Editorial Portrait Photography for Berkeley Haas Magazine — The Personal Touch

Apr 28

Magazine Table of Contents portrait of two men in suits, Berkeley Haas Magazine Fall 2025, photographed on location in Berkeley by Marc Olivier Le Blanc — William Nguyen & Branndon Marion

Editorial Portrait Photography for Berkeley Haas Magazine

This fall I was commissioned to photograph the mentorship feature for Berkeley Haas Magazine, the flagship publication of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. The assignment — "The Personal Touch" — called for a series of black and white editorial portraits shot on location in Berkeley, featuring five mentor-mentee pairs from across the school's MBA, undergraduate, and MFE programs.

This is exactly the kind of editorial work I love: real people, real relationships, a tight deadline, and a clear visual brief. No styling, no sets — just two people and the dynamic between them.

ditorial portrait of mentor and mentee laughing, shot on location in Berkeley for Haas Magazine by San Francisco photographer Marc Olivier Le Blanc — Jerry Weintraub & Shivi Lakhtakia

Black and White Portrait Photography, Shot on Location in Berkeley

Each pair brought a completely different energy to the session. Jerry Weintraub, founder of Weintraub Capital, and his mentee Shivi Lakhtakia, MBA 26 — a global investor navigating her first major internship decisions — had the easy warmth of people who genuinely trust each other. Branndon Marion, a data scientist at Vanguard and former Cal hurdler, and William Nguyen, BS 25, who went on to land a software engineering role at Google, brought an athletic focus to everything. Aaron McDaniel, Haas faculty member and serial entrepreneur, and Claudia Lizeth Carrillo, BS 28, founder of a sustainable fashion startup, were high-energy from the moment they walked in. Naoko Miyamoto, MBA 15, and Trey Jackson, MBA/MPH 26, bonded over CrossFit before the camera even came out. And Isabel D'Elia, MBA 26, and Lynda Negron, MBA 25, co-founder and CEO of Resilio Energy — two Latinas building companies in tech and energy — were the most natural pair of the day.

Black and white editorial portrait of two women laughing, shot on location in Berkeley for Haas Magazine by San Francisco photographer Marc Olivier Le Blanc — Isabel D'Elia & Lynda Negron

The constraint of shooting in black and white against clean backgrounds is one I always welcome for this kind of work. Color is a distraction. What matters in a portrait like this is posture, expression, and the space between two people — and black and white forces all of that to the surface.

Black and white on-location portrait of mentor and mentee for Berkeley Haas Magazine, editorial photography by Marc Olivier Le Blanc, San Francisco — Aaron McDaniel & Claudia Carrillo

Commercial and Editorial Photography in the San Francisco Bay Area

This feature is part of a broader body of editorial and institutional work I do for universities, publications, and organizations across the Bay Area. Whether it's a magazine feature, an annual report, a campaign, or an event — I bring the same approach: preparation, speed on set, and portraits that hold up on the page.

Berkeley Haas Magazine is published three times a year by the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. The Fall 2025 issue is available at haas.org/bhmag. The feature was written by Gary Thill.

Editorial portrait spread published in Berkeley Haas Magazine, black and white photography by San Francisco portrait photographer Marc Olivier Le Blanc — William Nguyen & Branndon Marion

Interested in editorial or institutional portrait work? Contact us.

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Marc Olivier Le Blanc

Editorial Portrait Photography for Berkeley Haas Magazine — The Personal Touch