The author had some experience with photography from studying GCSE Photography and wanted to take high quality photos like those seen in professional hip hop magazines. They first took photos of a friend in a bedroom with a Fujifilm camera but realized the background was distracting and the quality wasn't high enough. They then took photos of two friends in outdoor locations like streets filled with graffiti to create a more urban feel and in their garden. By using daylight and turning the flash on, they were able to capture higher quality photos unlike with the Fujifilm where the flash was off, which helped them learn how to take technically good photos suitable for hip hop magazines.