As well as being a photographer of child actors and models, I’m the father of two teenagers who’ve been actors most of their lives. I’ve watched my kids enjoy amazing successes, seen cool places and even met a movie star or two. I’ve also experienced mind-numbing exhaustion, driven a kazillion miles and wondered why there aren’t Academy Awards for parents.

And I wouldn’t trade those times for anything.

The Never-Ending Road Show

I once drove my son from Portland to Spokane and back — 12 hours on the road — for a 5-minute audition that never happened. He walked in and they said: “Oh, we didn’t realize you’re so tall.” 

The good news is 12 hours in the car with your 10-year old is amazing quality time. We figured out the words to “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” most of the harmonies to John Denver’s Greatest Hits and did a photo shoot at a junk car lot somewhere in the hinterlands of Eastern Washington.

The Magic Imaginary Movie

My son’s first booking, as a 9-year old, was a horror film scheduled to shoot within a few months of his audition. The director said: “We’re working on funding and will be in touch in a couple weeks.” My son’s 19 now and we’re still waiting for his call. 

His second booking, that same year, was an independent film with more muscle behind it. The lead was the star of a hit HBO series. They shot half of the film in Seattle and half in Oklahoma, two years apart, 10 years ago.

It’s still being edited.

If It’s 2PM, We Must Be At Baseball

We work up early Friday morning, drove from Portland to Seattle, checked into the hotel, napped for a minute then drove to set around 4PM. 

At 6AM the next morning, after 14 hours on set, we’re back at the hotel for another minute of sleep followed by the drive home for a 10AM soccer tryout. At noon, we’re 50 miles away at a baseball tournament then back home for a school theater performance that evening. 

At 11PM, my son asks: “What’s next?”

He didn't book the job, the film never got finished, his team finished second, the performance was a little rocky. But the memories and the magic — singing “Seven Bridges Road” at the top our lungs, trying to nap in the front seat of the minivan at 2AM and, most important, watching my kid fully alive and in his element — are things I’ll never forget. They were worth every mile, every all-nighter, every second place finish.

Michael Verity is a headshot, modeling portfolio and fashion editorial photographer based in Portland, OR.