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.

::

(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.

::

.

my beautiful daughter and her fury best friend, lulu.

side note: lulu is pregnant! if you want a pup, hit us up!
duston(at)boxonfire(dot)com

::

…it really doesn’t get much cuter.

::

just doing some test shots and grabbed the kids from the ‘hood.

from top to bottom:
ava, 4 yrs old
alanna, 8 yrs old
paige, 4 yrs old
emma, 7 yrs old
colton, 7 yrs old
(yes, the first portrait is of my daughter. yes, she totally rocked the pose herself. yes, she does have another hand. and yes, i do love this image.)

last night i dreamt of petting a giant blue octopus (my favorite creature). i was in complete awe and thrilled and calm at the experience, so much so that i let him gently gnaw on my finger with his beak.
i am one who believes dreams can speak to us. this is what i have learned about mine:
[when dreaming of an octopus] Busy-ness, multitasking, going in many directions at once, approaching a problem from many different angles. You have a brilliant intelligence, many ideas simultaneously, a rich imagination, a hunger for life, and the capacity to take in and synthesize huge amounts of information.

i am in the depths of studying and educating myself, of focusing my motivations and inspirations and energies and seeing them brought to life through hard work…this dream and definition couldn’t be more fitting and encouraging.

join me on just one of these tentacles and reap the benefits. hope to see you at the OWN NOW workshop in May.

::

join me as i begin the Own Now Romance for 2012!
see the passion!
hear the mechanical sparks!
make your heart go pitter-pat!

QUICK FACTS:
when? Sunday May 20th and Monday May 21st.
where? downtown SLC and Bonneville Salt Flats
investment? $1100.
who? limited to 12 attendees. quality not quantity.
(it’s important to know that this workshop has returned due to popular demand…space will be limited and it will fill up.)
what? lunch, dinner, breakfast, and lunch. “own now” coffee table book. “own now” workbook. shooting on location at salt flats. shooting on location off the beaten path. models provided. a personal portfolio review. and membership to an exclusive own now forum. (and other throw-ins as sponsors are provided.)

SCHEDULE:
sunday May 20th
lunch and meet & greet at the own now venue (a working artist’s studio).
lecture, “the soup” (all the good stuff we get to absorb, consume, inhale, be inspired by, mind opening, third eye growing (you get it). topics include: ‘own now’= know thyself, desire, disconnect, ordinary people, inspiration, and questions.)
board the OWN NOW RV (yes you read that right) and relocate ourselves to the incredibly unique Utah Bonneville Salt Flats!
dinner, and spread your wings on site.
shoot! crack out your cameras to shoot some funkdafied models as the sun lowers.

monday May 21st
breakfast and recap
lecture, “the sweat” (the work, the blood the sweat the tears, the dark hour, the love of it. etc.
topics include: action, work, craft, less is more, and q&a.)
lunch
shoot! relocate for final shoot on location…a down-to-earth natural setting with a model couples.

the last own now was a great success. i received nothing but high remarks from the past attendees, and if there was any negative feedback (as i was asking them to be brutally honest) the only mark that came was to extend the shooting time…and thats what i have done.
this time around you can plan for more increased shooting time and more added breathable material to the lectures, with more time for one-on-one and group instructions at the shoots on location! BOOM!!!

if you are interested in attending, email me at duston(at)dustontodd(dot)com and i will send you more information on how to secure your spot.

i send a sincere thank you. this workshop is about and for YOU and would be nothing without it. find who you are, and own it now.

::