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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Shooting Stars : Claire Dailey

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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.

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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.

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Shooting Stars: Natural Woman

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.

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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.

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Shooting Stars: Claire Dailey

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)

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Session #1

Session #2

Session 3

Session 4

Session 5

Session 6

Session 7

Session 8

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Shooting Stars: Kloe Armstrong

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.

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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.

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Shooting Stars: American Beauty

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.

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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.

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