Photographer, Artist Rep

Michael Shay

polarastudio.com

Michael Shay is a commercial photographer and co-founder of Polara Studio based in Portland, Oregon specializing in food, beverage and food lifestyle ...photography. He can be booked for advertising and packaging assignments in Portland or worldwide.

Ever since studying poetry at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Michael has loved making beautiful images. Whether those images are discovered in a line of verse or a viewfinder of a camera, that joy had fueled his quest to make food images that have "mouth appeal".

Mouth appeal means more than a luscious pair of lips. It describes a quality that sets apart the best of food photography. Mouth appeal is what makes the food look so inviting on a package or in an ad that you want to eat it then and there.

He works with the most talented stylists in the Pacific Northwest backed by the full resources of an in-house production team. Michael often says, "It takes a village to make a photograph."

Recent projects include advertising and packaging work for Tillamook Cheese, Papa Murphy's Pizza, Sunkist, Nancy's Yoghurt, Pacific Foods, Gardenburger, Reser's Fine Foods, Boyd's Coffee Company, Ponzi Vineyards, and Tazo Tea.

Member American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP) since 1994
Show more

  • Images
  • Michael Shay
    Ribs and Sapporo
    Michael Shay