Scheduling

With 45 days to complete this project, organization is everything.

Being able to remain on schedule is something I have mastered. It gives me a sense of relief to see distinctly where I should be on the project. I hate having to cram something in because of timing issues. I have given my self plenty of time to focus on important elements of this project.

• 6 Days for Research: I need to focus on target audience. Every decision for my magazine comes down to target audience. The more information I can gather about them, the better. Knowing that research is my least favorite element of this project, I find that 5 days (including a weekend) will be more than sufficient time for me to collect extensive knowledge of my target audience. Not only must I find information on my target audience, but I must research special elements which photojournalistic magazines have and how I can incorporate those elements with fashion. Even writing about it now, I know that with all this information, all other aspects of this project will be much easier. 
• 3 Days for Table of Context: In terms of "Table of Context", I am dictating which stories would best suite my magazine. The Table of Context is something I've seen lead many students to lose points, therefore I have set out a specific slot of time to focus on the elements which would evaluate the quality of my Table of Context. 
• 4 Days of Taking Pictures: The process of selecting pictures and positioning a model is usually not an easy task. From lighting, background, and color, their are lots of details which must be decided in order to produce a stunning picture. I hope by giving my self a weekend, I'll be able to prioritize the task and really focus on producing the best images I could possibly do. After all, the most important tool of a photojournalistic magazine are the pictures. 
• 4 Days of Editing: A couple of touch up never hurts. Not only that, but the four images are to be selected at this time. I hope to have narrowed down my choices coming into the "Edit" stage, but knowing my indecisiveness, I'm sure to have my work put out for me. 
• A week for creating the cover page: The cover page is the very first thing anyone will see for my magazine. It is made to intrigue readers. Not only that, it sets the atmosphere and theme of a magazine. There is a lot of pressure that comes with the cover page. Fonts and colors will definitely take a day or two. 
• A week for the Two Page Spread: I already have lots of ideas for my layout. Keeping in mind the images I already have, I'll take the quality of image into consideration when deciding the placement and size of each image in my layout. Writing isn't a strong suite for me, so I'll have to set at least a day or two to edit. That is the most unwelcoming aspect of this project. Yet knowing that I will be able to expose diversity and information that I'm passionate about, writing the article becomes less frightening. 
• Close to Two weeks for perfecting the magazine: Doubting every choice I make is something I constantly do. This two weeks will hopefully allow me to polish all the hard edges. At the end of this time period, my magazine will be out for the world, and away from my hands. Almost like a mother and child, my baby should be strong enough to defend itself and be a division of my personality.

Wow. I think I intimidated myself... It will be fine!

I'm sure I'll thank my self later. It's all about the details, after all.

Time to get to work!

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

Welcome

My name is Natalia Arroyo and this is the start of my magazine, Stagger!

There is a little something you should know about me: I'm super impulsive. So when I was prompted to choose a title for this blog of mine, I wanted one that would reflect on my vibrant spirit and eccentric personality. Hence "Stagger".
While my impulsive buys shock my friends and family, it never ceases to astonish me as well.

The fact that Stagger is a pretty catchy and unique name makes it an even more appealing choice.

I'm very excited to see how this project will turn out and where it will take me!
I have no doubt this will be a stressful journey for me, but I also know it will be an unparalleled experience and opportunity to learn more about myself.