Vendor Spotlight- Abigail Bobo Photography

This week the Vendor Spotlight is highlighting the work of Abigail Bobo Photography! Located in Nashville, she has an obvious passion for her clients that is shown through her images. Abigail's work can be found here, along with her blog and editorial. Make sure to check out all of her work because her images are truly stunning! The story behind Abigail and her passion are inspirational and her love of photography and people is evident. Below are a few questions about photography as well as a few about Abigail herself!

How did you get into photography?

I was originally a Marketing/Graphic Design major at a local private University with a nice scholarship, but I wasn't happy with the school. You know that feeling when something just doesn't seem quite right for you? That's how I felt- it was a nice school, but it wasn't for me.

So, I packed up and left. To give myself some time to think,

I took three classes at a local college next semester: Typography, 2-D Design

and Basic Photography.

The rest is history.

I detoured for two and a half years to finish my AA in photography at Nashville State. I've transferred to Thomas Edison State College to complete my BA in Photography online through advanced independent studies; I plan to have all my final papers and paperwork finished up by the end of this summer. I would love to get my MFA in photography and dig even deeper into the art side of photography one day.

I became a people photographer because I found out that I really, really love talking to people. I love to laugh with them and draw out their stories. And I love to see their faces light up when they see beautiful photographs of themselves. Becoming a portrait photographer was like coming home.

In the end, I didn't find photography: photography found me.

What do you love about photography?

I fell in love with the medium's ability to freeze time, convey emotion and trigger memories. Actually, the question reminds me of my thesis paper for my BA. It was about the qualities of strong images that have the power to affect humans deeply. The findings were (in a nutshell) that still images look very much like human memories, which experts believe are stored in snap-shot like frames. While clearly not every still image has this power, a good photographer can encapsulate light and memory in a way that affects the human psyche deeply. It's this possibility of creating images that have that special something that fascinates me.

What would you say is your photography style?

I'm a photojournalist at heart and I have a fine arts background. I bring great lighting, strong technique and refined artistry to a documentary/fine

art style of photography. I love genuine moments and capture them with beauty and feeling.

I also shoot magazine and editorial work, so I often think of what would make a strong collection of magazine-worthy images. I like making a series of images that go together to drive a narrative.

Do you shoot digital or film?

I'm what's called a hybrid shooter. I think that film has a beautiful look and there's intention in shooting each image, but it has its limitations, such as dark environments. Digital feels more colorful, spontaneous and experimental to me, but it doesn't have the unexpected beauty of film. Therefore, I provide clients with the best of both worlds! On a wedding day, you'll see me running around wearing a harness with a 35mm camera and my digital camera. I'll haul the medium format camera out for portraits and sometimes also use a specialty camera like a Holga.

While clearly I love both mediums, I think that the content, emotion and beauty of an image should trump what it was shot on. In the end, it's still light and love.

Tell us why brides should choose you to capture their wedding day.

I believe in relationships.

I don't believe in stressing people out about photos.

I believe in fast, rocking customer care.

I don't believe in forcing smiles.

I believe in timeless, clean, photojournalistic, artistic photos.

I don't believe in trends/weird editing colors/odd poses.

I believe in the importance of story.

I believe in the beauty of the human spirit.

 Some personal questions: 

Mac or PC?

Oh MAC MAC MAC ;)

It's simply very user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. Not to mention, it's the operating system that Photoshop and Lightroom were designed to run on, so it makes working with those programs smooth and fast.

Tea or Coffee?

I used to be a huge coffee junkie, but when I stayed in the UK for three weeks in the summer of 2013, I fell in love with tea. I found out that if you purchase a strong black breakfast tea from Twining's (I drink Irish Breakfast) and use milk and a bit of sugar, it provides a smoother taste and gentle energy lift with no crash.

You may catch me getting dark chocolate mochas at coffee shops, but for the most part I don't drink coffee anymore. Tea for me!

Favorite Social Media Outlet for Sharing Pictures

While Facebook is still my primary means of using photographs as marketing tools because of the tagging capability, I'm starting to use Instagram a lot more. The clean, square format and ability to have photos laid out in a profile grid is positively enchanting and the sharing options are endless! You can catch me over there quite a bit at @abigailbobophotography ;)

You can also find quite a few of my photos over on my new blog, South Facing Light!

Favorite Movie Right Now

Sorry, can't pick one! I love stories too much :) Right now I'm on a Wes Anderson kick; his cinematography is stunning. I also enjoyed The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, The Monument Men, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and Finding Vivian Maier.