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Nashville, TN-based Abigail Bobo is a lifestyle photographer who strives to capture authentic portraits of the myriad of subjects she shoots. From EMT workers to BMW drivers, she has mastered the art of visual storytelling and produces compelling images that can add relatability to any brand’s visual identity.
My work is very cinematic, so I focus on establishing intimate connections with people.
Her portrait portfolio and expertise led to being approached by Citrus Advertising to shoot a campaign for Caliber Collision that showcases the company’s work and brand personality through the lens of their employees. The client’s brand designer Sam Butz was familiar with Abigail’s work and collaborated with her team to hire Abigail for this project.
Sam felt a connection to my work and had Gus, the producer, reach out for me to put together a bid. It was a really wonderful process and there was a lot of collaboration, teamwork, and laughs.
The agency wanted the shoot to take place in one of the company’s Collision Centers to show a true representation of the employees’ workspaces so Abigail traveled to one of their centers in Dallas. Once in Dallas, she spent five days scouting, shooting, and connecting with Caliber Collision’s employees at the Collision Center there.
As we collaborated, we shifted our vision to photograph candids of their mechanics throughout the workday. We wanted a mix of models and real employees to ensure we had enough variety in the images.
The agency initially intended to stage some action shots of people at work. However, the candids that Abigail was able to capture in the first few moments with the company’s real employees convinced them to focus on documenting the real work being done by the mechanics themselves.
There’s one image of a mechanic’s hands, with grease ground into his nails, and when they saw it the client exclaimed, “Oh, that looks like us. That’s real.”
While working in one of the auto body shops was as “real-life” as Abigail could get, the location presented some logistical problems. While the mechanics were familiar with the noises of machinery, the loud environment was deafening for anyone not used to the shop life. This led to Abigail and the crew communicating through walkie-talkies in order to direct elements of the production even from across the room.
Because we were shooting in a live workshop, there was an incredible amount of noise. The crew couldn’t hear each other outside a 7ft radius!
Even though working around the employees added a layer of difficulty to the shoot, for Abigail the environment they created made all the difference to the authenticity of the assignment.
There was grime and dust and paint on the floor that we couldn’t have faked up to the standards of something truly real.
Caliber Collision’s willingness to trust in her vision allowed Abigail the freedom to experiment with models and workers alike. She’s learned that a client’s confidence in her work is a necessary component for her ability to craft a brand’s image and produce the best deliverables. For Abigail, the personal connections made with each worker elicited genuine smiles and brought a positive energy to the shoot. Once she established these relationships, Abigail effortlessly captured the passion and commitment of these real-life professionals.
Honestly, this was a dream shoot. I was able to express the authenticity and humanity that I long to capture.
Photographer: Abigail Bobo
Agency: Citrus Advertising
Client: Caliber Collision
Executive Creative Director: Jason Shipp
Art Director: Keyan Kenney
Brand Designer: Sam Butz
Client Producer: Gus Espinosa
Producer: Kaylah Key Productions
Producer’s Assistant: JQ Gammon
Wardrobe: Jalondra Jones
Makeup: Jocelyn Lopez
Wardrobe Assistant: Brittany McClard
1st Assistant: Phillip Anderson
2nd Assistant: Matt McDaniel
3rd Assistant: Joaquin Lopez