Editorial

Featured Photos - May 2023

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Some new venues, some new ideas, some great people!

Kate, Chloe and Kathy

We rented out a warehouse, put on our athletic gear and made some cool new pictures in a cool setting with beautiful light. ‘Cuz that’s what we do!

Kate and Chloe are represented by Talent Model Management.

Casey and Luna

How about we cast these beautiful actors in something dark and mysterious and beautiful?

James

Speaking of dark and mysterious and beautiful; we’re getting some serious Michael Pitt meets Robert Smith vibes here. A sneak peek of James’ new portfolio for IMD.

Prince-Eshton

A prince by name and a prince to work with, we had a great time making these new headshots for this young man.

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: Sunshine On Our Shoulders

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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.

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 - March 2023

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Busy times in the month of March as we focused on all things in studio.

Caetano

Cuteness comes first and this precocious little guy, who already speaks three more languages than I do, made the studio a magic place for his new Ryan Artists’ portfolio.

Henry

Henry came to us for some personal branding images and had such a good time he sent his buddy Aaron along some images, as well (which we’ll feature next month).

Seth and Laura

Actors of experience and those who are new to industry alike know this is the place to crush their new headshots.

Lexi

From languid to light-hearted, we couldn’t be more crushed out over a portfolio session if we tried.

Lexi’s represented by Talent Model Management and the ZT Agency.

Piper

How does that song go? Just one look and you’ll know why Piper is one of our faves.

Piper’s also represented by Talent Model Management and the ZT Agency.

Greta

What you see is what you get: beauty, grace and kindness.

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: Spring Forward

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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.

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 : 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.

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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Featured Photos - January 2023

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We kicked off 2023 with a record number of sessions with friends new and old. Here are some of our favorites.

Alia, Colorfully

What can we say? Cute outfits, big smiles, lots of dancing. The perfect portfolio for a little kid.

Allison, Beautifully

We were about halfway through our first conversation when we realized she’d worked with my daughter in a production of West Side Story a few years back. I knew from experience she’s a talented actor; I had no idea she’d be such an amazing model, too.

Nicolette, Dynamically

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Nicolette several times over the past few years. We always have fun and she always takes a great picture. She has the most amazing brown eyes and, because headshots are all about the eyes, we had no problem making them shine.

Nicolette is represented by Ryan Artists.

Lila, Lie

Yes, the title is a reference to Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer,” which I sing to her every time I see her, which makes her smile. But not in this picture, which is a power study in angles and attitude.

Lila is represented by TMM.

Sean, Professionally

Sean is legal counsel for a large Japanese electronics firm who came to us for a portrait to accompany a magazine article. So we shot this awesome portrait in our kitchen, which makes perfect sense to us.

Britney and Noah, Artfully

Britney is a former acting student of my wife who came to us to reboot her career with some new headshots. We don’t generally include heads in headshots, but this one is some strong and connected that we can’t resist.

On the other hand, Noah’s shoot, which included a few business headshots, was more for fun. When I told him he looked a little like Dr. John, he had no idea who I was talking about (but he loved the picture.)

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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Featured Photos - December 2022

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In one of the busiest Decembers in our history, we covered a lot of ground from acting headshots to modeling portfolios to beautiful black and white portraits.

Brenna, Powerfully

Brenna is a ZT Agency talent whose powerful presence (and spectacular eyes) just begged for a few extra portraits at the end of her portfolio session.

Marty, Colorfully

From serious actor to happy grandpa to mafioso, we had a super fun time working with Marty on his acting headshot portfolio.

Marty studies with well known acting coach Kristina Haddad.

Tatiana, Artistically

Sometimes we have so much fun making pictures that we just don’t want to stop. These dark and dusky portraits came at the end of portfolio session with this beautiful actor, dancer and (that’s right) computer coder.

Tatiana is represented by Seattle’s ZT Agency.

Luke, With Depth

The depth of expression on this guy’s face made our session truly fun and productive. Like Brandon from our September Featured Photos article, Luke came fully prepared and that equaled excellent results.

Natalie, In The Pink

We’re not quite finished with Natalie’s portfolio but we can’t help sneak peeking this beautiful shot of her smiling face.

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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Featured Photos - August 2022

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A last grasp at summer before the colors of fall start to fall in place.

Kaci, At The Beach

From the day we met her, as a teenager, when she came to a shoot with her friend, we’ve been enamored of Kaci. We can says it’s because of her beauty or her skills as a model but, when all is said and done, it’s really about her smile and the warmth it comes from.

Paulina, Beautiful

Our session with this gem, who’s represented by The Option Agency, was nothing but a treat. Fun, energetic, easy to work with, the three most important traits of a kid model.

Abbey, Thoughtfully

We got to shoot with Abbey a couple of times this year, the latest being in August at the beach. That thoughtful look you see here is exactly what she’s like in real life: focused, centered and kind.

Brad, Also Thoughtfully

Brad is an author and chairman of the non-profit organization Rockwood Community Development. He came to us for a headshot for his Simon and Schuster book, The Flourishing Community, scheduled to publish in January. Along with some wonderful suit-and-tie images, we captured this great shot on my front porch.

Weston, Happily

There’s a reason why this kid works all the time. Because he steps in front of the camera and BOOM!, it’s done. Can’t beat that!

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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Featured Photos - June 2022

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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.

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Shooting Stars: Natural Woman

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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

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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.

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Featured Photos - February 2022

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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

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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

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Beach Kloe Armstrong black and white

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

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_DSC5634-Edit - Jamie - (c) 2021 Michael Verity Photography. All Rights Reserved.jpg


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.

_DSC7240-Edit - Jamie - (c) 2021 Michael Verity Photography. All Rights Reserved.jpg

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

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editorial black and white best photographer in Portland

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.

portland modeling portfolio michael verity photography