Collaborative: Initial meeting

Kristina and I were able to meet up and get to know each other as creative individuals and see if we clicked on this level. We seemed to get on very well and bounced similar ideas off of each other which in a positive light will mean that our work ethic and ambitions will go hand in hand to produce something that pleases both of us and that we are passionate about. We started to discuss the intentions of the photography project and understand the reasoning for why it was being put together and published. Islamophobia is an issue that is very prevalent within the 21st century and the publication will address this on a personal level as relationships have been built with the individual women that are being photographed and their stories will allow a very raw and truthful perspective to be shared with those that may not understand the depth of the issue. 

The project takes on two different approaches; the first focuses on islamophobia amongst Women in the Western World (UK) and then the second is looking at the cultural and environmental issues that women in Bali may face. 

It was useful to talk about the format of the project and how each of the messages could successfully be represented and with the most impact. We spoke about a contact sheet stylised approach to capture the different facial expressions of the individual women during the interview with Kristina and how this could powerfully portray equality and that as women we are all the same when removed from a particular environment or racial stereotype. This could then be followed by the story, portraits and street photographs showing them integrating within the Western World. The process from now will need to concentrate on the sequencing of all of the elements so that the message and story can be told in the best possible way. 

We also discussed whether this would work better as two separate books within a sleeve or as one big final book with both of the projects working together to show the messages as one and in the most powerful way possible. Kristina had picked up a book when in L.A that may inspire some of the visual design of the book and how it could work if a sleeve was to be used. 

The collaboration will come together with short meetings that we will have regularly to ensure that we are on the same page and both inputting for the same reasons. Kristina will be shooting in Bali for a large chunk of the project, so we have come to agreement that contact will be kept constant and images will be shot and edited as quickly as possible and then uploaded to the drive so that I have content to be working with. The aim is to have a finalised concept and layout decided upon by the time she returns from Bali. This will allow for us to then sit together and place the finalised images ready for production to begin.