A pin up inspired diner photo shoot in Portland

A collaborative styled photo shoot

A fun new restaurant recently opened up near my Tualatin, OR photography studio, called 60’s Diner. My family has had lunch there multiple times. As a Portland pin up photographer who loves doing 50’s and 60’s themed photo shoots, I kept thinking about how much fun it would be to do a pin up inspired diner photo shoot.

I asked the manager, Michael, if that would be a possibility and he was happy to have us in. So I went on a hunt to find a model and a hair and makeup artist to join me on this creative collaborative project. I absolutely love when small businesses come together to support one another.

A pin up inspired diner photo shoot in Portland, OR by Photography by Rayleigh. This is a retro themed image of a smiling woman sitting at a diner bar, with a milkshake.

Miss Portland

I did some Instagram surfing to find a model for this collaborative styled photo shoot near Portland. Happily, I came across Karson Fair, who just so happens to hold the crown for Miss Portland Metro. I love her commitment to helping women know their worth, which is an important aspect of my photography business, as well. So I knew she’d make a great addition to the team. It certainly helps that she’s cute as a button and has the sweetest personality. She was a dream to photograph.

A pin up inspired diner photo shoot in Portland, OR by Photography by Rayleigh. This is a retro themed image of a woman sitting at a diner table, drinking a milkshake.

60’s Diner

What I love about 60’s diner in Tualatin is that it’s so family friendly, which is great for people like me who have little ones. What my kids love is that they have TVs sprinkled around that show old cartoons that they get to watch while they eat their grilled cheese sandwiches. The burgers and fries are great, but the milkshakes are what I show up for. In fact, after spending a few days working on all these photos, I just had to pop in for a peanut butter milkshake earlier today. It did not disappoint. They even have boozy milkshakes if that tickles your fancy.

Wardrobe

I chose a few outfits on Amazon that I thought would work well and then Karson let me know which ones she liked best out of the options. I didn’t have to spend a lot of money for the outfits, which was a bonus. She was able to find some pearls and retro looking shoes from a friend that worked great. The hair and makeup artist brought the headband. So these looks were really a team effort.

You can almost hear Chubby Checker singing, The Twist, from the jukebox when you look at these photos. Of course Elvis made a couple of appearances through the speakers, as well.

A pin up inspired diner photo shoot in Portland, OR by Photography by Rayleigh. This is a retro themed image of a smiling woman standing in front of a vintage jukebox.

Professional hair and makeup

It’s not easy finding hair and makeup artists who have experience with retro inspired looks. My go-to artist for pin up inspired photo shoots was unavailable but I’m so thankful she was able to refer me to Crystal Sanchez. Crystal was so great to work with and I’m happy to have met another talented hair and makeup artist. She’s great at what she does and she is super nice. Her and I enjoyed a delicious lunch together afterwards (Burgers, of course), and I loved making a new friend. Crystal loves doing hair and makeup (not just retro style) for photo shoots and weddings.

A pin up inspired diner photo shoot in Portland, OR by Photography by Rayleigh. This is a behind the scenes image of the model and makeup artist.

The team for this pin up inspired diner photo shoot

We grabbed a timer selfie for all those who took part in this collaborative, creative photo shoot. Crystal (the hair and makeup artist) and I (Rayleigh, the Portland pin up photographer) are in the back. On the left is Taimi, the diner server who made us a photogenic and delicious milkshake for the shoot. In the middle is Michael, the manager of 60’s Diner. We are posed around his impressive Harley Davidson bike, which is always parked outside the diner. And on the right is Karson, our beautiful model.

A pin up inspired diner photo shoot in Portland, OR by Photography by Rayleigh. This is a behind the scenes group photo of the creative team.

Right after this photo was taken, Karson headed off to a work meeting. Can you imagine showing up to work looking like you just stepped out of the 1960’s? I love it!

A pin up inspired diner photo shoot

I’m so glad my shoot idea was able to come to fruition. I loved the team that I was able to gather together and we all had a blast. As a photographer, it’s always so much fun getting to know other people in the Portland community and working together to create something fun and beautiful.

Want to see more of my vintage themed photography work?

Pin up photo shoots are typically done in my Tualatin, OR studio. If you’d like to see more of my themed studio work, please click here. I even have some super cute maternity photos done pin up style and you can view those by clicking here. I don’t only do pin up work, so feel free so peruse my website to see my other beauty photography.

Are you interested in experiencing a photo shoot?

If you think this looks like a ton of fun, let’s chat and see what kind of session we can design for you. Please send me an email and we can talk details!


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