to worry that everything sounded very 'samey' and that there is no diversity when it comes to the writing styles, as I've had to write 90% of the content myself, something that I did initially want to avoid, but I found it incredibly hard to source contributors. However it is something that I would make sure happens if the publication where to ever go into production.

Vintage Persempre shop visit . . . take two

I visited Vintage Per Sempre today with Naomi to take back the clothes I'd borrowed for the beach shoot, and to get some more for the land girls shoot. The aim of out trip was to get some garments for the second outfit for the three models which will see them preparing to go to a dance. I was also hoping to get some trousers and knitwear for the first outfit when they are working on the farm, however the farmer suggested when I visited that all of the clothes NEEDED to be cleaned after the shoot, because of all germs and bacteria present, luckily between us we have most of what we'll need to put together three outfits. Below are the bits we've chosen for the shoot -

Leah wasn't in the shop today, so I left all of the chosen pieces to be written down, and a deposit worked out. So fingers crossed I'll be picking them all up on Monday or Tuesday.

Stage Review . . .

I wasn't quite sure what to expect for the stage review, so I took all of my most recent work as well as my business cards, packaging trials and paper cutting samples. It went a lot better than I was expecting with both Tiffany and Josh responding positively to the publication, there were some valuable points brought up as well, as to where to take the project fro here and how I could improve the publication - 

* Print out the publication in colour, the black and white version doesn't do it justice, show the colour version to your intended reader to get some feedback on the publication. Hand the colour copy along with the actual publication in for the final hand in.

* Editing - some of the shoots and articles are a page too long, a 105 page publication is not to expected for MP. Get someone to sit down and edit it all that is not close to the project. As they'll have more of an objective view to what should be kept and what should maybe be left out.

* Have some form of narrative running through the photo shoots, as it's not clear from looking through that the images are telling a story opposed to selling the clothes the model is wearing. Maybe a poem or a song??

* Change the two full page landscapes (Rachael Illustrations), that I've put as portraits to half page landscapes as the layout isn't in keeping with the rest of the publication.

* For hand in you need to produce two copies, producing an invoice as the uni will reimburse you for one of them. 

* Web site - find a way of making a blog not look like a blog for the web site. Although a blog is a good idea, as it's what a lot of publications are doing.

* Layout is looking really good, more continuity throughout the publication, cohesive.

After going over the feedback and reflecting on it, I definitely agree about having some form of narrative running through the shoots, and I've already changed the landscape images I'd put as portrait to half page landscapes, and they look a lot better. 

In terms of editing I am going to ask Jess (mentor) is she wouldn't mind going through and suggesting which pages I should leave out.

I'm really pleased with the comments both Josh and Tiffany said about the layout as it is something I've worked hard on since my tutorial with Jamie and I agree that the publication is all the better for the changes even though I was reluctant to the idea at first, I can see what Jamie meant.

Farm shoot update . . .

I received a text message from Phil Randell who owns Gooduns Farm, which I visited on Tuesday, and he's confirmed that Saturday 30th April is a go for the shoot, I can't wait! I'm also going back to Vintage Per Sempre on Friday to get some clothes for the shoot.

Beach shoot final images . . .

I got the final images today from Phoebe and they are so good and she's hardly had to edit them, which is a bonus as I didn't want the images to look too perfect, I wanted the reader to still be able to relate to the images within the publication. Because of the sunny weather it was a little bright, and I would of liked a few more grey clouds in the sky, something a little more representational of a British Autumnal day, but the chunky knitwear give the illusion of Autumn even though the images were shot in April!

Below are some of the final images, I've included the full selection of images under the photoshoot tab above.