Magazine Midterm

Scheduled Photo Shoot

I scheduled to take pictures at Camp Bow Wow with Madi Lay on Friday, December 15th.  This date worked for both of us because Madi had work that day and was able to take me.  We also had a basketball game that night, so we went straight from her work to the game.  At CBW, I photographed many different kinds of dogs and was able to play with them.  After I had gotten all of the pictures I needed, I decided I wanted to include a picture of my own dog as well.  I went home the next day and took pictures of my American Bulldog outside in our front yard.  Finally, I had gotten all the pictures that I needed and was able to start editing them and putting them in my magazine.

Scout Locations for Photo Shoot

For my pictures, I took them at Camp Bow Wow.  It is a  dog day care center on 17th St. in Sarasota.  I chose this location because my friend Madi Lay works there, so it would be easy for me to get in and take pictures.  There were many different types of dogs for me to take pictures of.  I used the portrait mode setting on the iPhone 7+ to take the pictures.  I also took pictures of my dog at home to use for my cover page.  After the pictures were taken, I edited them on my iPhone using VSCO Cam.  I added filters to make the colors of the pictures stand out.  I also used the contrast, brightness, and temperature setting in order to make the pictures as clear and crisp as possible. 

Research For My Article

My article is about the benefits of adopting dogs from shelters rather than buying from a pet store.  I got all my information from www.peta.org because they have a lot of information about this topic.  I wanted to do an article on this because I thought it would be very effective to readers because not everybody knows about the harmful effects of pet stores.  Pet stores are harmful because they sell dogs that are bred in puppy mills, which are illegal businesses that abuse dogs in order to make a profit.  Pet stores sell their dogs for thousands of dollars, while shelters have dogs for a fraction of the price.  Overall, this article was very important to me to write to stress the issue of pet stores. 

Table Of Contents Template

Cover Template

Magazine Flat Plan

Magazine Research #5

The final magazine I analyzed is Dogs Naturally Magazine, which differs slightly from the ones I have looked at before because it is solely based on natural remedies, foods, and health for dogs.  Every article has this same thing in common.  I noticed that the color green is utilized a lot on this magazine because it is the color of nature.  Also, all of the titles are in lower-case.  Articles included are natural remedies, medicine, and food. There are many ads and most of them occur in the beginning.  The total distribution number is 14,000.  There are no awards. 

Magazine Research #4

I analyzed the K9 Magazine Issue 102.  The cover layout has a woman with a dog in front of a fench.  The title is in bold in the top left hand corner.  On the bottom of the page it has a quote.  The color red is utilized a lot in this magazine and important text and titles are bold.  In this issue, there are articles about health, lifestyle, products, and reviews.  The first article is a "talking point" about the relationship between a dog and their owner, and there are five more "talking point" articles spread out throughout the magazine.  There are ads about eBooks and products at the end of the magazine.  The total distributed circulation of issue #1 is 10,000.  I did not find any awards for this magazine.

Magazine Research #3

Another magazine I analyzed is the November/December 2017 issue of Family Dog - American Kennel Club.  The front page shows a woman holding a French Bulldog. There are three subtitles.  The bottom left corner also includes the name of famous celebrities that appear in the magazine.  There is a stamp on the top right corner that says "Winner Best Magazine 2016 Dog Writers of America."  Opening the page, there is an advertiser index that lists different articles and what pages they are on.  The magazine begins with a Holiday Gift Subscription and end with a Photo Contest article.  There are 16 small pictures with captions relating to an article in the magazine in the table of contents. Some of the awards that this magazine has been awarded include ACE Awards, Breeder of the Year, and Community Achievement Award. I could not find a distribution number, but they do have over 400,000 social media followers.

Magazine Research #2

The magazine I chose to analyze is the Summer 2017 issue of ModernDog.  The cover layout is similar to the last, with a dog centered on the page and multiple subtitles that are included in the magazine.  I noticed each title is in a different color and font to bring attention to them.  On the bottom of the page, it has four different pictures of dogs with captions, and it also includes the page number.  For example, dog adoptions start on page 92 and DIY projects for dogs are on page 40.  Advertisements for food and toys appear all throughout the magazine.  After looking diligently for the distribution number, I was no able to find an exact one.  However, this magazine is commonly referred to as one of the largest dog magazines in the US.  They also have over 250,000 social media followers.  I also could not find any awards that the magazine has been nominated for.

Magazine Research #1

The magazine genre I want to do is on animal wellness.  The magazine I looked at was the October/November issue from Animal Wellness Magazine.  Centered on the front page is a dog in the woods.  There are seven different titles printed on the page that show the reader what information is covered in the magazine. It also clarifies on the top of the page that this is the "nutrition issue."  This magazine include articles about pet care, recipes for home-made food and treats, foods to avoid feeding your animal, safety tips, and basic animal behaviors.  These articles are scattered throughout the magazine, but I have noticed that recipes, lifestyle, and exercise activities for dogs are most commonly in the beginning.  This could be because the author thinks these topics are most important.  There are many advertisements about pet food brands and which ones are the best for your animal in the magazine, and they tend to appear in the middle. The table of contents includes many different pictures, including ones of dogs, treats, medicine, and more.  The articles include pictures specific to that particular article; for example, a picture of chocolate displayed in an article about harmful foods for dogs.  I did not see any stamps or sign of award on the magazine.

Project Selection- My Decision

I have chosen to do the magazine project.  My genre will be based on dogs in shelters.  My articles will include ways on how to adopt, where the best shelters are, pictures of the animals, and the best breeds for your personality. I am interested in this because I think I will be able to reach a large audience because many people like dogs and puppies.  There are many topics that can be included in my magazine on the topic of sheltered animals, so I think it will be easy for me to write about it.  This magazine could also bring awareness to shelters and influence people to adopt rather than buy animals.  I will be working alone on this project because I will then be able to do everything to my own standard and include whatever I want.  I love taking and editing pictures, so the photography aspect of the magazine will be very fun.  Overall, the magazine project is the best fit for me and my schedule because I can work on it anytime without needing help from other group members.

Project Selection-Film

The film project interests me because of the process of production.  The different camera angles and shots are very important to a film because they have a very strong impact on the audience.  Camera angles are very effective in conveying a mood to the audience.  Films, however, take a lot more than just a good script to be successful.  Storytelling involves the correct lighting, angles, props, characters, music, and dialogue to be effective to the audience.  An error in any of these categories can ruin the film, which is why this might be difficult. Also, some people find films more interesting than articles.  A film would most likely reach a larger audience because it takes less time to watch, than to read a magazine. 

Project Selection-Magazine

Print media interests me because of the easy communication aspect.  Writers are free to write anything they want and get their message across to the audience directly, whereas in films, the message may be hidden or underlying.  In articles, for example, authors are able to write exactly what they want the audience to understand without having to add in any extra information that could distract the audience.  For this reason, print media is very clear and upfront.  The magazine project would be a good fit for me because writing comes very easy to me.  Writing an informative article using research and facts is something that I would definitely be able to do.  I also enjoy the design element of articles that catches the audiences' eye.  Photography is used in magazines to interest the reader almost instantly, and can sometimes be more effective than the actual reading. I enjoy photography and editing/taking pictures, so I am sure this would be very fun for me.  Something that might challenge me during this project is the layout of the magazine in order to make it as intriguing as possible.