dustontoddblog

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friction: the force that resists relative motion between two bodies in contact.
motion: an impulse or inclination of the mind or will.

story by duston todd + phillip istomin
photography duston todd
starring keely king + phillip istomin
hair, make up, wardrobe, and assistance jillyn leone and vanessa alder
car provided by olivier raunier

my many thanks to such an incredible creative team.
you turned words and ideas into a breath.

see the bunnies. see them love. see them sparkle.

this post (as well as a lot of my current ramblings) is also on my tumblr. if you like to tumble, you should tumble on over and follow me. http://boxonfire.tumblr.com/

had the pleasure of photographing Megan and Evelyn recently.
they brought their doggies along with them, mother nature brought the fall colors ablaze, and i couldn’t help but run to bare negative space walls to emphasize the beauty of their visual contrast. lovely couple and portrait session.

“hey! i like your car! pull over!”
and so began the story of Hillary and David.
later, David would ask her another question, a question that would be answered by a wedding dress, rings, and riding in sporty bucket seats through life together.
…
the couple wanted me to photograph them in the woods and said nothing about a car.
i found out that this is how they met and jumped all over the cuteness with my camera.

SIMPLOSION is a celebration and explosion of portrait photography with an emphasis on sophisticated simplicity. it is removing the unnecessary clutter and giving a bold voice to the most important element…YOU.

FIRST ANNUAL SIMPLOSION FALL SESSIONS
• $250
• 1 HOUR
• MINIMALIST STUDIO PORTRAITS. all portraits will be photographed with studio lights and on a white/grey background (similar to the image shown above).
• intimate family portraits, individual portraits, couples, babies, pets, etc.
• NO LIMIT to how many images are photographed during your hour session.
• 9 months of image proofs will be displayed online.
• (20) FINAL SELECT IMAGES in high resolution and in square format will be edited and delivered.

SCHEDULING 1 HOUR APPOINTMENTS ON SATURDAYS
• DATES: Sept 29th, Oct 6th, Oct 13th, Oct 20th
• STUDIO HOURS 10AM-9PM
• LOCATION 400 W. 350 S. directly west of pioneer park in downtown SLC.
• RESERVING YOUR SESSION is a first come first serve basis.
• ONLINE SCHEDULING. visit HERE to schedule your one hour block!

thank you for your wonderful responses and looking forward to seeing you soon!!!
sincerely,

- duston

they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws.
Please don’t go. We’ll eat you up. We love you so.

if you have been following on this blog…i sincerely thank you.

if you want to continue following me, i have created a new online journal for my more commercially minded photography work.
please visit: boxonfire.tumblr.com
(below is a clip from the journal)

and if you haven’t seen my commercial site, you should.
www.boxonfire.com

not satisfied? you can also follow me on:
twitter: boxonfire1
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/boxonfire
pinterest: http://pinterest.com/boxonfire/

yes, she goes by fancy. and rightfully so.

.

kissing the sidewalk from a falling start.
wearing scabs like war paint.
eye boogers.
crusty nose.
bandaged palms.
ratty hair.
my ava.
a beautiful mess.
i love her so.

.

say hello to spring.
lulu, our beatiful golden retriever, gave birth just one week ago to 10 darling little golden fur balls.
they will be available to good homes on May 4th 2012.

“i looked outside my window and what do you think i saw?
the strangest sight i’ve ever did see, i bet you don’t know just quite what i mean,
still can’t believe it myself

i saw one buffalo, one buffalo,
buffalo on my lawn,
romping all around and stomping on the ground
and all of my grass was gone.

then i began to worry, about what to do?
the strangest sight i ever did see, i guess you’ve guessed just what i mean.
still can’t believe it myself
i saw 2 buffalos, 2 buffalos,
buffalos on my lawn
romping all around and stomping on the ground and
and all of my grass was gone.”

…

today my dad visited and brought the buffalo with him.
above is a song that i will always remember my dad singing to me as a kid.
i have a goofy dad, and he fed me with goofy things.
and as a result, i turned up a bit goofy as well…still can’t believe it myself.

love you dad.

::

remember how we grew up living next to each other?
and to get to your house you’d go down a big hill and up another big hill?
and remember how i gave you my scooter that had a flat tire?
and you crashed at the bottom of the hill?
and we yelled at you and made you walk home with the scooter alone?
and then remember how we later found out that you broke your arm?
yeah, that was funny.

(love you cuz.)
::

and heather’s unexpected reply minutes later…
“Oh I rememeber far more than that!! I remember the scooter with not one but TWO flat tires! I also remember the scooter with NO brakes and when I informed you I couldn’t stop you told me to put my foot down to slow it down, which I did!! Do you remember how sparks flew off my shoe, cuz I was traveling at the speed of light? I remember you and David yelling at me for crashing your and possibly scratching your scooter and walking it up all by myself with a “hurt” arm… but what I really remember, and you don’t, because you weren’t there is how your mom freaked out when she saw my arm and rushed me to the Hospital. She ran a lot of red lights and swore A LOT!! She yelled at the staff for not getting me in fast enough and probably swore a lot again. Then I remember her holding my hand while I got a REALLY painful shot and wiping away my tear and telling me how brave I was. Then I remember her telling me how painful the splint was going to be, I appreciated, yet hated her honesty at that point, but she held my hand the entire time and kept telling me how brave I was and how proud of me she was… 25 years later and your moms still looks after me !!
Please excuse the typos, my vision was blurred by tears recounting your mothers love!”

…lesson to be learned?
watch out for digging up past memories. they can smack you upside the head and humble you real quick.
(love you mom and miss you terribly.)

beautiful artwork by jungshan ink

‎a sword by itself rules nothing. it only comes alive in skilled hands.
- crouching tiger hidden dragon

we do not take photos with our cameras but with our hearts and our minds.
- arnold newman

with so much talk swirling around us of the latest releases from Canon and Nikon, and with my own enthusiastic shift and transition as i enter the digital photography world, acquiring new equipment and tools… i am thankful and humbled to remember it is the mind and heart behind that camera that truly matter.

::

i blink with my eye
burning after images
a box is on fire

…

i found a new friend today.
he hasn’t told me his name.
he’s rather square in shape and in his belly lie objects that look like glossy eyeballs.
he blinks a lot.
mechanical blinks.
electronic blinks.
sexy blinks.
blink
blink
blink

::

cold war :: janelle manoe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqmORiHNtN4&ob=av2e

this video of Janelle Manoe is a beautiful example of simplicity screaming volumes.
no matter how many firework explosions, and guitarists hanging from red rock cliffs…nothing will ever compare to the subtle and intoxicating power of the soul.
this video, how it was shot, the perfect simple concept, the beauty and emotion, the flaws, the honesty and authenticity…one of the best i have ever seen.

also, some of my favorite videos along the same theme:

andy warhol :: Ann, the girl who cried a tear

new order :: round and round

lesson: keep it simple.

::