This is a picture of Skillet, compared with a picture of Darren, one of my models, from my contents page, along with a Q magazine cover. Skillet are one of the bands I would feature in the magazine because they are a band of interest to my target audience (from looking at audience research). Darren has posed the same as the only guy from Skillet. Also, he is wearing a black jacket which I feel adds to the mystery. When editing and creating my contents, I was able to cut out Darren from the almost plain wall, so I could place him on a white background, much like many of the Q magazine covers, (right). I edited the picture further by changing the contrast and outing an outer glow. This makes the T-shirt look 3D and bolder. The shadows on Darren's face, along with his slight smile, leave a little mystery in the image and these are highlighted in editing. He is not directly facing the camera but is still making eye contact. It sort of leaves the model pondering as to why the camera is there. The look on his face sort of says "who, me?”
The overall pose and editing of this picture will attract certain social groups. My target audience is "indie scenester/scene kids" whom I feel would be attracted to this picture because of the mystery and darkness it holds. My target audience are psychographically classed as individualists that want to show the world they're different. The colours and layout of my magazine fit into this class because it’s different from other magazine. My masthead, skunk, is a slang/ word for weed which would also be well known by my target audience. By using people from the age group I'm targeting, it creates a relationship between them.
The two front cover models are casually dressed and clothed, as well as looking into the camera. The angle is straight on. All of these help for the reader to relate to the models and become interested. I have represented class through these 2 images by not using any special props or clothes which is casual and not 'well-off'. I feel most of the readers will fit this class too.
You need to explore how you have represented male youth or more specifically 'scene kids' and what qualities your representation attributes to them. Have you represented them as rebellious? Aggressive? It does not seem to me that you have. Therefore you could argue that your representation is not that stereotypical. Although of course it could be that scene kids are stereotypically represented as interested in clothes and personal appearance. I don't know. I'm too old to know! Whatever you need to focus on how you have represented this group and the attitudes and so on that are implied in your representation.
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