Rob Bagnall for Nextgov

When I first got asked to photograph Rob Bagnall who works in cybersecurity, I thought of a dark server room, blinking LED lights, and computer screens everywhere.  What the assignment turned out to be was pretty much the exact opposite and in a very good unique way.

Bagnall has a very different approach to his usual work day, and the team at Nextgov wanted the photographs to show it.  You see, Bagnall has an office.  He just rarely works in it.  Instead, he works from his favorite restaurants, coffee shops, and even the back of his car.  The goal was to photograph him in these different types of locations while working.

As I sat waiting for Bagnall to arrive, I saw this guy with a big cowboy hat, sunglasses, and boots walking towards me.  When thinking of cybersecurity or hacking, a cowboy typically doesn’t come to mind.  It was a welcomed surprise though and made the shoot that much more interesting.  We sat down at his usual table at the restaurant, ordered some drinks, and talked a bit.  Once I felt he was comfortable and relaxed, I then got my camera out and started photographing him as he worked on his laptop.  

When shooting, I usually like to use some sort of lighting to add a little extra something to the overall look.  For this assignment though, I talked with the Nextgov team and we decided available light would be best to make the images more real.  

Now back to the part about Bagnall working out of his car.  We wrapped up things at the restaurant and walked to the parking garage where he had parked.  It was packed with cars, and the light wasn’t that great.  Hoping it would be pretty bare, I asked if he’d be willing to drive up to the top level of the garage.  He parked on the top level, opened the back of his vehicle, and started working on his laptop.  Nextgov loved how everything turned out, especially the photo of him with his vehicle.

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