MY BLOG HAS MOVED!!!

yes, it is true.
dustontodd.blogspot.com (the one you are on right now) will now be considered my archive blog. because of the abundant posts and gazillion pictures that i have loaded to this source, i will continue to keep this blog live and may do so as long as i can...but...if you're wanting to follow the current posts of my blog, see the latest work, ramble with me on the most current rambles... then i'd recommend you update your records of my new blog.
the new blog source for all my blogging goodies is dustontodd.com/blog (really quite simple)

look forward to seeing you over there!
and many thanks!
- duston

mas blog features...

mas coolness on ruffled.
click here to visit the feature.

mas slurping bridals on rock n' roll bride.
click here to visit the feature.

tis the season! (for family portraits)

yes, 'tis the season...maybe snow is not falling yet but the phone has been ringing for family portraits in time for christmas.

i am happy to announce a never-before-sale on any portrait sessions (family, couples, kids etc.) booked within the months of Oct and Nov. receive 20% off of any of our portrait session options.

also, the first month that your proofs are posted online you also receive a 25% off sale on any enlargements ordered! - how's that for christmas gifts!

if you're looking for something different, something outside the boring box, and you want to put some serious art on your families walls...contact me now as dates are already filling up.

wedding featured

check it out, alex and leon's wedding just got featured on the fabulous snippet and ink!

click here to visit the feature

many thanks kathryn!

(sneak peek)

time off with the wild things

it has come time again to make mischief with the wild things in the land of lake powell. i will be out of town and with very limited access to phone and email the week of sept 20-25th.

...i'll be sailing back home soon...

a different perspective, a new peace

"...I found the pictures of the falling body. I ripped the pages out of the book. I reversed the order, so the last one was first, and the first was last. When I flipped through them, it looked like the man was floating up through the sky." - Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
it is my hope and prayer we never see such tragedy again. may god bless our country.

drive-in lovin'

amy and philip, had there first date at a drive-in a couple of years ago and we thought it would only be fitting to recreate the beginnings of their story and do the shoot at a drive-in. i am fortunate enough to live in a small town a half hours drive west of salt lake city. and nestled within this neighboring valley of salt lake and close to my home is a charming old town drive-in. thus began the magic all over again...
i later returned to the drive-in to watch a flick under the stars with my wife and our two girls and i got to talking with the owner of the drive-in. i asked him very sincerely "whats the future of this drive-in?" (as it has now become my new love.) he said "we've been here since the 60's and still goin' strong". to me, it seems anything that has charm and the old mom and pop character is dying off and to know this drive-in is still pumping strong was such a relief to hear. he then began to tell me how depeche mode shot a video at this exact drive-in....whaaaat??!! i was thrilled to hear that!! i used to be obsessed with depeche mode during their violator album (and quickly collected all their albums previous to violator) but to know that they were here and appreciated the aesthetic was great - but i also know the driving force behind depeche mode's imagery is anton corbijn and i knew that it was HE that probably chose the location to film the video at the drive-in. anton corbijn is one of my all time favorite photographers and is a major source of inspiration in my work. to be able to connect the dots through time leading up to this shoot, and almost 20 years later me doing my thing with the camera at the same location appreciating the same backdrop was quite a a great journey...


click here if you want to see depeche mode's "world in my eyes" video shot by anton corbijn at the motor vu erda drive-in theater. (circa 1990)
click here if you want to visit more of anton corbijn's work. - mind blowing mind you.  

a story about a pig

sit comfy...i have a story to tell.
many of you may already know this story, it took place in 2004, and it's called open heart surgery.
my wife, being the recipient of this operation, was only 24 years old and was a young mother of our then 11 month daughter. it begins when she called me while i was away at work and said "i'm going to go to the doctor today, i can't breathe well and i have been feeling pressure on the chest.." i, being completely ignorant said "okay", thinking it was nothing more than a bronchial matter. the next phone call i receive was "they detected a significant heart murmur and i need to come back tomorrow to run some tests.." - not a good sign. we found out within a weekends time that my wife's aortic valve had failed and it's one way valve was now operating like a busy restaurant kitchen door swinging anyway it wanted and allowing the blood flow to regurgitate back and forth...i guess only 30% of your oxygenated blood traveling to your body is a big no no. within a weeks time we were facing open heart surgery. yes, we were scared. yes were young. and yes it's called life.
and this is why i tell the story (perhaps again). during this fragile week of life changing events, my wife was given the choice of which type of valve replacement she would have. 2 options. 1) mechanical valve and 2) porcine (common name - pig) valve. the mechanical valve we were told would out live her, the major hang up though is that if she chose this valve then she would need to take blood thinners the rest of her life and therefore would not be able to have anymore kids. with the pig valve we were told it would simulate human flesh and therefore we could conduct our lives as normal - no meds and we could have the blessing of another child. the major downside to this option 2 is that eventually (7-20 yrs.) the pig flesh will deteriorate and we would face the open heart surgery again....without hesitation my wife chose the pig valve. and here i sat at her bedside, looking at her blue lips, an erratic pulse bursting from her neck, and her breathing popping and cutting like a cold car struggling to start...and i thought "you're going to put me through this AGAIN?" it was a price she was willing to pay. the humblest of sacrifices. literally giving of her life to create another. and i had no choice but to accept and support her decision.
it will be 5 years in Oct. since the operation. i have wanted something through these years to memorialize our journey - a visual reminder to honor this story.
i had wanted a painting of a pig to tell the story. to pay tribute to the animal that provided the valve for my wife to continue living, and furthermore bless us with our second child Ava. some attempts with various artists were made to commission a piece for this concept, but nothing ever gelled. and then i met Justin Wheatley...his work immediately struck me. the depth, the layers, the dots and lines and worlds of textures to be connected. i met him at a local art market and immediately acquired two of his smaller original pieces. we got to talking and i was thrilled to know he would accept the commission that i wanted for years! and it was perfect, no artist other than Justin could have given this story justice. the 35"x35" piece is now complete and in our hands!
It is entitled "to fill the measure"....(if i can explain the context of the piece and the title)...i believe god has put animals on the earth for their own individual destinies. that they were created by his hand just as we were and that they were commanded to fill the measure of their creation.
i believe the pig did in fact "fill the measure" of it's creation. that it blessed my life, my wife's life, and our children's lives...the pig literally gave it's life that we might live.

Justin...a heartfelt thank you - many times over.

to see more of Justin Wheatley's work visit his BLOG.

my melt heart....

a recent letter i received from my daughter as i was off on a wedding in Texas:

Dear Dad, I love you. When you're off the airplane I love you so much. And, if you come off the plane I need you to hug me when you're off and we come and pick you up. My tooth is hurting and I'm going to the dentist and I need you to comfort me. Love, Alanna

yes, times as these make your "melt heart"...(a term i fumbled when talking to my wife that we still laugh at)

angry face

i came home from work to find this angry face scowling at me as it was taped to the fridge...not your typical chicken or rooster or cow that would so commonly adorn the walls of a kitchen, but no, a black-masked angry face with stained glue dripping from it's under turned mouth. what exactly is my 5 year old daughter Alanna wanting to say?
and so i asked her, "honey, i love it!...but why did you do an angry face?" "I just wanted to make an angry face"...phewww. you never know what your kids are saying inside, and i believe their art is some of the purest form of communication - if this picture has no subconsciene spewing forth...and it is nothing more than an experiment of creating different expressions - then hey! i'm happy! and keep creating kid!

published and published...

remember that incredibly detailed wedding of Sara and Matt's?

well, it just made it as a featured real wedding on the Knot's website! click here to see the full feature on the knot.

brides to be: if you're in to setting an ambiance and telling a story with details...take note of this wedding!

many of you may already know that i was recently featured on Style Me Pretty, but in case you haven't seen the STUNNING Tulsa wedding...check out the wedding on my blog (which is posted directly below) and also check it out on the Style Me Pretty! 

I 

II 

III 

Style Me Pretty...let me count the ways....

hail to the moonwalk

narcissism

"narcissism describes the trait of excessive self-love based on self-image or ego, as well as lack of empathy for others."
...i confess, my ego, my self-image, and my lack of empathy for others - found it's way into this image.

homage to mary ellen mark

click here to learn more about Mary Ellen Mark's iconic twins work.

my reads

now that lovely weather is drawing us all outside and gives reason to lounge by the poolside, beach, or plastic flamingos planted in your front yard...it may be time to feed your grey matter with some literary soup.
in my case, limited access to nightly TV has rendered much more time to pound through some fantastic books. below are 5 (yes count them 5) that i have read within the last month and a half. i have never read so many in pages in one brief period in all my life. 4 of the 5 were all wonderful recommendations, and the classic "catcher..." is one i have struggled to read for sometime now...and ended up liking very much. muchly...muchly much.

extremely loud and incredibly close: beautiful story of a quirky 9 yr old boy who is suffering from the loss of his father who died in the 911 tragedy. to revisit this horrific event by such an artistic medium and to be able to emotionally connect with a real character such as Oskar came to be a refreshing and rewarding experience. i am so glad to know the author took this perspective without exploiting the tragic events, and rather gave a poetic touch to our individual memories of that black occurrence in american history.
also, the use of visual elements in combination with the written text of this story delivers a very profound and unique way of "seeing" from the combination of traditional book method and our mind's eye.

the history of love: grabbed me immediately. i found myself laughing time and time again at the main character Leo. this book is a beautiful read for anyone that has felt love, (in other words we can all relate to it). love between man and woman, love of a young girl towards her grieving mother and the loss of her father, love of friendship and longing for companionship. young love. mature love. its all there, love in all its forms. don't get me wrong, it's not crazy sappy, but rather it's real and honest.
fantastic read.


i tried to read this book 3 other times in my life, and could never get beyond 50 pages or so. i couldn't stand the whiney voice of Holden Caulfield, the kid just irritated me about how damn negative he was...but something told me to keep reading. i grew to really liking this book and by the last page of the story i really had learned to love Holden and all his faults. the book is a coming of age story, a classic that all of you have probably already read, but if you haven't - do it. it taught me to be patient. and not so quick to make judgements of people...all walks...even punk teens. :) ....holden i learned is struggling to let go and move on. to walk away from his idyllic childhood and to move into the "phony" real world of adulthood. there are beautiful pages where we see the clouds of confusion he is surrounded in part and he is left to sob at the beauty of acceptance of change and growing up. read it. read it again.

blindness: what if the world was caught in an epidemic of blindness? what classes of societies would still exists? what level of prejudices would remain? what would mankind become or evolve to? imagine you and everyone else blind. seriously, think about it. this books allows you to witness the possible destruction of all man. it is the crumbling of cities, and races, and genders, stripping it to the bare essentials - food and water is the new gold and riches. we are reminded of what is really important, and what immediate free gifts we are blessed with (sight, sound, touch, food, modern medicine and hygiene, running water...just think what it'd be like without one of these.)
warning: there is a horrid section in this book...not easy on the classic man vs. woman dominance scenario...if you know what i mean.


the time travelers wife: enjoyable journey. the book has a praised line for it that says something along the lines of "if you think you have read every possible love story, think again" and thats pretty true. it takes a classic love story of a couple and throws a major monkey wrench in it called "chrono displacement disorder" or as we all know, time travel. the man suffers from time travel, and what we think may be a fun and eventful disorder we learn how isolating and damaging it could be to an individual. how could one really function if by no choice they are sucked out of time and dropped into another time. this doesn't get cheezy with him traveling to the wild west, and then the dawn of man, and then the future of living on mars...it all stays relevant to traveling within his own time line of sorts. he visits his childhood, he visits his future wife as when she is a child, and so on. like i said, fun enjoyable journey, it had me thinking "what if i could go back and visit my past...or see my future?"
the author did irritate more than any other author before however, i felt she kept sticking in her vast knowledge of early punk music, or her educated palette of foods, she kept pulling me out of the story with this junk...just gets a little too pretentious if you know what i mean...but hey, it's her first novel and it was made into a movie that will be out this fall...not too bad i guess.