Unit 14 - Producing a print-based media product: July 2015

I want to tell my readers a little bit about myself that's relevant to the magazine, and want to be able to welcome the reader so they feel comfortable. I want to explain a bit about what the magazine has in it too.
The strongest article in my magazine is the "Location Feature" on the Farne Islands. This is because I have a lot of photographs to be able to use and planned the article very early on in pre-production.
Experiences that brought me to develop this magazine have been mostly the way I've been brought up. Ever since I was very young I've been going camping to remote places with my family often and have been "taught" - even though there's definitely personal interest too - to appreciate wildlife and the countryside and nature. It's developed into something I love and probably will be for the rest of my life.

I find it surprising that a place like the Farne Islands is kept so low-key. It’s the UK’s own haven for seabirds of most types, as well as huge colonies of seals that roam the waters surrounding every island.

It was on holiday a couple of years ago that I first heard about the Farnes, an avidly bird-crazy chap called Carl told us about the islands and seemed to think of them in very high regard. It wasn’t until this summer that I decided to try it out.

We couldn’t have been luckier with the weather; the sun was shining on us as we bobbed along on the waves in the dinky boat owned by Billy Shiel’s Boats. We were all in high spirits as we started to spot puffins, guillemots, razorbills and more flying past skimming the waves. The crew decided to stop the boat to let us observe the colony of grey seals that were basking on the rocks, and many of them were bobbing in the water with their heads above the surface, watching us fearlessly, and equally as curious as we were.

The first stop was Staple Island. We cruised past cliffs supporting hundreds upon hundreds of mainly guillemots, but also razorbills, puffins, black-headed gulls and more, which was only a hint as to what was coming up.

An amazing sight hit us as we got off the boat – birds filled the air and ground; there were puffins everywhere we looked. Terns and their nests lined the beach, gulls and kittiwakes glided above our heads, puffins were everywhere we looked.

With UK seabird numbers decreasing rapidly, the Farne Islands are a haven for a large portion of the country’s remaining population. With the sight that the islands hold, it’s hard to believe that seabird numbers are decreasing – with 36,285 pairs of puffins, 49,076 guillemots, 4,241 pairs of kittiwakes and 1,180 pairs of arctic terns, the islands are a paradise for conserving seabirds.

We were faced with a delightful island with rocky beaches, green meadows with sandy soil and cliffs for every sort of bird to use to their own. We saw fulmars nestled in the greenery, and hundreds upon hundreds of puffins bustling about bringing beakfuls of sand eels to their nests hidden away and buried in the ground. The walkways meandered around the meadows, and puffins were flying down to their burrows all around us. Sandwich, common, and arctic terns all glided high above us, along with herring, lesser black-backed, and black-headed gulls and kittiwakes.

Once we reached the other end of Staple Island, we were looking onto the cliffs, and they were, naturally, roped off. However, there were birds sat so close to us on their nests that we could have reached out and touched them. We stayed for half an hour in that one place; there was a shag sat on its nest with a chick that was amazingly close. At first, when I’d stepped into the boat that morning, surrounded by people with their huge, expensive, telephoto, close-zooming lenses, I’d felt a little silly sat there with my little - in comparison - DSLR. But now, practically sat next to this bird on its nest… I definitely didn’t need a huge fancy zooming lens! The birds were so close that if it wouldn't have frightened them, I could have easily reached out to touch them.

That’s what else I loved about the Farne Islands: even if I’d taken the cheapest, smallest, portable camera, I still would have some amazing photographs. I even took some with my phone, and they were better photographs than I’d have ever thought I’d be able to get, of birds, with my phone.

The next stop, after two hours on Staple Island, was Inner Farne. We got talking to someone on the boat who had been many times previously, and he told us a story. One of the times he’d been to the Farnes before, he’d been minding his own business and taking photographs, when a tern swooped down from nowhere and pecked the man’s little finger so badly that it drew blood. As apprehensive as this made my uncle, I couldn’t help feeling excited still. From what I’d seen on Staple Island, I was hoping Inner Farne wasn’t going to disappoint.

This island was teeming with more terns than puffins, although there were still staggering amounts of all the birds we’d already seen. Terns perched on posts innocently, waiting for someone to unsuspectingly go too close. Then they’d chatter in protest, and dive at anyone close enough to harass!

Inner Farne is smaller than Staple Island, so we went round the whole island in the two hours we spent there. On the far side of the island ,further out towards Staple Island, were more cliffs, and, peering over the edge, we spotted kittiwakes on their nests. Observing them from above was a very different perspective.

I was mobbed by a tern more than once; it’s nearly impossible to walk down the paths without getting in their way! More than once I was held up by a stubborn one sitting proudly in the middle of the path. I tried to carry on walking hoping it would budge, but when it eventually did, I got an angry-sounding chatter and a vicious – but attack to the hood of my coat.

The highlight of the time I spent on the islands, however, was towards the end, when a little puffin waddled onto the path right next to me! I didn’t want to move for fear I’d scare it, but it turned and looked up at me inquisitively, before waddling away contentedly. I didn’t even manage to get any photographs, it was such a spontaneous thing that happened!

The Farne Islands were an amazing place, and I’d love to go back there again soon. It’s good to see somewhere that’s still such an Eden for the ever-declining bird life of our oceans.

Unit 14 - Producing a print-based media product

Thursday, 30 July 2015

LO1 - Fonts, graphics and colour samples

Wednesday, 29 July 2015

LO1 - Page by page plan

Tuesday, 28 July 2015

LO1 - Draft magazine layout 1

Monday, 27 July 2015

LO1 - Image/shot plans

LO1 - Production Schedule

Sunday, 26 July 2015

LO1 - Editorial Planning

Saturday, 25 July 2015

LO1 - Draft Article (Farne Islands)

Monday, 6 July 2015

LO1 - Magazine terminology