Genre

Choosing a genre might be the hardest decision of this whole project. Genre affects the entire magazine; from the layout to the advertisement, genre is significant. In order to overcome the challenge of picking a genre, I began to think about what my values and likes are. Artists have always fascinated me. To be able to portray a feeling through a still drawing or image is something that amazes me. An image can spark a movement. Take Steve McCurry's Afghan Girl for example. This image has impacted a whole nation. It was posted in every store and, because of this, it encouraged readers to follow the story of this immigrant. This image evoked change in a system and caused a lot of discussion.

Ultimately, I decided on Photojournalism as the genre for Stagger. One can go many routes in the photojournalism genre: documentary, portraiture, still life, landscape and street. In researching the benefits of going on either of the routes named above, the article, Art: 'Looking' at portraits in Harrisburg attracted me the most. The article mentions Robert Armetta and Catherine Prescott piece on a fellow neighbor, "Ted". The position and expression of the man speaks volume. Although the piece is plain, the man himself generates a complexity to his struggle and life. It stuns me how much a person's appearance and expressions can provoke strong emotions in important aspects of life.

I've decided that portraiture will be the central focus of my magazine because it allows me to tell the story of people of all ethnic, religious, and racial backgrounds. I will be able to give people labeled as minority a voice, which is something of great importance to me. Because an image may only reflect a story partially, I am given an opportunity to inform the public about the importance of topics through the text embedded in the magazine.

I aim to inform the public of local stories which deserve to be voiced nationally.
I also hope to give these stories justice as I exhibit by bringing it to life for the public.
Citation:

     > Afghan Girl. (2018, February 17). Retrieved February 26, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Girl

     > Photojournalism. (2018, February 17). Retrieved February 26, 2018, from

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photojournalism

     > Joseph and Barrie Ann George For The Sentinel. (2018, February 14). Art: 'Looking' at portraits in Harrisburg. 

        Retrieved February 26, 2018, from http://cumberlink.com/entertainment/local-scene/art-looking-at-portraits-in-

        harrisburg/article_f352a02e-58b7-55dd-8062-2a051e1d8eb9.html