A sneak peek at some of the beautiful imagery we captured during our latest photo trip to the beach.
Lila
Trey & Taiyeh
Kaci
Mya
Abbey
Chaudrey
Jett
Alma
Carson
Scarlett
Editorial
Featured Photos - June 2022
Spring is here, summer’s on the way and Portland is ready for new headshots and portfolios.
Katharine, For Fun
Katharine is actually a sales engineer in the medical field but you wouldn’t know it from looking at her pictures. She checked in with us for a portfolio shoot because it was something she always wanted to do. Bucket list item complete. Check! Pictures awesome. Check!
Terri, Parth and Tracy, Moving Forward
Terri, Parth and Tracy are unsigned actors who came to us for new headshots, knowing that a quality image is a key tool in their marketing profile. Each picture feels uniquely personal to them and that means we’re hitting all the cues.
Samantha, Playfully
Ryan Artists talent Samantha came to visit us for a new portfolio as she expands her young career as a model and actor. You can tell from her pictures that she has great range, from fun to serious, that will pay off boldly in the months to come.
Lizzie and Versula, With Sunshine and Rainbows
We photographed these kiddos on the same day and in the same place. For Lizzie (The Option Agency) we did a custom Rockstar Session to celebrate her upcoming birthday. For Versula, it was time for her yearly portfolio update. We learned from Lizzie, a budding singer and songwriter, that she’s way too talented to be so young and, from Versula, we learned all about Little Red Riding Hood … in French!
Chaudrey, Perfectly
We worked with Chaudrey (SLU Agency) on some headshots a while back so we knew when he said “portfolio” we would say “perfect.” This is a preview of what we got: bold and colorful pictures of a handsome, athletic model and actor.
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 2022
A collection of our favorites from the month of May, from kids headshots to modeling portfolios to our favorite fashion editorials.
Kyra, Confidently
The most important information an actor brings to a headshot session is knowing where in their face they tell their story. For some people, it’s their smile. For others, it’s the turn of an eyebrow. For Kyra, it’s in her eyes. Once she realized this (and started to believe that she takes a good picture), this amazingly confident headshot came to life.
Matt, Artistically
Music is a huge part of what we do. (Remember The Rockstar Sessions?) So we were thrilled when Matt came in for publicity pictures for his upcoming EP. Not only do we love his music, we love the range of these images.
Emma, In Many Ways
Speaking of range, how about these headshots of Emma? She came to us for 4 different and distinct looks for her agency, DDO, in NYC: commercial, “bully,” nerdy and one that captures a little of her unique personality. And I have to say: we nailed it!
Jamie, Naturally
Yeah, so we’re huge fans of Jamie Mack (seen our IG lately?) and this, our last fashion editorial before she heads off to college, is one of our best. We already did one Shooting Stars feature on her already and you can be sure there will be another in the future.
Mya, Beautifully
On the same day we shot Jamie, we also did these images of the incredibly beautiful Mya Van Koten at one of our favorite places to work: Merrywood Farm. No matter what she wears or where we shoot, we’re stunned by how beautiful she is.
Kloe, in Black and White
OK, so we’re just overloaded with good fortune to be working with such beautiful and interesting people. And at the top of our list is the amazing Kloe Armstrong. These images, taken in downtown Vancouver, WA and in collaboration with Most Everything Vintage, were inspired by Mondino and Bowie, but without the cigarettes.
Hair and makeup for Emma, Jamie, Mya and Kloe by Karina Talaro. Wardrobe styling for Jamie and Mya by Claire Verity in collaboration with Most Everything Vintage. Wardrobe styling for Kloe by Michael in collaboration with Most Everything.
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: Natural Woman
in Editorial
Shoot Title: Natural Woman
Model: Jamie Mack
Team: Claire Verity, wardrobe; Karina Talaro, hair and makeup.
Inspiration: These pictures were inspired by a fashion editorial we did with Jamie about six months ago called American Beauty.
In American Beauty, we combined our love for Ralph Lauren clothing with a pastoral beauty of Jamie’s family farm. For Natural Woman, we stayed even closer to home, taking pictures next to her living room fireplace and in her atrium, where she often sits at her grandmother’s piano and writes music.
The title, Natural Woman, actually came after the fact, while editing a promotional video for the session. Carole King’s “A Natural Woman” came to mind as background music and Aretha Franklin’s version ended up on the soundtrack.
How many shoots we’ve done together: 12, with hopes of a couple more before she skates off to the frozen tundra of upstate New York for her first year in college.
Time of year: Spring 2022
Location: Jamie’s house in Oregon.
Shoot music: Sarah Vaughan’s 1971 album, Feelin’ Good, which actually has a sort of Carole-King-meets-Aretha-Franklin vibe.
Shoot munchies: Our jack-of-all-trades wardrobe stylist, Claire Verity, also does a killer job on craft services, with everything from vegan treats for Jamie to lots of cheeses for yours truly.
Most unexpected turn: The shot through the window wasn’t planned but there it is.
My favorite part of the day: “This shoot was all about great people, great clothing and a great atmosphere coming together and organically offering us beautiful pictures. It’s not the most secure way to do a photoshoot — building a framework and leaving the rest to the artistic spirits hanging around the set — but it’s the ‘letting go of the result’ that makes the magic.”
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: Jamie, who is truly a muse; Jamie’s mom, Barb, 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 - April 2022
Spring is the time for new professional headshots and modeling portfolio updates. Here’s a selection of new work from the past month.
Avery, Simply
Sometimes, when the vibes at a session are particularly cool, we’ll shoot a few extra frames at the end, just to see what happens. This image was taken at the very finish of the headshot session with our new friend, Avery. There’s something about the old soul behind those knowing eyes that just captivated us. Add a little black and white magic and you have an image worth featuring.
Hudson, Energetically
Without question one of the sweetest (and most polite!) 3-year olds we’ve ever met, Hudson came to our studio this past month to get his first portfolio for his agency, Ryan Artists. He was so easy and fun to work with we captured his full portfolio — 3 outfits — in the snap of our fingers. Kids portfolios are our jam and kids like Hudson are the reason why.
Alexa, Artistically
For years, we’ve told actors: “If you want what successful actors have, do what successful actors do.” And success actors, like the Damons and the Robbies of the world, do a lot of editorial sessions. So we were totally “chuffed,” as our British friends say, when Alexa said she wanted to do a fashion editorial. We rented out a big studio, put together some great outfits, did some beautiful hair and makeup and crushed this wonderful session.
Jamie, Athletically
We’re both super excited and a little sad that our dear friend, Jamie, will be headed to the other side of the planet for college this fall. So we’re gathering up as many sessions as we can with her, including this wonderful couple of ath-leisure shots, made right in our studio.
Theron, Classically
Theron came to us looking for some senior pictures with a bit of a classic twist. So we took him and his Grandma’s chair out into the field in front of our house and kicked off this wonderful senior session with a wonderfully organic vibe.
Nicolette, Rebecca, Kaylee and Ryan, Creatively
These four people are all actors with Portland ties who posses a variety of skills and experiences, from just starting out to extensive work in film and live theater. One thing they have in common is they know how important it is to have a high quality acting headshot. All four joined us in April to create some new headshots and we’re pretty darn pleased with the results.
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
in Editorial
This month’s Shooting Stars feature offers a retrospective of images created over the past two years with teenage model Claire Dailey, shot in Portland, OR and Phoenix, AZ for the Ford/Robert Black Agency.
Model: Claire Dailey
How We Met: Claire’s Mom, Julie, reached out to us via Instagram and invited to come to Phoenix, where she helped us connect with a number of other Moms and models, many of whom have become regular customers.
Our First Session: We did our first session in January 2020, just a few months before the arrival of COVID-19. I told her Mom I like a “rock and roll vibe” and she came up with four amazing outfits, including this leather jean and jacket combo that made for an amazing close to a great session.
Our Most Recent Session: Our most recent session included 8 outfits shot over the course of two days. On Day 1, we bounced around her neighbor’s backyards and shot a mix of Free People and beach wear. On Day 2, we rented an authentic 70s location, complete with wood paneling and shag carpets, and matched our love for Free People with a zealous affection for the olden days. We also listened to the Mamas and Papas.
What We’ve Done In-Between: Like everyone, the shutdown slowed us down. It took almost a year for us to get to session 2, which happened in downtown Vancouver, WA and featured what “Phoenixians” called winter wear (but what Northwesters call a “light sweater”). All totaled, we’ve shot 30 different outfits over 8 sessions in just over 2 years. We’ve shot in the desert, on a boat and in downtown streets all over Vancouver and Phoenix.
Favorite Session: They’ve all had their highlights but my favorite sessions are probably the first — ‘cuz, you know, rock and roll — along with the images we did on the boat. Claire and I had known each other for awhile and that’s when we really connected, which raised our work up several notches. Shooting in the desert was fun, too.
Purpose of the shoots: For Claire’s agency portfolio at Ford/RBA.
Shoot music: Well, we did listen to 60s and 70s music at our last session but, for the most part, things are pretty quiet on our sets.
Most unexpected turn: For our session in Tonto National park, I wore flip flops into the desert and learned about cactuses that actually jump onto your legs because they sense the heat of your skin. That’s was an unexpected turn. And we got thrown out of the lobby of a hotel once, but not before I got all the pictures we needed. (The security guard was not fooled.)
The reason why we love Claire Dailey: In a world of overnight influencers and kids who think they're brands (and have forgotten they’re kids), Claire stands out because of what’s she’s not. She’s not full of herself, not wrapped up in her beauty, seemingly unfazed by how she looks in pictures. She quiet, humble and unassuming, the kind of kid who actually should be influencing other teenagers.
Camera: Sony A7rIII
Lenses: For the most part, I use Sigma lenses. The Sigma 105mm f1.4 is a particular favorite.
Lighting: Pretty much everything in these pictures was done with natural light. It’s just about pointing the model in the right direction. We did use a makeup ring light to photograph her in a hotel room but, otherwise, the sun is what does the job.
Team:
Talent: Claire Dailey (Instagram)
Creative Director and Photographer: Michael Verity (Instagram)
Fashion Editor: Julie Dailey
Portland/Vancouver Hair and Makeup Stylist: Karina Talaro (Instagram)
Phoenix Hair and Makeup Stylist: James Matthew
Agency: Ford/Robert Black (Instagram)
Session #1
Session #2
Session 3
Session 4
Session 5
Session 6
Session 7
Session 8
Featured Photos - February 2022
We squeezed a lot of work into the shortest month of the year. Here are some of our favorites of February.
Taiyah, Colorfully
OK, who are we kidding? We’re crushing on color images, too, and we love these pictures of our new client, Taiyah (who is also with Ryan Artists). We started outside but, when the red noses of winter got the best of us, we jumped inside and had ourselves a dance party.
Nicolas, Um, Quietly?
Make no mistake: this kiddo, who models for The Option Agency, is not the quiet type. From the moment he jumps from the car, he’s all energy and curiosity. When he got done his shoot, he went mutton busting. True story.
A.T., Handsomely
Referrals make the world go ‘round. Well, they make our world go ‘round, anyway. So we’re very grateful our client Kody Harvard (great actor name, right?) referred A.T. our way. We fell right into a groove that produced these nice relaxed images for his headshot portfolio.
Akina and Zendaya, Beautifully
Sisters Akina and Zendaya came back to our studio in February for a fun session that included the requisite number of beautiful glances (and a little bit of horsing around, too.) These pictures, taken for Ryan Artists, are just a few of our fave frames of these beauties.
Alexa, Sublimely
We’re crushing on the black and white photos these days and we’re totally crushing on Alexa, who joined the MVP family this past month with her first portfolio shoot. Next up, an editorial session that will rock the house.
Mya, Colorfully
Mya was probably Taiyah’s age when we started shooting together and she just gets more beautiful with every passing day. This session, inspired by the fashion of Billie Eilish, is our most favorite yet. This marks the first time we worked with Portland, OR hair and makeup artist, Kerrin Birchenough, who simply killed it.
Melvin, Our Stand In
OK so we don’t take pictures of pets but we couldn’t help sharing this cute picture of our man Melvin, underbite and all. He stepped onto the paper as we were setting up for some toddler sessions — they’re about the same height — so we captured Melvin’s mug for posterity.
Featured Photos - January 2022
From professionals starting anew to fun photos of some longtime favorites, we’ve enjoyed a wide variety of sessions in the month of January ‘22. Here are some of our favorite photos.
Susan, Starting Anew
After a career as a successful attorney, Susan wanted new pictures for her social and professional profiles, images that reflect a new chapter in her life. “I really like how natural these pictures are, wrinkles and all,” she told us ivia email. “These images do just what I hoped for -- they portray me as a more polished, but definitely older (yet still vibrant) version of myself.” Case closed!
Harley and Casey, Polished
Did someone say January was Handsome Guy Headshot Month? It was at our studio. Harley, on the left, is a longtime friend who came to the studio to refresh his portfolio. Casey, who’s a professional nurse, is reviving his love of musical theater, starting with a wonderful set of new headshots.
Piper, In Living Color
Taking pictures of Piper is less like doing work than going to a show. Something WILL happen and it’ll be fun. These images, taken for ZTA are some of our favorite kids portfolio pix of all time.
Jamie, Naturally
It’s no secret Jamie Mack is one of our favorite people to photograph. Her creativity, professionalism and free spirit show in each and every frame. And, in case you didn’t know it, she’s a singer along with being a model, actor and dancer. Dig it.
Lila and Ella, Rockstars
Our kids sing and dance and act and swim and make music. Even when they’re not making music, they look like rockstars, which is what our yearly Rockstar Sessions are all about.
Shooting Stars: Kloe Armstrong
in Editorial
Shoot Title: Kloe Armstrong
Inspiration: This editorial story was inspired by the famous fashion photographer, Peter Lindbergh. It’s based on a behind-the-scenes video called Ault that was filmed for Vogue magazine in 2014 and features the beautiful models Mariacarla Boscono and Sharon Cohendy.
We traveled to one of Kloe’s favorite places, Arch Cape, OR, with the idea of capturing the same cloudy, misty feeling of Lindbergh’s video. Mother Nature, however, had other ideas. By the time we arrived, the sun was out in full force and the cove was full of surfers.
So our dark and desolate editorial story (originally titled Andata, Italian for “gone”) became a brighter and shinier story named Kloe Armstrong, a simple document of a beautiful person in her favorite place.
How many shoots we’ve done together: at least 10, with two more scheduled for this winter.
Time of year: Fall
Location: Arch Cape, Oregon
Shoot music: The ocean
Shoot munchies: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Most unexpected turn: The sunny weather. (It’s the Pacific Northwest. We expect gloom.)
Kloe’s favorite part of the day: “The atmosphere that we created was absolutely inspiring, especially when it came to really being in that role. I loved the creativity and fun that we were able to incorporate!”
My favorite part of the day: “About 30 minutes before we finished, I watched Kloe’s approach to the camera elevated to a whole new level. Beautiful pictures are great. Seeing greater confidence in the young people with whom I work is even better.”
Camera: Sony A7rIII
Lens: Sigma 105mm f1.4
Propers: Carson Verity, who helped design the initial wardrobe direction; Danielle Armstrong, who made the wardrobe happen (along with providing the peanut butter cups :) and Claire Verity, my always supportive sidekick.
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.
Shooting Stars: American Beauty
in Editorial
Shoot Title: American Beauty
Inspiration: It’s no secret I’m a huge fan of Ralph Lauren, from the rugged style of his designs to the beautiful photography that appears in his advertisements. I’m also a huge fan of Jamie Mack, with whom I’ve worked several times. It’s been a year, at least, since I had the vision of shooting her in the RL style and, finally, this fall we made it happen.
Model: Jamie Mack
How many shoots we’ve done together: 8, dating back to our first headshot session in February 2019
Time of year: Fall
Location: Jamie’s family property (along with the lovely barn at their down-the road-neighbors) in rural Oregon.
Purpose of the shoot: To fulfill my vision and make some amazing pictures of one of my favorite models.
Shoot music: Just the quiet of nature, actually, and the sound of laughter and conversation.
Shoot munchies: Bananas and Bubly, ‘cuz energy and hydration.
Most unexpected turn: After shooting the first two looks at Jamie’s property we drove down the road and finished the last three outfits at their neighbors farm. I had no idea the space was so beautiful or that they would be so accommodating.
Jamie’s favorite part of the day: The team manages to find pieces and locations that are unique in and of themselves, and once everything comes together the vision combines perfectly. It is always jovial to surround your self with people who are passionate about the art form while complimenting each person’s contribution.
My favorite part of the day: I can’t really narrow it down, to be honest. My wife and sidekick and fashion editor, Claire Verity, did an amazing job of putting together the wardrobe. Alysa Powell-Tetreault of Most Everything Vintage in Vancouver contributed some wonderful vintage items and, as usual, Karina Talaro rocked the hair and makeup looks. And it goes without saying — just look at the pictures — that Jamie is beyond beautiful.
Camera: Sony A7rIII
Lens: Sigma 105mm f1.4 and Canon 85mm f1.8.
Favorite shoot hack: With the exception of the plaid dress, everything in this session was shot at ISO 800 to get that softer, granier feel that comes with a more sensitive film (sensor) setting. There was a time when ISO 800 was to be avoided — there was just too much digital noise — but most cameras these days shoot beautifully at that setting. We also debuted an 8’ x 8’ scrim by Glide Gear which, while a little unwieldy at times, provided a big, bright and gorgeous soft light. The picture at the very bottom of this article was shot with the scrim, camera right.
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.
Shooting Stars: Spirit
in Editorial
Model: Mallorie Mendoza
Inspiration: This editorial session was inspired by Mallorie, who is one of the most dynamic people I’ve ever met, and a book about designers and creative directors by Nathan Williams called The Eye.
Creative Brief: The creative brief for this editorial was pretty simple: make 3 or 4 black and white images that capture the essence of her personality: powerful, persistent and supremely driven.
How many shoots we’ve done together: Mallorie has been a client for the better part of 10 years. I’ve lost count of how many pictures I’ve taken of her.
Time of year: Winter
Location: Our studio
Purpose of the shoot: For Mallorie’s Mom (and a book we plan to publish in 2021).
Shoot music: We didn’t have any music. We talked a little about what we wanted to shoot and chatted with Mallorie about her first semester at school in New York. Otherwise, it was pretty quiet, almost meditative. It was quite beautiful, actually.
Most unexpected turn: Candidly, we were planning to do 5 outfits but one of them, a big fuzzy jacket on top and a long jacket tied around her waist, didn’t work out so well. The black pants and gray Converse looked pretty cool, though.
Mallorie’s favorite part of the day: “Playing with different sources of light was so cool! Like the one where I was looking out the window. I also loved the vibe of this shoot because it was dancer in fashion wear, which was really fun to do! It felt like what I would want to wear around the streets of New York (if someone could style me all the time. Hah.)”
My favorite part of the day: We shot 5 outfits in 2 hours, including hair and makeup. It was so smooth and collaborative and relaxed and tuned-in, it seemed like it lasted about 5 minutes. It was a brilliant collaboration.
Camera: Sony A7rIII
Lens: Sigma 105mm f1.4
Favorite shoot hack: My approach was purposely very basic. I didn’t want the shoot to be about lights; I wanted it to be about Mallorie. So I used a medium sized Octobox camera right for a few looks, a beauty dish overheard with some fill for another and light from a window for the last one. She stood on a stool for the last one, if you want to call that a hack.
Propers: The clothes were styled by my bestie, Claire Verity. Hair and makeup was done by the incomparable Karina Talaro. And, of course, none of it happens without Mallorie’s superstar Mom, Janett.
