Musings of a Portland Photographer

NY Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2011 is fast approaching!

2011-02-08T09:24:00.001-08:00

I am going to be in NY starting this Thursday Feb 10th until Feb 18th. I am very honored to have been asked to provide photography for the show. It is all a bit chaotic right now getting ready, but it will be an exciting adventure for sure. I have an overnight flight so I should be nice and tired the first day of the show. I am sure the excitement will more than make up for the jet lag though.

A week of fashion shows!!

2010-08-09T07:31:00.000-07:00

This week is the next best thing to Fashion Week. SEMPER fashion is putting on the pre-show fashion show for Lady Gaga on Thursday at the Rose Garden. I do not know all the designers that will be features, but I do know that Paloma Soledad will be among them. This should be a great event. I am photographing it of course which should be a lot of fun. Admission is free if you want to go. You can see the event details on my facebook page.

And if that was not exciting enough...Rock the Runways 5 is this weekend ass well, it is going to be a great week all around. Past RTR shows have been a lot of fun but I am sure this will out do them all. There will be live music, fashion, a lot of friends, and a lot of fun. Do not miss out on the biggest night of fashion in Portland! I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Mythaus show at the Benson Hotel!!

2010-07-29T13:13:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures and some online articles from the show. I do not know that there is a lot that I can add other than to congratulate Robb and Paloma for doing an astounding job putting this together. The pre-show was amazing as was the show itself. Well put together and though out, the models were all great and I had a really great time. Gongrats, guys :-)

Mythaus show in the Mercury

Mythaus show in Willamette Week

Blade Runner Shoot

2010-07-01T09:43:00.001-07:00

Hair Styling: Gioia Gomez

Makeup: Sabrina Cayne

Model: Kimberly Eckhardt

On to a second shoot day with Seppi and this time the theme is Blade Runner, specifically the character Pris. Like the last shoot we wanted to take an iconic image/scene and modernize it in this editorial shoot. I managed to borrow 8 mannequins from Sabrina’s friend and fit them in my car. Scott James of Captivus was kind enough to let us use his studio which suited the shoot quite well. Gioia managed to get this amazing huge hair style going on Kimberly that really worked well. Sabrina did three fantastic looks that followed the development of Pris throughout the movie. Seppi and I traded off shooting and we worked well into the night. All said it was a lot of fun getting to work with some of the best talent in the Portland area. I am looking forward to the next big shoot.

A Clockwork fashion

2010-06-30T09:23:00.001-07:00

These are from a concept shoot that Seppi Ramos and I setup based on the movie A Clockwork Orange. The concept was to take an iconic image of the movie and bring it up to a more modern feel. Ruby Riewer did the hair styling and Gwen Hall did the makeup. After several attempts to find the right model, we got Mia Allen to do the shoot. I have had the pleasure of working with each of these people in the past so this was a lot of fun for me. Liang Liang came along as our assistant and was wonderful as always. The shoot took place in the waterfront area on the east side of Portland, OR.

My copy of inspire just arrived!!

2010-05-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

I finally received my copy of Inspire where my pictures are published. I have posted the pictures of the pages I am on below :-)

Publication in Inspire

2010-05-18T21:25:00.000-07:00

In October of 2009, MA Photography and Annastasia Salon teamed up with the Benson Hotel to produce some fabulous images of hair in a 1940s modernized classic style. The shoot was a great success and a lot of fun. The results of that shoot are being published in Inspire volume 75. I would like to thank all of those fine artists that made all of this possible. Thank you all.
Photography: Michael Andrus
Stylists: Gioia Gomez, April Price, Lindsey Davis, Toni Mosley
Models: Kimmi Self, Tiana Setser, Alece Bruno, Michelle Dennis
Shoot Location: The Benson Hotel Portland, OR

Credits Link

SEMPER Fashion Better Living Show

2010-04-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, SEMPER Fashion put on a 3 day fashion show at the Better living Show in Portland, OR this last weekend. The show was great, there were exhibits displaying all sorts of alternative energy sources from photo-voltaic solar to personal wind turbines. There were also exhibits for a variety of sustainable materials and the products made from them. Perhaps the most intriguing was the SEMPER Fashion booth. Here you could find makeup artist Aimee J'Adore working her magic on the models for the show.

At 8pm the show was rolling and it was a lot of fun. There were a lot of models walking in this show and it kept it pretty lively. With three models at a time on stage it was quite an event. I would like to thank Tod Foulk and Lidia Covaci for putting this event on. It is a great showcase for local designers to get their work noticed.

Red Head shoot part 2!

2010-02-01T16:33:00.001-08:00

Second shoot of the day and this time the model is one of Merrick talent's. Nicole Cooper is not naturally a red head but she colored her hair for the shoot. It did not come out the color she had intended, it was too dark and mostly brown, but it still worked for the theme. This time makeup was done by Laura Baltzley and hair styling was provided by Ruby Riewer who I had previously worked with on set with Kimmi Self. The setup was very similar to the last but we started with hair up and then later let it down. Nicole was very easy to work with and we all had a great time. Photos turned out great and I made some new contacts which is always a great thing.

Red Head Inspired High Key photoshoots

2010-02-01T16:07:00.001-08:00

It has been a while since I last posted here due to a lot going on over the holidays. In December I started planning for a concept that I really wanted to explore. I had an idea of working with high contrast high key subjects to really capture the beauty of this type of person. Red hair and pale skin almost lend themselves perfectly to this style of photography and so I began my search. I posted an ad on craigslist for red haired models. I received almost 100 responses from models who were interested in this shoot. I decided on three of them and got to work organizing the shoot. I found a makeup artist and a hair stylist for each shoot and started planning out the shots. Few people understand the amount of work that goes into this profession.

After weeks of planning shoot day 1 had arrived. The model was Lacie Eastlick, a biologist and stunning red head, and her hair and makeup were done by Alicia Ray, a newly transplanted talent to the area. Alicia arrived quite early which gave us time to plane out the shoot. We discussed hair styles and came up with the shoot plan. Alicia did a great flowing style and we started on the first set. we did several shots on simple sets of a white futon and white sheer curtains. Then we moved on to a brown couch and a very shallow depth of field. Next Alicia changed Lacie's hair to be slick and clean. We shot some lifestyle shots and some beautiful window light shots as well. The shoot went by well and all of us got along great. I am really happy with the performance of everyone.

Editing is finalized for the Benson shoot

2009-11-03T09:23:00.000-08:00

The final selections have been made and I have finished editing all the pictures for the shoot at the Benson hotel in Portland, OR. These images are being submitted so I cannot post them here yet, but I have done a little extra editing and I am posting some of those images here. I guess there is not a lot more to say other than that. Enjoy the pictures. There are more available to see on my company’s facebook site http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Portland-OR/MA-Photography/78996327345?ref=nf

Photoshoot at the Benson Hotel for Annastasia Salon.

2009-10-26T09:40:00.001-07:00

Yesterday's photo shoot went pretty well. We started setting up in the mezzanine and the area at the top of the stairs. We were a little in the way for people coming out of the elevator on that level so we moved of to the side to stay clear. There were 2 employees moving supplies in and out of the area and they suggested we use the room right off of the elevator area (cannot remember the name of the room). I looked at the area and said that it would likely work and we would use that to stay out of the way. He also said the Crystal Ballroom was not in use and we could use that instead if someone needed the room we were in. About an hour later, there were people wanting to use the room so we moved downstairs. That room is beautiful and it worked well for our needs. We did manage to get a few shots on the staircase as well which came out fantastic.

All in all, it worked out well. We lost a lot of time in the shuffling, but also had the opportunity to try other locations. We got some great shots while we were there and I will post some when they are ready.

Portland Fashion Week Night 4

2009-10-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

PFW show was awesome last night. Really fantastic work. Best designer was Mehdi!! This designer is from Pakistan and the entire collection was one fabulous piece after another. I am posting more pics than normal because i think that they speak volumes that I neither have the space or the writing talent to do it justice.
Again the show was very high energy, with lots of excitement in the crowd. I attended this night with Gioia, from Annastasia salon. I spent most of my time before the show introducing her to all the people I knew at the show. At the time that seemed like a lot :-)

Day 3 of Portland Fashion Week

2009-10-10T09:28:00.001-07:00

Another great night with a lot of great designers. Being Friday night, the show was packed with people and there was a ton of great energy throughout the venue. I showed up with April from Annastasia Salon and Stacey. There was a lot of waiting around for the show to start, so I talked with Ed, PFW's official photographer, about the show, lenses, and canine fashion shows. I also meet a few new people and picked a new spot to photograph the show from. All in all it was a great night. Several models were really on their game, showing a lot of energy and attitude. One of the models, K. Owens, was really playing to the crowd.

I am really looking forward to tonight's show as it should be a lot of fun.

First Day of Portland Fashion Week

2009-10-08T09:55:00.001-07:00

Last night was the first night of Portland Fashion Week and my friend Tony Dimitri was showing his collection along with six other designers. I was excited to go and support my friend and see his new collection. He has been very secretive about it, so this was the first time I had the chance to see any of the new designs. This was also the first showing of his designs for women. Needless to say, they were spectacular. I was joined by a mob of other photographers at the show, which included Quavondo and Ben who were working together, OSI's group, and several others.

The show started late, because the photographer that PFW had hired to cover the shoot had his flight delayed. One of his other photographers was there already but only had their "backstage" camera. I loaned her my 70-200 lens for the first two designers and used my 85mm prime. When Tony was up I had my 70-200 back as the other photographer had made it to the show with their stuff. Hopefully they got some great shots using my lens.

All in all the show was a lot of fun and I was able to meet a lot of great people. I am looking forward to the show tonight.

Photoshoot session with Barry Druxman

2009-10-04T12:49:00.001-07:00

I had been planning for weeks to go up to Seattle to learn from one of the area's best photographers. I set up a meeting time with him and started scheduling a crew for the shoot. I put out a casting call for a model and found one that was looking forward to working with Barry and me on this project. I confirmed with her a week before the shoot and all wasl ready to go.

As I mentioned in a previous post the MUA had to cancel shortly before the shoot, but I found a makeup artist, Freakishly Beautiful, that was great to work with. She also offered to do hair but I went looking for a hair stylist as well to make sure she could concentrate on the makeup. I found one on Model Mayhem that was really excited to do the shoot and I let the makeup artist know that she did not need to do any hair styling since that was being taken care of.
The day of the shoot I got up early and packed up everything in the car and got ready to go. I left the house at 9:45 and headed up to Bellevue, WA where the shoot was taking place. It was a bit longer drive then I had expected. I was hoping to be there an hour early for lunch but it turned out that I got there about 5 minutes before everyone was supposed to arrive.
About an hour before I arrived at the studio, I got a call from Barry. I missed the call because I was driving at the time, so I pulled over for gas and called him back. He had just received a text from the model cancelling, I received one as well but had not read it yet. I started calling everyone that I could think of in Seattle but no luck. Barry found a model for the shoot and I am very grateful to both him and her for that.
I arrived at the studio and we started chatting while the model and MUA were working together. I got a text from the hair stylist telling me he would be an hour late. I figured this would be fine as the makeup usually takes a while anyway. So at about 2:30 I get another text from the stylist telling me he cannot make it. At this point I was really upset about this as I have no backup plan one and a half hours into the shoot. The makeup artist did not bring her hair kit because there was going to be a stylist there. We had to make due with a thrown together style with almost nothing to make it work. The makeup artist, Shyn, did a great job with what she had. I am very grateful for her pulling through like that. All and all the shoot was a good learning experience but not my best work. Lots went wrong but I meet a few great people. I had the opportunity to meet Barry Druxman, found a great MUA in Shyn, and worked with a great model, Lee Davidson.

MUA and Hair Stylist forund for Seattle shoot

2009-10-02T11:05:00.001-07:00

Well I finally found a MUA and a Hair Stylist for my shoot tomorrow. Things are on schedule and ready to go. This should be a fun shoot :-)

Makeup artist had to cancel.

2009-10-01T10:20:00.001-07:00

With only 3 days until my shoot with Barry Druxman, the makeup artist I was going to use had to cancel. So now I am on the lookout for a fantastic MUA in the Seattle area. I will be posting a casting on ModelMayhem as well as craigslist. We shall see what I get for responses. I am quick to adapt to sudden changes, but i am not fond of them. I will heep you all posted as to the progress.

Getting excited about my shoot with Barry Druxman in Seattle.

2009-09-30T11:05:00.001-07:00

This Saturday, I am driving up to Seattle to work with Barry Bruxman at his studio in Seattle. He has a mentorship program where you bring your own model and work in his studio. It always helps to learn new ways to do things and I think that Barry is one of the best beauty photographers in the northwest. I will definitely post the results of the shoot here.

New website is up!!

2009-09-30T10:33:00.001-07:00

After months of coding and design, I finally have the new MA Photography site up and running. Stop by www.andrusphoto.com and let me know what you think of it.

8/23 - Photoshoot with Katie Boehle

2009-08-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

Another great shoot day. Katie is great to work with and a natural in front of the camera. This shoot was also focused on beauty shots, but with the addition of a more lifestyle set as well. I got to work with Gwen again whih is fantastic. She does such a great job. The hair stylist did not show up so I had to frantically search for a replacement. Finally i called my friend Justus and he came down and threw together some quick styling and saved the day. The shoot turned out great despite the reoad blocks encountered at the beginning. You can view more photos online at http://www.andrusphoto.com/

8-22 Photoshoot with Kimmi Self

2009-08-22T21:01:00.000-07:00

This was my first photo shoot with a new hair stylist named Ruby and a new makeup artist named Gwen. I was not sure what to think about that but I always enjoy meeting new people. Neither one had a really current portfolio to show me so I was unsure about what to expect. This was my first time working with Kimmi as well, but I am used to not knowing all the models. Kimmi showed up well prepared, clean skin, hair, nails etc. This is always a good sign. Ruby had another appointment so she started working first. She did a fantastic job on Kimmi's hair. Then Gwen started on her makeup. She did a soft natural look to begin with that we could add to later. This was perfect for the beauty look we were going for. Later in the shoot we put Kimmi's hair up and Gwen darkened the makeup producing a fantastic look. You can view more pictures online at http://www.andrusphoto.com/