REVIEW OF FMP

Overall, this project has been instructive, challenging and enjoyable, albeit stressful at times! I am satisfied with the final outcome and my productivity throughout.  One of my biggest learnings is how useful it is to design a schedule at the beginning of a project and stick to it.  This was challenging at times, but ultimately making sure I stuck to my timetable ensured that I completed all aspects of the project in time.

This project allowed me to develop and demonstrate my photography skills, as well as giving me the opportunity to work on improving my graphic layouts and collages, which I really enjoyed. I also particularly enjoyed putting the outfits together & styling the models.  Taking ownership of a project from start to finish, being limited only by my own creativity was freeing and informative; I realised that whilst I have some good skills, there are also areas where I can improve.

One area where I am definitely going to practice more with studio-based photoshoots.  Having not had much prior experience with studio-based photography, this experience has highlighted the difficulty working with lights in a studio and is a skill I hope to develop.

If money and time were no object, I would definitely have liked to incorporate additional minimalist clothing and accessories for the editorials, in order to diversify the looks and not have to reuse the same items.  Added to which, I would have spent more time selecting models and doing test shoots, to get a better idea of the models' suitability for the project. I found it interesting getting to work with different models; one was very natural and photogenic and seemed to understand exactly what I wanted her to do, whereas the others needed a lot more direction and communication with them was not as easy.  It is clear that finding a great model can really enhance the outcome of the final photos.

Also, if I had more time to continue working on the magazine, I can imagine it would be really enhanced by including articles or interviews of leading minimalist designers, stylists and magazines.

Having said this, given the time and resources I had available to me, I feel that I have achieved a good result and am proud of the final magazine. It has been a pleasure to have the chance to organise everything from start to finish and to demonstrate my ability to bring an entire project together.  The experiences I've had and lessons I've learnt creating this project will inform my future projects and career.  As an added bonus, I feel that not only have I improved my knowledge of minimalism but also have developed my own graphic and personal style.

#MINIMAL

Picture: Author's own 25/5-14

Here is the final outcome, my magazine #MINIMAL. I am so satisfied with the result and I think it looks über cool! #MINIMAL is basically a fashion magazine where the focus is on minimalist lifestyle and the latest trends in minimalism. It is also highly inspired by Scandinavian culture and fashion. It is 36 pages long and includes 3 editorials. I have chosen not to include any articles in my magazine, because I want the full attention on the fashion and photography. However, to avoid it being too monotonous, alongside the editorials, I have included some guides to the 'must have' minimalist clothes and accessories this season.  

I have been working really hard the last 7 weeks on this project and am so proud to see the result of all this hard work in the form of this magazine.  I am very pleased with the layout, which I think is very simple and minimalist, with blocks and clear lines. I especially love the front cover, which I think is striking and effective. 

You can read the online version at: http://issuu.com/nathaliepoerneki/docs/minimal

INSPIRATION FOR THE MAGAZINE

Picture: Author's own 25/5-14

I am currently working on a layout for the magazine I am about to create. I am very inspired by the Scandinavian magazines "ACNE PAPER", "COS", "MUUSE" and "dansk". I absolutely love the stylish layouts in all of the above mentioned magazine. I think it is very elegant and simply without being to much, and that it what I really love, simplicity. I like these magazines because of the simply and very chic layout, but they also all have a very nice paper. 

FINAL PICTURES FROM THE THIRD PHOTOSHOOT

Pictures: Author's own 25/5-14

Here are some of the best pictures from the third photo shoot. I am happy with the result as it came out the way I expected.  The model has a good attitude about her and the metal grating behind gives the urban feel I was after.

I altered the brightness and tone in PhotoShop, to match with the feel of the other shoots. If I were to do anything differently, I would also have used some white clothes, because I think white would contrast nicely with the dark background and metal grating, as white is a clean color and the metal grated fence is not really a beauty. 

TEASER FOR THE THIRD PHOTOSHOOT

Pictures: Author's own 25/5-14

These are some of the unedited pictures from the third photo shoot. I really like the background with the metal grated fence, which I feel is very raw and depicts the grimy reality of inner-city life. This matches the model's defiant stance, staring straight ahead into the camera as if challenging the audience.  The model and background combine perfectly with the outfit and overall ethos of minimalism. The outfit is simple, understated but bold.

MOODBOARD FOR THE THIRD PHOTOSHOOT

Picture: Author's own 25/5-14

This is the moodboard for my last photo shoot. I have found my inspiration from the latest lookbook by high street brand Zara. I absolutely love the metal grated wall and want it to be a part of this shoot. 

My vision with this shoot is to create more of an 'urban realism' effect.  My first shoot was highly stylised, with a very simple, modern minimalist approach, whereas the second shoot was a romanticised shoot with a glamorous, feminine-looking model.  Therefore I have decided to differentiate this shoot by focusing on a gritty, city-style almost grungy shoot, with urban attitude, and see how that works out. 

I am going to keep the styling very simple but a bit more relaxed and earthy compared to the others. I will again use the bold colourful eyeliner for the added edginess. 

INSPIRATION FOR THE THIRD PHOTOSHOOT

Picture: Author's own 25/5-14

For the third and the last photo shoot, I have planned to create a Zara style 'lookbook' inspired photo shoot. I have been researching different possible locations for the shoot and came across an industrial harbour near to where I live.  At first I didn't think it was very photogenic, but then realised that some of the elements are quite minimalistic. In particular, I was inspired by the metal grated walls and think it will match the harsh and rigid aspects of a minimalist look. 

The styling will continue to be very simple and clean, in keeping with the fundamentals of minimalism.  The styling will be a bit more urban, in keeping with the location, with more of a street-style than the previous shoots. Because of my limited budget, I will be using some elements that have been used in my other shoots, but the overall effect will be quite different.