Modeling

Featured Photos - May 2023


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.


Featured Photos - March 2023


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.


Featured Photos - January 2023


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.


Featured Photos - December 2022


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.


Featured Photos - August 2022


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.


10 Favorite Beach Sessions of 2021

Kyra

Throughout our time with Kyra at the beach — in fact, anytime we’re with Kyra at any location — we experience a person who’s always so genuine and open and authentic that any picture we take feels like it was meant to be. Such is the case here with this classic ‘ballet-on-the-beach” shot. What could have been a total cliche feels so free and natural because, well, Kyra is always so free and natural. We’re watching Kyra enjoy a lot of success in the acting and modeling business and we know the secret reason why.

Heather

We’ve done a half dozen sessions with Heather since we met a few years ago and we’re so impressed with how her modeling skills continue to grow. She’s always had the right moves and a wealth of confidence but, lately, we’ve watched that evolve into the kind of stuff you see from A-level models in cities like New York and Paris. This picture from last year’s session at the beach was, to our eyes, a moment when she owned her beauty and her style in way we’d never seen before. She’s truly a joy to photograph.

Some Dude on a Boogie Board

What can I say? I was waiting for a clothing change, saw this guy doing his thing in the shallows and asked if I could take his picture. It took a few takes but we managed to capture him mid-air. (I used to do sport photography so, truth be told, it wasn’t that hard.)

Mya

We’ve been photographing people at the beach for the better part of 8 years and Mya has been with us the whole way. We love this picture because it so different from what we typically shoot in the sand, from the pink glasses (that match her hair) to the sparkly denim jacket to the ‘crybaby’ necklace. Her skin against the gold sand, her jacket against the blue skin, the light falling across her face. Yeah, it’s pretty perfect.

Amara

To us, this feels like a poster for a coming-of-age movie set in the Hamptons or at Cape Cod, sometime in the 80s. There she is: looking to her future. Cue 80s music and that’s a wrap.

Lilian

To us, Lilian is the consummate beach girl. Maybe it’s the way her sparkling blue eyes and golden blonde hair jump out from the beach blue and tan background. Maybe it’s the way she grabs the camera and makes you pay attention (s0mething she’s been doing since we started working with her years ago). Or maybe it’s just because she’s Lilian and she’s fabulous.

Eva

Many a musician has been quoted as saying “writing about music is like dancing about architecture" (or, as Martin Mull once said, “talking about music is like singing about economics".) The same can be said for photos: sometimes they should be left to speak for themselves. And so this one does exactly that. Our only regret about this session was that it had to end.

Kloe

It’s never a question of whether Kloe’s beach pictures will be included in a “best of” collection, it’s a question of how many and which ones. We hate picking just one but, with those rules afoot, we always come back to this one. It is for us a remarkable blend of beauty and innocence with strength and power. It reminds us of the Claudia Schiffer Guess images from the 1980s and, for that we say: cool.

Featured Photos - June 2022


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.


Featured Photos - April 2022


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.


Featured Photos - March 2022


Spring is the time for new professional headshots and modeling portfolio updates. Here’s a selection of new work from the past month.


Claire, Stunningly

The words “beautiful inside and out” get thrown around so much they’ve become cliche. But, in Claire’s case, they couldn’t be more true. Absolutely stunning and resolutely humble, Claire is truly a beautiful person through and through. And, yeah, she takes an amazing picture. Check out this month’s Shooting Stars feature to see a retrospective of all the sessions we’ve done with Claire over the past 2 years. Claire’s outfit is by Free People and she’s represented by Ford/RBA.


Jordyn and Ayah, Adorably

Sisters Jordyn and Ayah are Phoenix-based child actors who work with me every time I head south to shoot amongst the cacti. Along with a national Macy’s commercial this past Christmas, Jordyn recently appeared in the Nicole Kidman project, Roar, on AppleTV. Ayah’s “Make a Wish” T-shirt is by Fabvokab. They’re represented in Phoenix by Ford/RBA and in LA by Dream Talent Management and The Osbrink Agency. Ayah is also represented by DDO Kids, LA.


Jude, Confidently

We were honored that Jude and his family made the 6 hour round trip from Southeastern Oregon to our Vancouver, WA studio to make headshots for his LA acting ventures. He confessed to being a little nervous but you’d never know it by the results. We’re confident of his confidence and appreciate being part of his youth acting journey.


Karissa, Colorfully

Karissa is another local kid with LA ambitions who dropped by our studio to make some kids modeling portfolio pictures. The creative brief for Karissa was quirky and colorful. Mission accomplished.


Lila, Fantastically

We photographed Lila for the first time back in December and have been singing her praises ever since. These images are from our first portfolio together, which we’ll expand upon when we go to the beach this summer. You can see more from Lila’s session on our teen modeling portfolio page.


Nina, Jaime and Whitney, Professionally

No matter what your business, a professional headshot for your LinkedIn, your website and your company’s marketing materials is an absolute must.

Nina (left) is a finance professional who chose a brown palette to compliment her red hair and convey a sense of warmth and accessibility to her clients.

Jaime (center) is a young professional whose company provides venture capital for science and research. She needed a headshot with a clean white background for her company’s website.

Whitney (right) is a real estate agent who specializes in rural and recreational properties. Shot outside, his headshot tells the story of exactly what he does.

Have a professional story to tell? Connect with us and let’s talk about your business.


Magnolia, Chris and Eleanor, Artistically

Magnolia, Chris and Eleanor are all Portland, OR actors with a variety skills and experiences. One thing they have in common is they know how important it is to have a high quality acting headshot. All three joined us in March to work up new imagery for their portfolios (and we know, for a fact, that at least two of them have had significant auditions since we snapped their mugs.)


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.


Featured Photos - February 2022


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


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.


3 Great Portfolio Places in Portland

A great photographer, who understands light and color, can make great portfolio pictures just about anywhere. Alleyways, open windows, arcades, even the parking lot of the local Starbucks. (I know this because I once shot a portfolio in the parking lot of the local Starbucks. The pictures were great. So was the coffee.)

Some places are better than others, of course, and in Portland there are a few neighborhoods that have become my favorites. Here are 3 Great Portfolio Places in Portland:

The Pearl

The Pearl

The Pearl is one of my favorites because of its diversity. The north end has a slicker more contemporary vibe while the south side is a bit edgier. There’s a good variety of color and you can generally find great light even at high noon. There are some nice parks for shooting kids (like Tanner Springs) and plenty of low traffic areas where you can take your time and get great images. Extra credit: if you’re a dog lover, The Fields is unequaled for spotting beautiful breeds of all kinds.

SE Division

Another of my favorite places to shoot portfolios is on SE Division, in the neighborhood of Pine State Biscuits. There are easily accessible, beautifully lit alleyways with a diversity of color. If you walk a few blocks east, you find a nice neighborhood vibe that works well for photographing kids. It’s also a good place to headshots. Extra credit: did I mention Pine State Biscuits?

Downtown Vancouver

It’s not technically Portland but it’s not Siberia, either. It’s just over the river and you don’t need a passport to get there.

The newly rebuilt waterfront has a ton on nicely lit spots that work super well for portfolios. There are several green spaces, good for athletic shots, and a beautiful promenade along the river that shoots well on the occasional day when it’s not sunny in the Northwest.

And there are a dozen great restaurants in the neighborhood for your post-portfolio provisions. Hint: some of the best Mexican street tacos in the area can be found at Little Conejo at the corner of 6th and Washington.

What’s your favorite spot in Portland to shoot a portfolio? We’ll join you there and make some amazing pictures. And then we’ll have lunch.

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Top Photo: Carson Verity (Brilliant Talent, LA; Option Talent, Portland; Big Fish, Seattle). Bottom Photo: Piper Evenhus (Zuri Agency)