This week Brian Evergreen, the AI executive coach and author of Autonomous Transformation, hired me to photograph him in Carmel-by-the-Sea. He supplied the images to Fast Company, and today a portrait from our session leads his profile there, a second portrait runs inside the story, and the magazine credits the photos to me.
The session, at a glance
- Subject: Brian Evergreen, AI executive coach, former global head of autonomous AI co-innovation at Microsoft Research, author of Autonomous Transformation
- Commissioned by: Brian Evergreen, who hired me for the session and supplied the images to Fast Company
- The brief: outdoor lifestyle portraits, with a fast turnaround for a magazine deadline
- Location: the village of Carmel-by-the-Sea, starting in front of the Cypress Inn
- Time on location: about an hour and twenty minutes, late afternoon into evening
- Delivery: the three frames Brian needed for Fast Company by about 10:30 PM the same night; the remaining selects the next day
- Published: Fast Company, October 7, 2026, Work Life section
- Story: How Brian Evergreen became Corporate America's AI coach, by Shalene Gupta (subscriber content)
- Photography: Manny Espinoza, credited on the lead image and the inline portrait
The brief
Brian was staying in Carmel Valley and wanted outdoor lifestyle portraits, the kind of images that show a person at ease rather than posed against a backdrop. I told him to meet me in Carmel-by-the-Sea. We met in front of the Cypress Inn, which I thought was the right place to start: a recognizable corner of the village with good light and room to move.
Twenty-five years of backlit spots
I have been photographing in Carmel and across the Monterey Peninsula for more than twenty-five years, and over that time I have collected favorite spots around the village that work beautifully in late afternoon: walls that catch warm light, streets where the sun comes through the trees behind the subject, gates and doorways with depth. When the light is low and behind you, it turns hair and shoulders gold and softens everything else. Knowing where that happens, and at what hour, is most of the job.
Moving through the village
We were together about an hour and twenty minutes and covered quite a few spots. I know almost everyone in town, at least the shop owners, so we met a few people along the way, and that helps in a portrait session. It keeps the energy easy and gives an executive who spends his days on stage something real to react to. Somewhere along the way we got to talking about fatherhood, and he got a laugh when I told him I became a dad for the first time at sixty. My son is two and a half now. The set covers tight and wide, vertical and horizontal, bright backgrounds and darker ones, so an editor has options for a lead image, an inline portrait or a speaker page. Brian brought a navy quarter-zip and a dark green sweater, two solid layers that read cleanly against everything from white stucco to ironwork.
Same-night delivery
Brian needed images for Fast Company quickly, so we shot the same day. By about 10:30 that night I had delivered the three images he needed to send to the magazine, edited and ready for their editor. The next day I sent the balance of the selects Brian chose for his own use. A fast turnaround is something I plan for from the start: I know before the session what the deadline is, which frames the editor will want first, and I edit those before anything else.
A local's recommendation
As we were wrapping up, Brian mentioned he was in the mood for Mexican food. I sent him to Nicolas at Carmel Plaza, one of my favorite tables in the village. He texted me later to say the food was amazing. It is a small thing, but it is part of why I enjoy photographing visitors in Carmel: the session ends, and I get to point someone toward the best of the village.
Who is Brian Evergreen?
Brian Evergreen advises large companies on how to decide what they want from artificial intelligence before they decide what to buy. Before starting his coaching practice he led autonomous AI co-innovation at Microsoft Research. His book Autonomous Transformation was published by Wiley, and the Fast Company profile follows him through a workshop with a global retailer. You can read it, with the byline and my credit, at fastcompany.com.
Portraits for authors, speakers and executives
I photograph executives, authors and speakers in Carmel-by-the-Sea and across the Monterey Peninsula, and travel to the Bay Area and Napa. A portrait session on location starts at $400 for one person, with multiple locations, wardrobe changes and book-launch or editorial work quoted individually, and I can deliver the same day when a publication or an event needs it. If you are writing a book, preparing a speaking page or about to be profiled, tell me the date and where it will run, and I will plan the set to match.
See more of this kind of work on the published work page, or the conference and corporate event photography page for programs on the Peninsula.
Common questions
Who photographed Brian Evergreen for his Fast Company profile?
Manny Espinoza, a Carmel-by-the-Sea photographer, made the portraits of Brian Evergreen that appear in Fast Company's October 7, 2026 feature 'How Brian Evergreen became Corporate America's AI coach.' Brian commissioned the session and supplied the images to the magazine, which credits the photos to Manny Espinoza.
Where were the portraits of Brian Evergreen taken?
In the village of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The session began in front of the Cypress Inn and moved through the village's backlit streets, walls and garden gates, with one stop indoors in window light.
How long was the session, and how fast was the turnaround?
The session ran about an hour and twenty minutes and covered many spots. Because Brian needed images for the magazine quickly, the three frames he needed were delivered the same night, around 10:30 PM, and the remaining selects followed the next day.
Can I book executive or author portraits in Carmel-by-the-Sea?
Yes. A portrait session on location in Carmel starts at $400 for one person. Author, speaker and editorial sessions with multiple locations and wardrobe changes are quoted individually. Edited images are delivered within 72 hours, and same-day delivery is available when a publication or event needs it.
What should an executive wear for an editorial portrait session?
Bring two or three solid-color layers, such as a navy quarter-zip, a dark sweater and a collared shirt, and avoid small patterns and logos. Solid colors photograph cleanly in changing light and give an editor options for different crops and backgrounds.