Research and planning

Recce forms

Address and map of locationSeven springs, Milford. Address: Little Haywood, Stafford ST17 0WT

Suitability My location is suitable as it’s a location often used within the genre, especially during the winter seasons at the fallen leaves and dark days create an ere atmosphere to the photo shoot which matches the genre and the kind of effect I’m aiming to create for my photos. The forest back ground is dark, with greens and browns forming a naturally interesting and workable background for the whole of my double page spread instead of a plain, block background used often by many magazines. This subtle difference between my design and that of other magazines will make my layout different to that of other magazines while still in keeping with the rock genre. Due to the versatility and expanse of my location, I can easily change my setting and lighting to a certain extent if I don’t like how a photo has come out. This location would not be suitable for my front cover as my front cover background needs to be a block colour in order to stand out on the shelf and also fit in with the genre. The idea of a forest connotes ideas of mysteriousness and the unknown which may appeal to the individualist audience I’m aiming for as my target audience.

Availability This location is a public space and is available all the time throughout the year, however due to it being a public space it would mean I would have to contact ‘Cannock Chase Council’ to ask permission to shoot on this location and confirm times and exact locations. Due to lighting, my availability will be limited to only day light hours which is from 7:30am until 5:00pm during the winter months.

Since this location is an outside location I have limited availability due to weather, I need this location to be dry enough for my models to work and enable me to get different location shots. Also, my shoot will not work if it’s raining due to equipment that must be kept dry such as the camera. Due to this, I will be scheduling my date on weather forecasts and reports and rescheduling if conditions are not suitable.

Contact details Due to this being a public space this land does not belong to anyone by the council, but is maintained by rangers on Cannock Chase.

Chase county council: Address- Cannock Chase Council, Civic Centre,Beecroft Road, Cannock, Staffs WS11 1BGEmail- customerservices@cannockchasedc.gov.ukPhone- 01543 462621 Cannock chase rangers/forestry commission:Email- info-cannock@forestry.gsi.gov.ukPhone- 0300 067 4340Address- Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 2UQ

Power sourcesSince this is an outside location power sources are highly limited, with the nearest power outlet at a nearby restaurant that’s about 30 minutes walk away from the location. To avoid having my equipment run out of battery life I’ll pre-charge all equipment before hand and take a spare charged battery for my camera. The typical battery life for my Nikon D3100 is around 4 hours which is plenty of time to get the shoot done. I won’t be needing anything to be directly plugged into a power source such as lighting as I’ll be using the natural lighting.

Location of nearby restaurant

LightingMy location is outside, in a natural area and I will not be taking any extra lighting equipment, such as a light board, so therefore I’ll be relying on natural lighting. The best lighting in the winter months are around late morning to early afternoon so that will be when I’ll be taking my photos. If it is cloudy or too dim during this time then I’ll be waiting around to see if weather conditions improve, if they don’t then the shoot will have to be rescheduled. To avoid this I will be checking the weather forecasts prior to the shoot to see if it’s forecast rain, cloud or any unsuitable lighting and weather conditions.

Images