Editorial

Featured Photos - February 2024


Spring comes early when in the Portland, OR acting and modeling business, where winter sessions bring spring bookings.


All About Business

More and more business folks are connecting with us for creative, artful and richly creative professional headshots. Nolan is a restauranteur who wanted to update his professional profile, Iddo is a software expert who needed imagery for a new position, Tatjana wanted to show the world of finance that she has the goods and Jeff is a dentist who grabbed this headshot before shipping off to a new position in Austin, TX.


Michelle and Tristan

Actor headshots are still our jam, though, witch is why Michelle and Tristan got back into the studio to make these great images with us.


Silly Kid Stuff

The kids modeling portfolio world got at least 3 times better as our rockstar friend Kate and new clients Cora and Elliott joined us for new portfolios for TMM Talent.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - January 2024


Rolling into the new year with wonderful headshots and portfolio photos for kid, teen and adult models and actors in beautiful Portland, OR.


Lauren and Kaci

Headlining our Janaury roundup are two exquisite beauties: Miss Lauren, who updated her images for TMM Talent and Miss Kaci, who just hangs with us because it’s fun and she makes an amazing photograph.


Destiny, Lexie, Maria, Pricilla, Clare and Karlee

When it comes to actor headshots we humbly suggest you won’t find a photography studio than ours. Kinda simple, right?


And then some …

Sometimes we’ll be having so much fun we don’t want to stop. That’s when the black and white portraits start happening, many of which end up in the professional portfolios, as well.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - December 2023


Doin' fine in the winter time at our Portland, OR studio, making all kinds of awesome headshots and modeling portfolios.


Color Me Bright

Deep rich colors and plenty of pop were in order for thees three characters, all of whom have worked with us before. Handsome Mr. James joined us for his second shoot in our studio for his agency, IMD, lovely Miss Riley was back in the studio to get her portfolio updated for TMM Talent and Miss Mya (who may hold the record for most sessions with us ever) just because she loves to be in front of the camera.


Nick

Always a pleasure when an old friend joins us for new images, especially when we can capture such great range as this.


Grayson

So cool he gets a section all of his own.. So it goes with Mr. Grayson, who joined us to update his portfolio for Harris Talent.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - November 2023


Doin' fine in the winter time at our Portland, OR studio, making all kinds of awesome headshots and modeling portfolios.


Dad

‘Nuf said.


Emma

Range of personality in one single talented actor? √


Trevor, Casey, Danielle, Chloe, Nick and Lila

How many super talented actors, creatives and business professionals can we squeeze into one page? A lot, it seems.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - October 2023


Headshots and portfolios and kids and professional, oh my!


Malik

Looked up “cute” in the dictionary and found this kid’s picture.

He’s also on the Harris Talent website because they know a cool kid when they see one.


Stephanie, Scott and Gwyn

Stephanie is a life coach launching her business, Scott is an IT pro who needed new shots and Gwen is a former Marine breaking into the acting business. What do they have in common? Good taste in photographers :) and the knowledge that they need a great headshot.


Levi

Sometimes you meet a kid and you know he’s going to go far. Introducing Levi!


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - September 2023


Before the rains and the cold of winter come the beautiful portfolios and headshots of fall, brought to you by the wonderful world we call Portland, OR.


Ayla

Sometimes black and white is just the way to go. After some wonderful and colorful outdoor images of Miss Ayla, we jumped headlong into the studio and these striking black and whites.


Stella

Speaking of striking, how about these amazing headshots of singer and actor Miss Stella?


Elena

If you think this young woman is personable and engaging, remember we captured it here!


Zayante

First portfolio session? Crushed it!


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - August 2023


In Portland, August is easily one of the best months of all to create awesome headshots and portfolios for models, actors and business professionals.


Josie

August was a big month for Josie: she appeared in her first film, shot her first portfolio and was signed to her agency, TMM. What’s next?


Nico

If Nico’s (Option Agency) in front of the camera, trees will be climbed, dogs will be petted and cuteness will abound.


Michelle

Michelle is a highly paid and very much in demand life coach who’s sense of play informs her work and can be seen pretty clearly in these amazing headshots.


Cassidy

Model. Actor. Stuntwoman. World Traveler. Martial Arts Expert. Jockey. (Yeah, Jockey.) When does she have time to sleep?

Cassidy is represented by the ZT Agency.


Amara

One of our favorite people of all time, a joy to be around and a beautiful presence at our yearly beach sessions.


Adrian

What’s the old expression? Too cool for school? Herein, too cute for words!

Adrian is reprinted by Harris Talent.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - July 2023


There's nothing better than summer weather for new portfolios and headshots created in the beautiful city of Portland, OR.


Hollyn and Cailyn

When Cailyn reached out and told us she wanted to gift her friend with a “Besties at the Beach” session to celebrate their graduation, we said “great idea” and packed the sunscreen.


Mya

Speaking of besties, Mya is one of our best friends and favorite clients. Here’s an array of awesomeness from her most recent session at the beach.


James and Bobby

Headshots are in order any time of year. We shot this business headshot of James and acting headshot of Bobby at our studio, with our signature soft light and environmental backgrounds.


Kathy

Kathy debuted in front of our camera earlier this year in an amazing athletic session and made a comeback for this wonderful session portfolio session in The Pearl that showed off her style and sense of fun.


Will

Youth, exuberance, charm. Done!


Promise

Promise and her parents dropped in from Spokane to get some headshots and, as you can see, we had a bit of fun.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - June 2023


Busy times in the month of March as we focused on all things in studio.


Macx

They really don’t get any cuter than little Baby Macx, who did his first professional portfolio with us on the recommendation of our friends at Harris Talent.


Piper

With most auditions happening via Zoom and other such online platforms, a lot of actors find that a broad array of images are helping them book work (especially commercials). We did just that for the amazing Miss Piper, who’s represented by TMM.


Cathryn, Samm and Lilya

For others, the traditional headshot is the way, especially for seasoned professionals like Cathryn, Samm and Lilya, all of whom are returning to the business after taking time to explore other interests.


Josie

When the kid’s a natural, the amazing images just fly out of the camera, as was the case when we hung out in the Mississippi neighborhood with Miss Josie.


James and Mary

Capturing personality is what headshots are all about and we scored big here with James (IMD) and Mary (Harris Talent).


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - May 2023


Spring weather brings us brand new headshots and portfolio images.


Mya

Our inspiration for this shoot with Mya was her beauty. And cool clothes. And a cool setting, which happened to be the Alberta Arts District in Portland. What can we say except: “Wow!”

Wardrobe styled by Carson Verity and Claire Verity. Mya is represented by Sports + Lifestyle Unlimited.


Lauren in Lauren

Speaking of inspired by beauty (and beautiful clothes), check out these adorable images we did of Lauren (in Ralph Lauren)! Props to Mom for the great wardrobe work and to Heidi Austin for the beautiful hair and makeup styling.

Lauren is represented by Talent Model Management


Chas and Ben

Chas and Ben came to us for business headshots. Business headshots typically require a quick turnaround so both of them were happy to know that we work fast (and sent us nice review to prove it. :)


Shana and Diane

Acting headshots are still our main jam and we did a lot of them in May. Here’s a sneak peek at a pair of wonderful actors (whom we happened to photograph on the same day).

Both Shana and Diane are represented by Ryan Artists. Hair and makeup by Heidi Austin.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - May 2023


Some new venues, some new ideas, some great people!


Kate, Chloe and Kathy

We rented out a warehouse, put on our athletic gear and made some cool new pictures in a cool setting with beautiful light. ‘Cuz that’s what we do!

Kate and Chloe are represented by Talent Model Management.


Casey and Luna

How about we cast these beautiful actors in something dark and mysterious and beautiful?


James

Speaking of dark and mysterious and beautiful; we’re getting some serious Michael Pitt meets Robert Smith vibes here. A sneak peek of James’ new portfolio for IMD.


Prince-Eshton

A prince by name and a prince to work with, we had a great time making these new headshots for this young man.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Shooting Stars: Sunshine On Our Shoulders

Shoot Title: Sunshine On Our Shoulders

Model: Claire Dailey

Team: Michael Verity, Photographer; Julie Dailey, Wardrobe Stylist; Claire Dailey, hair and makeup

Inspiration: Claire’s Mom, Julie, is such a great wardrobe stylist and we’ve worked together so many times, it’s more often about “how many outfits can we do” than “what will we shoot?” And we the Free People is a long-standing favorite.

How many shoots we’ve done together: We’ve kind of lost track but we’re guessing somewhere around nine or 10. Which is about 700 outfits. :)

Time of year: Spring 2023

Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Shoot music: Me, singing John Denver songs while Claire tried not to crack up.

Shoot munchies: Our snack game was kind of random but lunch at Joe’s Real BBQ on Gilbert Rd. was smashing.

My favorite part of the day: Um, photographing Claire. Duh.

Camera: Sony A7rIII

Lens: This session was shot with a variety of Sigma ART prime lenses, ranging from 35 to 105mm, depending on the situation.

Propers: Claire, the muse; Julie, the wrangler; Eric Dailey, supplier of good cheer.


Michael Verity is a Portland-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - March 2023


Busy times in the month of March as we focused on all things in studio.


Caetano

Cuteness comes first and this precocious little guy, who already speaks three more languages than I do, made the studio a magic place for his new Ryan Artists’ portfolio.


Henry

Henry came to us for some personal branding images and had such a good time he sent his buddy Aaron along some images, as well (which we’ll feature next month).


Seth and Laura

Actors of experience and those who are new to industry alike know this is the place to crush their new headshots.


Lexi

From languid to light-hearted, we couldn’t be more crushed out over a portfolio session if we tried.

Lexi’s represented by Talent Model Management and the ZT Agency.


Piper

How does that song go? Just one look and you’ll know why Piper is one of our faves.

Piper’s also represented by Talent Model Management and the ZT Agency.


Greta

What you see is what you get: beauty, grace and kindness.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Shooting Stars: Spring Forward

Shoot Title: Spring Forward

Model: Mya Van Koten

Team: Claire Verity, wardrobe; Karina Talaro, hair and makeup.

Inspiration: These pictures were inspired by Mya herself, whose beautiful skin tone, wonderful smile and generous personality are the perfect palette for just about any outfit.

How many shoots we’ve done together: We’ve done somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 sessions with Mya over the past five years (with four more scheduled for this year!).

Time of year: Spring 2022

Location: Oregon City

Shoot music: I don’t recall exactly what was played that day but I know there was some Beyonce and some Carole King in the mix.

Shoot munchies: Our jack-of-all-trades wardrobe stylist, Claire Verity, also does a killer job on craft services, with everything from vegan treats to all kinds of cheeses for yours truly.

My favorite part of the day: Hanging around with Mya is the best. Period.

Camera: Sony A7rIII

Lens: This session was shot with a variety of Sigma ART prime lenses, ranging from 35 to 105mm, depending on the situation.

Propers: Mya, who is truly a muse; Mya’s mom, Carolyn, who supports our artistic endeavors; wardrobe stylist, Claire Verity, for making the vision happen; and makeup artist Karina Talaro, who knows me so well she doesn’t even have to ask.


Michael Verity is a Portland-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - February 2023


It was another record month for us at MVP as we welcomed these fabulous faces to our studio.


Lauren, Beautifully

We first worked with Lauren several years ago when we collaborated with a dance studio on their yearly “team” pictures. Fast forward a bit and Lauren’s still a dancer and now a model and actor with Talent Model Management, which is where you’ll find these shots from her new portfolio.


Nickol, Gracefully

Nickol is a successful hair stylist and business owner who wanted to add model to her resume. We were so grateful she chose us to make these wonderful portfolio images and help her launch her new career.


Annika, Dynamically

We’ve seen a lot of old friends in the studio lately, recharging their acting careers after taking time to focus on family and friends and learning how to properly adjust an N95 mask. Annika was back in the studio in February for these wonderful headshot updates.


Danica, Perfectly

Speaking of old friends, we’ve known Danica since she was just a pup. Now she’s grown into a wonderfully energetic, super fun and extremely smart tweenager, who worked with us on this perfect 4 look portfolio for Ryan Artists.


Robert, Professionally

When we snap a shot of someone cracking up, we know we’re doing our job (‘cuz that’s when the best pictures start happening). Robert is a successful entrepreneur who came to us for some social media images and he just crushed it.


Lexi and Payton, Artfully

We probably took these pictures in March but we’re going to post them anyway, because we love the “end of session” back and white images we make with our acting and modeling friends.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Shooting Stars : Claire Dailey


Our Shooting Stars feature returns with a collection of images of we’ve shot over the past few years with the inimitable Claire Dailey (and the stories behind the scenes).

We take pride in the fact we can make an amazing photograph almost anywhere, from our kitchen table (see here) to the parking lot of a Starbucks. Or, in the case of the image on the right, the parking lot of the Phoenix Convention Center, on a Sunday morning, with the sun bouncing off the hotel across the street.

It’s the first of several “model off duty” looks we did with Claire this past fall that included the classic “Levi’s and lattes” and cute some shots of her wearing a bow-tie and Chuck Taylors.

The look below was done much later in the day, at a place called Papago Park, which features a gigantic rock that people climb to watch the sunset. We preferred to stay closer to the ground and take advantage of the setting sun for some wonderful fashion images.

The images below were also taken quite spontaneously, in and around Claire’s neighborhood. The one on the left was taken next to the pool at her neighbor’s house across the street. We were hoping for her to hang 10 on the fake surfboard, while we made fake waves in the pool, but figured that we’d need fake water to make that happen.

The image on the right was taken on her next door neighbor’s patio, after spending about 20 minutes trying to break into his house. (OK, so he did give us the door code; it just didn’t work.) It just goes to show that when you have great clothes, a beautiful model, some soft light (and the correct door code), you can make an amazing picture.

Sometimes we actually do go on location, which is what we did for this shoot from a year or so ago. The photo to the right was captured in about 60 seconds, which is about how much time Claire’s Mom and our hair and makeup stylist, James, could distract the hotel security guard before he kicked us out of the lobby.

The pictures below we actually took in the hotel room where we were preparing for the shoot. We grabbed James’ ring light, moved a little furniture and captured this wonderfully casual fashion image, complete with the grungy plaid and the, of course, Chucks.

The bottom pair are, in case you didn’t figure it out, inspired by David Bowie. We whipped up enough hair for three girls with this one.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - January 2023


We kicked off 2023 with a record number of sessions with friends new and old. Here are some of our favorites.


Alia, Colorfully

What can we say? Cute outfits, big smiles, lots of dancing. The perfect portfolio for a little kid.


Allison, Beautifully

We were about halfway through our first conversation when we realized she’d worked with my daughter in a production of West Side Story a few years back. I knew from experience she’s a talented actor; I had no idea she’d be such an amazing model, too.


Nicolette, Dynamically

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Nicolette several times over the past few years. We always have fun and she always takes a great picture. She has the most amazing brown eyes and, because headshots are all about the eyes, we had no problem making them shine.

Nicolette is represented by Ryan Artists.


Lila, Lie

Yes, the title is a reference to Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer,” which I sing to her every time I see her, which makes her smile. But not in this picture, which is a power study in angles and attitude.

Lila is represented by TMM.


Sean, Professionally

Sean is legal counsel for a large Japanese electronics firm who came to us for a portrait to accompany a magazine article. So we shot this awesome portrait in our kitchen, which makes perfect sense to us.


Britney and Noah, Artfully

Britney is a former acting student of my wife who came to us to reboot her career with some new headshots. We don’t generally include heads in headshots, but this one is some strong and connected that we can’t resist.

On the other hand, Noah’s shoot, which included a few business headshots, was more for fun. When I told him he looked a little like Dr. John, he had no idea who I was talking about (but he loved the picture.)


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - December 2022


In one of the busiest Decembers in our history, we covered a lot of ground from acting headshots to modeling portfolios to beautiful black and white portraits.


Brenna, Powerfully

Brenna is a ZT Agency talent whose powerful presence (and spectacular eyes) just begged for a few extra portraits at the end of her portfolio session.


Marty, Colorfully

From serious actor to happy grandpa to mafioso, we had a super fun time working with Marty on his acting headshot portfolio.

Marty studies with well known acting coach Kristina Haddad.


Tatiana, Artistically

Sometimes we have so much fun making pictures that we just don’t want to stop. These dark and dusky portraits came at the end of portfolio session with this beautiful actor, dancer and (that’s right) computer coder.

Tatiana is represented by Seattle’s ZT Agency.


Luke, With Depth

The depth of expression on this guy’s face made our session truly fun and productive. Like Brandon from our September Featured Photos article, Luke came fully prepared and that equaled excellent results.


Natalie, In The Pink

We’re not quite finished with Natalie’s portfolio but we can’t help sneak peeking this beautiful shot of her smiling face.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - November 2022


While November clouds wrap a gray blanket around Portland, it's always sunny in our minds and bright and colorful in our studio. Here's a sample of the beautiful pictures we took of beautiful people in the month of November.


Amanda, Way Too Fun

To quote her agent: “Holy cow, you two! I'm glad I don't have to narrow it down (to the finals). Love, love, love!” What else can we say?

Amanda’s represented in Portland by TMM Talent and is a master student at Acting for Kids and Teens. See some more teen portfolios here.


Tiffany, Because

One of Portland’s best known and most successful models (as if you couldn’t tell) as well as an actor on the rise, Tiff came to us for new acting headshots because, as she said, “you’re the headshot guy in Portland.” And then we took a few modeling shots, too, ‘cuz we just couldn’t resist.

Tiffany is represented by The Option Agency.


Mya, Colorfully

We’re in love with warm yellows and apple greens these days, just like we’ve been in love with Mya for as long as we’ve been taking pictures. And the blue nails with the blue hair and the maroon pants is just the best.


Collin and Kristen, Coincidentally

We’re posting Collin and Kristen together because a) they’re good friends who’ve work together on a number of productions, b) they both shot new headshots with us on the same day and c) they both work really fast. (We think it took about 20 minutes to shoot Collin, start to finish, All-Star pro that he is).


Jorja, Perfectly

Range, range, range. That’s the name of the game with teen headshots and Jorja just kills it: serious girl, smart girl and fun girl looks that are all uniquely HER.


Alli, Not Awkwardly

Alli came to us to get new headshots and “not be awkward in front of the camera.” We’re not exactly sure what she was talking about ‘cuz she crushed it.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.


Featured Photos - October 2022


Fall colors and colorful photos are the highlights of our October collection of featured photos.


Kaci, We Guess

Inspired by the Guess? Jeans ads of the 1990s, we shot these awesome pictures of Kaci in our backyard. We’re particularly proud of how were made the tree-filled Pacific Northwest look like the Old West.


Ayah and Jordyn, The Sisters

It should be no surprise that this sister team, whom we visit every time we’re in Phoenix, work in the industry all the time. Beyond being completely cute, they are consummate professionals!

Catch up with everything Jordyn on her Instagram and see what’s up with Ayah over here on her Instagram.


Calvin and Chloe, Together

Calvin and Chloe are another set of sibs who just rock the camera. This image is from the first of what we hope are many more sessions!

Calvin and Chloe are represented by Sports and Lifestyle Unlimited.


Sophie and Bowie, At The Best

Sophie and Bowie both joined us for the first time to shoot their first kid modeling portfolios. Sophie legitimately knows what to do with a basketball (and a soccer ball and just about every other ball) and Bowie is just plain cool in every way. With a name like Bowie, it’s no surprise.

Sophie is represented by Ryan Artists while Bowie is part of the Sports and Lifestyle Unlimited roster.


Jack and Keegan, With Confidence

Teen portfolios were big on our schedule of fall sessions, with long time client Jack getting some environmental shots for his update and Keegan coming to the studio for, among other things, some awesomely artistic black and whites.

Both Jack and Keegan are represented by Ryan Artists.


Kaitlyn, On The Move

Another of our favorite folks from down Phoenix way, Kaitlyn is headed to school in Nevada in the fall and, hopefully, to Portland on the regular as she was just signed with TMM Talent based on this beautiful set of portfolio pictures.


Michael Verity is a Portland, OR-based photographer specializing in professional headshots, modeling portfolios and fashion editorial photography. The husband of an acting coach and father of two young adult actors, he’s been photographing successful actors, models and creatives and business professionals for more than a decade.