Final Magazine Covers

Vinyl Magazine was the most technically challenging to create. The photo is actually comprised of 8 different images. I had someone hold the record around the player to frame it in each shot. For example, the first photo taken was with the record in the top left, then middle left, then bottom left etc. In photoshop, I then took each image and layered them, selecting only the record and deleting the rest of the image. This way I was able to create the frame of records. From there, it was pretty simple design work finding aesthetically pleasing fonts, sizes, locations, and any extra elements.

Merry Magazine focused on one of our village pieces. I wanted to bring this miniature scene to life. Most of my time spent on this cover is in font selection. I wanted a font that matched the Christmas aesthetic, but wasn't too "out there". After about an hour of searching, I landed on the one you see for the magazine title and at the bottom of the scene.

Ever since I was very young, my dream has been to be an adventurer. These are all items from my room which I have collected from my travels over the years. To me, a natural fit for a magazine cover would be Expedition. This photo took about 3 hours to set up and take. There are many different elements going on behind the scenes that the viewer wouldn't notice, yet makes the image (mainly very specific lighting). The next portion of the process was attempting to add some sense of "wear and tear" as if this image had travelled and been around for a long time. Of course, the fact that this is a flat lay scene makes it difficult for this to be fully accomplished. Nonetheless, the lack of color range and the addition of grain provides a small hint of the possibility this was shot on film and not a mirrorless camera.

In developing an idea for this project, I faced several issues. The most prominent – my state was just shut down again due to rising COVID-19 cases and deaths. Because of this, I cold not complete the original ideas I had. This also meant I had to create the project from the comfort of my own home. I then was thinking about my dream to land one of my photos on the cover of National Geographic. Naturally, I thought it would be an interesting project to create several magazine covers. The photo, the text, and overall design would be completely created from scratch. After a couple days of shooting and editing, I landed with these three covers.