I have been taking photographs for InMenlo.com. This is a hyperlocal blog in the town where I live. Menlo Park is loaded with the famous and influential of Silicon Valley. I have quickly gotten to meet several very interesting poeple.
The biggest challenge is coming up with a concept and a photo with limited time to prepare or actually take the photo. My favorite moment so far, was meeting Barry Eisler (photo above), the author of one of my favorite spy novels, Rain Fall. Linda Hubbard Gulker the editor and I metMr. Eisler at Cafe Barrone on morning for coffee. After Linda finished her interview, I had a e few minutes for the photo. Mr. Eisler and I headed for the nearby train station. I thought a photo in front of a moving train might be interesting. I was fortunate to get a nicely framed image with the red swoop on the engine. This photo was shot at 1/30, f9.5 and ISO 400.
Other shots from the InMenlo session are below.
Joan McLoughlin owner of The McLoughlin Gallery in San Francisco. This photo was taken with Natural Light from the large window to the right.
Menlo Park artist Colleen Sullivan. This shot was taken using an on camera 580EXii and Coco Ring Flash and another Speedlight and Umbrella mounted to camera right.
Charley Scandlyn is a long time friend. Charley is running a fantastic fundation that provides educational support to thousands of children in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park. This shot was taken early in the morning with light coming from the right side. I added a strobe on the right to increase the effect.
Group shots are often a challenge. It is hard to get the light even and have everyone look their best. This shot of the Menlo Masters was a special challenge. Taken at 7 am on a rainy cold morning, I used an on camera flash balanced with the ambient light. I also had to apply a gradient in post to darken the front of the photo a little. 
The Empower group is a fabulous group of ladies who have raised $60,000 to build libraries in Afghanistan and Pakistan with Three Cups of Tea's Greg Mortinson. I enjoyed working with them to try to come up with a pose where everyone looked comfortable and natural. I used an on camera speedlight for some fill light.
