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.