about atolerphoto

Hi friend!

I’m Abigail

The most accurate way I’ve been able to describe how I feel about taking photos is that it sets my heart on fire.

You combine that feeling with being drawn to beautiful people I never would have otherwise met, giving them a gift that outlasts their time here on earth, and traveling to beautiful places I would have otherwise never seen, you get a satisfaction and a joy that settles beyond words; a realization that what you’ve chosen to pour your heart into is much bigger than yourself.

When I was 17 I cried to my mom because I couldn’t pick a college major to save my life. I was mad at myself because I wasn’t passionate about anything except photography, and I thought I needed to pursue something more “steady.” Thank goodness teenage me was wrong. I ended up getting a degree in interior design at Oklahoma State, but began photographing seniors, families, couples, and weddings in 2019 with the connections I made at school. Creating my dream job out of thin air was a slow build for 3 years, but now it keeps me on my toes and on the road or a plane every week or so.

I got married in 2022 to truly the best friend I’ve ever had, Nathan, and we live in Springfield Missouri. Because I’ve been a bride before, I’ve been in your shoes, and I know how important certain unexpected aspects can be.

NEXT TO YOU, FILM IS MY EVERYTHING

To me, your film photos exist in a dimension between your digital photos and reality. They can feel more real than the moment itself did. After all, they were created beside you at the same time the moment was created.

Those photos lived with you and will stay with you always. While I will snap 1000 photos in an hour with my digital camera, my film camera makes sure the photo I'm capturing is worth taking, constantly pushing the ideas I've adopted over the years over what's worth documenting. With my film cameras, I'm constantly being pushed, grown, affected, and changed. I know as long as I'm sharpening my skills in film, whether that's what's worth taking a photo of or how the chemical process works, no significance in life will be lost on me.

While your digital photos were written into electrical charges, then imported, edited, exported, uploaded, copied, shared, etc., your film photos were physically formed into a chemical silver concoction, right next to you, the moment your memory happened.

These are the photos that, for me, breathe life into what documenting means. They’re what keeps me wandering my neighborhood, looking for flowers or trees to take pictures of, as I did when I was 16 with my little Canon Rebel. Whether I'm standing by myself on a cliffside in California, or in the middle of the dance floor at your wedding reception, film reminds me to be intentional, slow, thoughtful, precise, calculated, and creative.

…to prints

travels…

I spend all my money on film and travel

4 continents, 9 countries, 27 states…

This might not be a lot to some people, but my travels are my most treasured memories and are memorialized in my online print collection. Personal prints from my everyday life are also included in my print shop. If any of my photos resonate with you, I’d be honored for them to find a place in your home.