During the commune part of the project, my group are going to the countryside to stay at one of our group members houses, in Guildford. The idea behind this decision is to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city for a few days, where we can reset our minds and initiate our projects in an alternative way to how we would go about it in a city environment, Through going into the country, we aren't allowing common city London references to inspire us, instead, we plan to seek inspiration in wild life and a more natural environment, which in turn should cause our project direction to be shifted from what we would usually be drawn to. Over the 3 days of commune, we will each be dedicated a day to explore our own project and conduct tests and samples that will intern influence our development of ideas and aid the progression our our individual projects. In addition, we have also written a manifesto which we will abide by religiously as a group, allowing discipline and structure to be obtained within our group, resulting in a more productive and constructive 3 day period, where we can make the most of using one another to our advantage and progressing as fashion communicators on a whole. I feel that this has potential to be a super exciting and engaging process, where we can push ourselves in new surroundings and be inspired by the unique habitat around us. I truly feel that this 3 day period will force I project into an avenue that we haven't yet explored, and to me, that's really intriguing.

During the 3 days of commune, me, Jasmine and Harry made a big effort to get to know one another on a deeper level, which in turn resulted in a much more dynamic and constructive experience. Through setting a very structured manifesto from the start, it allowed us to divide our time effectively and make the most of each day. Through processes such as long morning walks in the Surrey hills, group food shops and cooking with one another, it enabled us to bond over simple activities, where we could spend time understanding each other and conversing about each of our projects. During these times of of the day, other than taking photos, we would not be on our phones, and just tried to live in the moment as much as possible, taking in all of our surroundings, and seeking inspiration and reference from unusual, sometimes mundane places, in order to direct our projects in new, unseen directions. Personally, I found commune to be an extremely positive and constructive experience. It honed my team work skills, enabled me to get a better understanding of how I can use others skills to enhance my own processes and outcomes, and why it is so important to collaborate within my practice as a fashion communicator. During simple process like cooking the meals at dinner time, we would designate each person a few rolls, utilising our varying skills effectively, resulting in a much more fluid and successful experience. In my opinion, this is a very transferable skill that I can carry across with me to my practice and future work. Figuring out one another strengths and using this to your advantage is a vital part of any collaborative process, and this is something that I feel I understand much more as a result of speeding 3 days with the others. More so, through leaving the hustle and bustle of the city and venturing into a countryside surrounding meant that we could clear our heads and not rely on the common inspirations of city living. It felt very refreshing to undertake a creative process that didnt revolve around London and all that the city involves. To be creative in this type of country side environment was really engaging, as I felt it allowed me to open my eyes to new ways of referencing, and prevented me from relying on the overused and over saturated inspiration the city can have on your creative process.for example, grey buildings, brick walls, graffiti tube stations, are all things that I feel are played out with fashion imagery, and so to find beauty and potential in natural surroundings felt exciting. During our long walks, I found myself fascinated with this woodland setting, and felt that I was constantly intrigued by the smaller details that you might not notice if you aren't looking analytically. For example, in the photos in the storyboards further down, I snapped a range of closeups of things such as buried tree roots, foot prints in muddy puddles and moss on tree bark. I found so many beautiful textures and subtle features of nature that really caught my eye and inspired me. Through these minor discoveries, it has pushed me to want to use this environment for my shoot even more. There is sometime mystical, eerie and powerful about woodlands and forestry, and I plan to explore this further with my project. In conclusion, commune enabled me and my peers to get better grasps on our projects, it pushed us to find strengths in one another and honed our skills as collaborative communicators, helping one another where it was necessary. As a result, the 3 day commune was a success and it has initiated the foundations of our final projects sufficiently.

Below are four Storyboards of the surroundings from throughout the commune experience. Focusing on capturing interesting sights, textures and structures throughout. This isn't only documentation for of our time during commune, but also primary research and inspiration for further ideas during the final project. I plan to look back at these storyboards for references when scouting location etc. for later shoots. Also, I decided to present these photos in a neatly designed layout because in my eyes, these storyboards could be seen as outcomes themselves. Within each story board there are some strong pieces of photography, and there is something quite satisfying about having striking photos displayed really small within other photos, as they art initially obvious, but at closer inspection, you realise them more clearly. 

Displayed below are a series of images that I took of my muse, jasmine, during a 3 hour walk in the Surrey hills. Within my draft of the final project proposal, I suggested that I wanted to use my background growing up in a countryside town, outside of London as the reference for my outcomes, and after labelling the project 'beyond the pines' it was clear that these photos would take place in nature, woodland surrounding. Using this as the starting point, I began to snap shots of jasmine throughout our walk, picking up on visually engaging areas and capturing her within them. Her outfit was a real mixture of contemporary looking fashion with the puffer hood/poncho, combined with slim fitting woolen knits, and long checked skirts over flared jeans. In some ways this really contrasted with the purity of the surroundings, but also somehow fit in quite seamlessly. the natural tones of the skirt blended in to the golden browns of this crop field, allowing the crips white of the hood to stand out. The lines and contours of the crop field were complimented by the stripes of the sweater, which visually felt quite satisfying. Along with capturing images of my model, I also tried to focus on sections of the walk that stop out to me aesthetically, using zoom to obtain closeups throughout. Through doing this, it helps to strengthen the narrative and context of the photo, giving the main image something to relate to and resonate with. These test photos are simply me exploring angles, compositions and environments in which I may decide to shoot in further down the line for 'beyond the pines'.