CocoaJeans

This Cocoa Jeans project was another opportunity to “Pay It Forward” and have some fun in the process. Working with the students at the German International School of Silicon Valley, and with the help of the wonderful marketing team at Cocoa Jeans, we produced a cool location fashion series geared towards young teens.

The German School is comprised mainly of children from German families who have transferred over to a new job in Silicon Valley. Their education always includes an internship at a local business. For three years I have been asked to sponsor students and bring them into the business and out in the field. It ends up being a great learning experience for everyone, myself included.

Our model had a good time peaking in and out of the wind surf boards at our location at Shoreline Lake.

For fashion shoots I really like to use a long lens. In this case my 500mm works great to keep the model in focus, but throw the background out of focus to a soft blur.

Since this a team project with the students, they actually compose the shots. I might do an original placement and of course choose the gear, but they act as the art directors creating the composition of the shots and mood of the series.

It’s the hope of the German School that getting their students directly involved in professional projects will allow them to see first hand if their choice of careers will actually be the right one for them. But of course any of the students who work on a location shoot end up enjoying the project and think it’s the perfect career for them.

The students at the German school are often pretty new to the Silicon Valley and the United States. Needless to say, they had a super fun time going on location and spending the day in a great environment.