Model: Mya Van Koten

Inspiration: Along with being a seasoned model and an excellent actor, Mya is a supremely talented singer. We’ve done a couple editorial sessions with her over the past few years, all built around a musical theme. This one, called “Pop Star,” just made perfect sense.

Creative Brief: Contemporary pop fashion on a simple palette of pure white, to show off Mya’s beauty (and some pretty fabulous clothes).

How many shoots we’ve done together: We’ve been shooting with Mya for several years: headshots, portfolios, editorials and at the beach. My best guess is we’ve shot, maybe, 15 or 20 times since we met.

Time of year: Winter

Location: In our studio in Vancouver, WA.

Purpose of the shoot: For publication in LaBelle Kidz and Teens, an international youth fashion magazine.

Shoot music: 90s hip-hop (the clean versions!) and current pop music, of course.

Most unexpected turn: To be completely honest, I tipped over one of my new studio strobes the night before the shoot and broke the bulb. Unfortunately, you can’t replace those at Walmart so I had to scramble a little to set up the lighting. Luckily I had backups — always have backups! — and the session went off without a hitch.

My favorite part of the day: Mya is one of the sweetest people we know, always fun to have around and a consummate professional. So any time we get to shoot with her, we know it’s going to be a good day. More specifically, though, I loved shooting the outfit above. The whole look came together so perfectly.

Camera: Sony A7rIII

Lens: Sigma 105mm f1.4

Lighting: One Godox AD200 Pro as the main light with 2 Godox AD600 Pros lighting the back. You can learn more about shooting with a pure white background by reading this article.

Team:

Talent: Mya Van Koten (Instagram)

Creative Director and Photographer: Michael Verity (Instagram)

Fashion Editor: Carson Verity (Website)

Wardrobe Stylist: Claire Verity

Hair and Makeup Stylist: Karina Talaro (Instagram)

Chariot Driver and Mom Extraordinaire: Carolyn Van Koten