Fashion Photo Styling students designed outfits for a photo shoot on Wednesday with Kevin Roche, professional photographer, and Kassandra Kovakou, model and Marine Biology major.
Susan Linnet Cox, a professor at Mesa College, created Fashion 179 from ground up. She published the textbook “Photo Styling: How to Build Your Career and Succeed” in 2006 and started the class the next year.
Fash 179 is a hands-on experience that teaches students how to position, style and design a variety of products for commercial, editorial and catalog photographs.
“This class helps you think about the little details and properly representing your client,” says Ericka Sanchez, Fashion Design major.
The spacious room B105 is lined by large screened computers. An old wooden loom reading “move to B106” crowded the far corner below students’ photo projects and spot lights dotted the ceiling.
Students frantically steamed wrinkles from blouses, shirts and skirts, expecting Roche to arrive at 3 p.m.
Four groups of three and four gathered in powwows throughout the class. Each group designed their own outfit according to four themes: Skater Girl, Hippie, School Girl, and In Living Color.
“I really like doing shoots like this,” says Kovakou.
Kovakou, the photographer, and the designers all get the photographs for free she explained. She hopes to bolster her portfolio with this project. Kovakou works for San Diego Model Agency and her work includes runway shows for Gretchen Productions, Macy’s and Jim Crawford.
Roche arrives around 3:40 p.m. because of a date mix-up.
Roche is a wedding, commercial, and travel photographer. Fifteen years since graduating from the University of California San Diego with a Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts, he has worked for companies like Calloway Golf, Sony, and Surfing Magazine. In his early days, Roche photographed in Hawaii, Indonesia, Fiji and Cabo San Lucas. Now 80 percent of Roche’s business is weddings in and around Southern California.
As soon as Roche arrived, the Skater Girl group led him to the docking bay behind the LRC. The urban industrial feel of cement and steal compliment the edgy, in-your-face skater look. Under the roaring ventilation exhaust, Roche flowed seamlessly between instructor and employee explaining how a professional shoot would go while encouraging Erick Estrada, acting Art Director of his group, to explain his vision.
Next, the Hippie group took Roche between the A and B buildings. Light shone softly through the tiny leaves onto Kovakou standing between Rosemary bushes. Butterflies and bees added to the peacefulness of this photo shoot. Roche taught the importance of lighting and demonstrated how to manipulate the golden light of the sun with large, soft reflectors.
Then, the School Girl group brought Roche to the book drop in front of the LRC. Sharp angles, cold cement and glaring glass add an institutional effect to the plaid skirted Kovakou. Roche again emphasizes the importance of lighting; however, instead of reflecting, he uses a seven by four foot shader to block out the harsh afternoon sun.
Running out of sunlight and class time, In Living Color packs up for the day without their outfit being photographed. Cox scheduled Roche and Kovakou to return Oct. 22 to finish the photo shoot.
“I enjoyed the opportunity to work with the class. Hopefully everyone take a little something from the experience,” says Roche.