Alberto Seveso.

"Hi, my name is Alberto Seveso, I was born in Milan 30 years ago, but I have lived for more than 20 on the marvellous Sardinia Island. Today I live in Rome, where I work as a freelance Illustrator. I didn't study design and took no classes. I personally think this job doesn’t require a degree even when design schools are very important.
My passion for graphics was born about 15 years ago when I had an Amiga 1200 and Delux Paint that I loved very much. However I switched to PC when a friend showed me the potential of photoshop: I was astonished and I understood the power of that software (I know what you’re thinking right now, but no, this isn't a commercial, I actually switched to PC because of photoshop). From that moment on I started the basics of what I still do today."

This is an image of ink mixing with water, taken with a high speed camera by Alberto Seveso.
This is simply amazing. <3

Bit of a shoddy edit on the reflections but you get the gist :)

PETA.

Ideas for Visual Communication project.

IDEA ONE - MEAT IS MURDER.

For this idea I plan to base my shoot around the song 'Meat Is Murder' by The Smiths. As I have chosen PETA as the charity I'm representing, I felt that this would be quite a fitting tribute.

The start of my idea came from PETA themselves. A while back, I saw some images from a demonstration PETA did in celebration of World Vegetarian Week in Memphis. Two interns working for PETA were shrink-wrapped, covered in blood and laid out in polystyrene in the style of two flank steaks to protest about eating meat.

Seeing this demonstration inspired my first location shoot for the Visual Communication project. All I needed was a model, some red paint, clingfilm and a bath. I covered my model in red paint which had been mixed with ketchup, laid her in a bath and sellotaped clingfilm across the top of the bath. I took my images with a range of angles and viewpoints. Some shots were close-ups, and other were half body shots. All my lighting was natural, from the bathroom window.

I am very happy with how the shoot turned out because it was just like my idea and initial sketch for the shoot. Regarding manipulation, I plan to use a range of techniques to achieve the outcome I want. I plan to create 3 "final images", which I shall then whittle down to one.

1. An angled headshot - bring out the saturation slightly to increase the real colours. Burn and dodge specific areas of the image to give it a smoother overall image. Add an appropriate font using the slogan 'Meat Is Murder'.
2. An angled head/shoulder shot, with minor retouching and the lyrics to the song 'Meat Is Murder' by The Smiths over the top and reduced to an opacity of around 10-15%. Text in black except for the word 'MURDER' which is in red capital letters.
3. Half body shot with minor retouches to the face and a grain filter over the top. A few lyrics from the song 'Meat Is Murder' by The Smiths in some of the neutral space around the bottom.

The image I will probably choose for my final one is number 2. Photographically, I think it is the best and I think the manipulation is the strongest of the three.

This is another image without much in the way of captioning. It doesn't have any information, making the image hard to place. All that is obvious is that it is a studio shoot. This image was taken for PETA, and will have been used on their website and various other publications. The subject is a female model sat on the ground with her back to the camera. We can see that the model has been labelled into cuts of meat.

The image is horizontal. This is to have enough room for both the model, and the stamped image that is to the right. I don't think the image has been cropped, because there's already quite a bit of room either side of the model. The rule of thirds has been used within this image, as the model is slightly off centre to the left of the frame. For this image, the photographer would have needed to be on a slightly higher vantage point than the model to get the angle we see.

As this is a studio shoot, the light will have been artificially created, making it impossible to tell what time of day the image was taken. It looks like the shot was lit from the right, as we can see the light hit her right shoulder and the portion of her face we can see. The image has been shot in colour. This is so we can see everything in the image strongly and clearly. There will have been some computer manipulation as it is a studio image and they are often retouched.

There is a slogan underneath the model that says "All Animals Have The Same Parts" and ultimately, this is what the image is trying to get across. Whether it be human, lamb, cow, pig, every one of them has the same parts, so eating one is as bad as eating a human.

All we find out from the caption on this image is that the models names are Franka Potente and Bela. B. However, I know the Ink, Not Mink! campaign was fairly recent, so that puts the date slightly more into context. This image was taken for PETA, so may have been used online, and in various publications. The image is of two topless models, both of which have tattoos on their bodies to fit in with the Ink, Not Mink!

This image is vertical, as most formal portraits are. Again, I'm not sure if the image was shot as a close up or has been cropped to a close up. I would say the former. This image looks like it was shot from quite a low vantage point, meaning the photographer must have been on a lower level to the subjects.The focal point is of course the two models in the center of the frame. You can't really see any shadows, which makes it hard to tell the direction of the light. However, as this is obviously a studio shoot, the light would be artificially created.

The image has been shot in black and white. This would be to dramatise the image, and at the same time not take away from the meaning of it. For instance, we're not getting distracted by the content of the tattoos, as we cant really see them. I imagine the image will have been subject to some manipulation, as most studio shoots are retouched afterwards. This is another example of a very simple shoot. By that I mean there is a simple background, with just two models in the center. This is a clever way to keep focus on the things you want focus on.

This is obviously a protest against using mink for their fur to make coats etc. I really like this image because a tattooed person can often be viewed in a negative light, labelled a thug or a troublemaker. In this instance, the tattooed person is being publicised as a good person, as they are against mink cruelty. The image has quite a dark atmosphere because everything has been shot in a dark way.

The only information we get from this image is what it says on the image itself. It says “Bare Skin Not Bearskin. Jamie Bamber for PETA. Bears suffer and die for the Queen’s Guards’ caps. Support the campaign to end this cruelty.” From this we know the name of the model, the slogan of the campaign, and why they are campaigning.

The image was taken for PETA, who put it online and in various publications to spread the message. The subject is Jamie Bamber, topless with a neutral background. This is him, with bare skin. It is a play on words, as this campaign is against bearskin. This image was taken in 2009, and at this time PETA was part of a huge campaign against using bearskin for the Queen’s Guards’ caps, and various other uses, so at the time, this was a very current and relevant image. I can’t tell if the image has been cropped or not, it could have started out as a wider shot, or could have always been a close up shot. The image is horizontal, a common format for formal portraits. The image looks as though it was shot from a lower view point, so the photographer may have been on a slightly lower level from the model. The focal point is, of course, the model.

Since this is clearly a studio shoot, the light will have been artificial, meaning we can’t tell what time of day the image was shot at. Due to the angle and direction of the shadows on the model’s body, it looks like the lighting was head-on, as neither of the shadows go off at angles. The image has been shot in colour. This is to give us the full effect of the bare skin, and to create a more visually dynamic image. There will have been some computer manipulation on this image to touch up the models skin and hair etc.

This image speaks volumes to me. It’s obviously going to attract the attention of women, as there is an attractive man topless in the image. The slogan is short, simple, and to the point. As soon as you read it, realise the play on words, and take it in, you instantly agree with the message that’s being put across. Bears should not be skinned alive to make hats. I like this image, as it is so simple. There is no complicated background, no complicated subject, no complicated words. It’s all laid out in front of you so it’s easy to digest and understand.

Image analysis.

There isn't a caption with this image. All we know is that the model's name is Celina Jaitly. From the looks of the image, the style of the models, the picture looks quite recent, so I would guess it was  taken within the last three years. The image was taken as part of a campaign for PETA concerning cruelty to elephants. It has been used in magazines (where I found it) and as part of online campaigns. The subject is a woman dressed in grey to replicate an elephants skin being 'shackled, beaten and abused' just like some elephants are. As this is a fairly modern picture, this is a relevant problem. This was obviously taken during a time when a lot of cruelty to elephants was going on, so it is a very culturally relevant image.

The image is horizontal. This is so we get the best view, and we can see all that's going on within the image, including all the detail in the background. From the looks of the image, it seems to have been shot from straight ahead, so the photographer must have been on the same/a very similar level to the subjects. The focal point is the woman in shackles, with the other two models only being noticed later on. There is some evidence on diagonals through this image, from the model's shackled ankle. It leads us up her body to the center of the image, where the most is going on.

As this is a very staged image, some artificial lighting will have been used. The light looks like it was coming from the front, as the lightest area of the image is the model's face. Also, due the direction of the shadow, we can tell there must have been a light to her left side. It's impossible to tell what time of day this image was shot at, as the shoot most likely took place within a studio situation.

The image is in colour. This is so we can take in the background, understand that it is a jungle, and take in the relevance of the model's clothes and the colour of them, which relates her to an elephant. It looks like a standard lens has been used as there is no distortion around the edges of the image, unless they were cropped out. The whole image is in focus, so we can digest all the available information. I image there will have been some manipulation in post-production, to touch up the colours, and the models faces.

This image says to me that this treatment to animals is wrong, because the image is trying to get across that you would never treat a human that way, and you wouldn't. I like this image, as I think it has a very relevant and powerful message to the viewer. It has quite a dark atmosphere, as it is tackling a rather severe subject.

Some images I shot around college.

Magazine cover design.

Masthead: The name of the magazine is displayed in a specific typeface. This is the visual branding of the title and is often done in a specially designed typeface to be recognisable and unique. The masthead is usually used on the contents page inside as well as the front cover, and as a logo for advertising and branding.
Dateline: Month and year of publication, often with the price. A monthly magazine will hit the news stands the month before the cover date.
Main image: In this case it is Kristen Stewart. The image is used in a classic way. The face is big enough to stand out on the news stand with Kristen making full eye-contact.
Model credit: This says 'RISING STAR KRISTEN STEWART'. It is unusual for such a credit to appear on a magazine cover, but it is often done on fashion magazines. The photographer and model credit is sometimes on the contents page.
Coverlines: Magazines use a lot of coverlines, which are distributed around the main image without detracting from it too much. A mistake often made with coverlines is that they can run over an image that has a lot of colour changes, rendering the words invisible.
Main coverline: This is usually large - taking up around a quarter of a magazine cover. It comes in layers, often in different colours. It promotes the main feature of the issue, "All the fashion trends from A-Z". Note this is placed against the darkest part of the image, showing clearly.
Left third: The left third of a magazine cover is vital for sale in shops where the magazine is not shown full-frontage. The title must be easily recognisable in a display of dozens of competitors. The start of the masthead is important here, as are short cover lines that are easy to read.
Bar code: Standard bar code used by retailers.

Magazine cover research.

Magazines. There are so many in the world, thousands published every minute. There are also many varying types of magazine. There are some that appeal to fashion, some to sports, some to music, some to television, some to celebrity life and some to real life. Here are a few categories:

Fashion:

Celebrity life:

Real life:

 

 The purpose of these magazines is very important, and different for each kind. The fashion magazines are for people who are interested in the subject, either academically or in their day to day life. It gives them the opportunity to see all the new and latest fashions without having to even look at a shop. Celebrity magazines are different. They give the readers the opportunity to know all about their idols, their favourite celebrities, and be part of a world that they have no idea about, and a world that's completely different to theirs. Real life magazines are different again. These magazines are about a world that the reader is part of, the real world of the public. These magazines include stories that have happened to average, everyday people.