
I first met Tory Scroggins on Instagram. One of those profiles that makes you pause. Not because it tries to impress, but because the work feels intentional. Clean. Brave. Human.
We finally met in person and shot three separate scenes in Sacramento. Three spaces. Three moods. This scene lives in a garage.














A red stripe slicing the concrete like a pulse. Light that falls off fast. Shadows that do not apologize. It is dark and a little grungy, exactly the kind of place that can swallow a subject if the subject is not fully present.
Tory is fully present.
He is polished, warm, genuinely kind. The contrast became the concept. The frame holds tension, but the energy stays calm. In one portrait he stands still, eyes turned away, hands gathered around a small bottle like it is evidence. In another, he lifts it toward his face, shaping the space with his hands, turning product into punctuation. Close in, the bottle fills the frame, silver cap, deep color, a graphic mark that reads like a statement.
The brand is right there on his shirt too, vicTORYus. A name that insists on being seen.
Tory describes himself as an artist, actor, model, activist, and gender bender. He shared that he is represented by OTTO Models, and based in Los Angeles and Sacramento. He also shared his brand, vicTORYus Nail Polish. Handmade vegan polish in bold, liberating colors. A beauty line built like a permission slip. The tagline says it plainly, “This is your world. Walk comfortably in it!”
That line matters in a place like this. An indoor parking lot is not glamorous. It is functional. It is where you pass through, where you keep moving, where you decide what you carry with you. That is what I wanted these portraits to feel like. Not pretty for the sake of pretty. Honest. Grounded. A statement about identity and intention, with product as an extension of voice.
Tory’s vicTORYus product line is not just beauty, it is language. He shared these products:
- GRINCH Nail Polish
- ANGELINA Tinted Lip & Cheek Balm
- STILETTO Tinted Lip and Cheek Balm
- AFTER HOURS Tinted Lip & Cheek Balm
- TINA SNOW
- VEE Nail Polish
- GOLDFINGER Nail Polish
- MADAM PRESIDENT Nail Polish
- BLACK PANTHER Nail Polish
- SOCIALIST Nail Polish
- CAPITALIST Nail Polish
- DISCIPLINE Nail Polish
- REBEL Nail Polish
Each name feels like a small banner, worn on the hands, carried into the world.
The space we picked for this scene may be rough, but the person stays louder than the setting.
That is the point.
That is what I hope you remember.
Photoshoot Credits
- Model: Tory Scroggins
- Photographer: Paul Tocatlian
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