Happy Birthday, Jesus

So my mom started this new family tradition. On Christmas morning, we decorate a birthday cake for Jesus. After a little while, I noticed Mattie had left to go off and play on her cousin's guitar. This is what I found her doing...

Karyn's Senior Portraits

Have you ever done a portrait session out in the cold? And the wind? And possible rain? Well, none of those things happened during Karyn's senior portrait session, thank goodness! It was a perfect day for pictures, and Karyn was absolutely fantastic. I couldn't have asked for a better day or a better subject. Thanks Karyn, you are awesome!

Prayer request...

Some good friends of ours just recently experienced a tragic loss earlier this week. The Peterson family lost Rob's father in a very unexpected death which they're still trying to determine the cause. Walter Peterson left behind grandson's Will and Walt, who are still coping with this situation. My family and I have been praying hard for the Peterson's while they go through this extremely trying experience. I've learned how powerful blog's can be when it comes to the power of prayer. So I'm asking everyone who reads this to just take a few moments to send thoughts of love and comfort out to the Peterson family. We love you guys very much and are keeping you in our hearts.

Lauren and AJ Wedding

I swear I have the best job in the world. Being a part of such a wonderful event like Lauren and AJ's wedding today was such an uplifting experience! Every smile was genuine, every person was kind, and every heart was warm today as Lauren and AJ made their vows in front of us all. Their beautiful wedding took place at Riverbend Chapel, then we made our way downtown to the swanky Stephen F. Austin Intercontinental Hotel. Lauren's gorgeous dress was provided by Serendipity Bridal and the gorgeous and colorful flowers were created by Westbank Flowers. Lauren's fabulous makeup was provided by the amazing Maris Malone Calderon. The entire day went so smoothly due to the wonderful wedding coordinator Jenn Goodner from Your Very Own Fairygodmother. AJ and Lauren, I wish you both the very best, and congratulations!

The Wedding of Nathan and Suzette

This weekend was a blast, and Nathan and Suzette were the perfect couple to spend it with! When Nathan called to book me from Chicago, I had no idea how great it was going to be to work with these two wonderful people. There wedding ceremony was held at the beautiful St. Mary's Cathedral in downtown Austin. Afterwards, we made our way out into the beautiful Texas Hill Country for there reception at the lovely Memory Lane event facility. Thank you Suzette and Nathan for letting me be a part of your wonderful wedding day, I love you both!!

Enya's Senior Portraits

If you read my last post, you know I spend waaaaay too much time on Facebook! A lot of my senior portrait clients are on there, and I always post their photos and videos on there. So much, in fact, that I've completely forgotten to post them here too! Anyway, Enya, you did an amazing job yesterday!!!

Nathan and Suzette

Nathan and Suzette called me from Chicago a while back asking me to capture their wedding here in Austin. This was the first day I actually got to meet them in person, and we hit it off instantly! They're both art directors, and had so many ideas for a very Austin-ney photo shoot. Love you guys, can't wait till Saturday!

Buzz Marketing...

As most of you know, I'm a total nutter about Facebook. I'm always on there, checking up on my friends, swapping photos, etc. But I'm also using it to promote my business. In fact, I ran into a former high school choir buddy, Kari Rippetoe. Yes, I know, I was a high school choir nerd... Anyway, Kari saw what I was doing on FB to promote my business and asked me to participate in a case study for her blog: The Caffeinated Blog. Her blog is a wonderful resource about online marketing, and apparently has quite a few subscribers. In fact, since she posted her case study about my business, I've been contacted by others as well as Facebook to interview me... who knew? Anyway, Kari this one's for you. I can't thank you enough!

Elegant bridals in downtown Austin

It was time to flex my editorial muscles once again as we did bridals in downtown Austin. Who'd have thought we'd be shooting in a $3 million penthouse in one of Austin's exclusive high-rises? Anyway, I rarely get to post bridals on here but these were just too much fun to keep to myself! Enjoy!!

Melissa and Matt Wedding

Melissa and Matt's wedding took place on an uncanny beautiful Texas autumn Saturday. I mean, you couldn't ask for better weather or location. Everything was so nice and green, and lush, the colors just popped all over the place! And the couple couldn't have been more inviting and more sincere. Congratulations you two, so cute you are!!!

Dale and Rachel's Wedding

Dale and I go way back, about 10 years I think. He and I met at SMU when I was in the opera program there in Dallas. Well about a year ago, Dale calls me up to tell me he just got engaged and wanted to know if I knew any capable photographers... wink! Of course, I throttled him into agreeing to let me shoot his wedding. Did he honestly think I'd trust his wedding images to anyone else? Ha ha ha... 

Anyway, Dale and Rachel had their gorgeous wedding at Wildwood Inn in Denton, TX. Everything was absolutely perfect, the music, the food, the people... I love you guys and I know you'll enjoy many years of bliss!

Dori and Kenn's wedding!

Ok, so if you've never done a jewish wedding before, let me just be honest. It was absolutely fantastic! Dori and Kenn's wedding at Westwood Country Club was so much fun! Everything was gorgeous. Shirley Watson from Flowers by Design did such a wonderful job with the floral arrangements! Russell's Cakes were beautiful, as well as delicious! 

One of my favorite parts of the whole day was witnessing all the wonderful traditions of the jewish culture. Everything from the Chuppah to the Ketubah to the HaMotzi, it was all so beautiful to be a part of. 

Dori and Kenn, thank you so much for welcoming me into your family and being a part of your wonderful wedding weekend. I love you both and congratulations!

Ali and Aldo

Today was such a lovely day! I had the privilege to capture the wedding of Ali and Aldo down at the beautiful San Antonio Riverwalk. Their ceremony was on the riverbank, and they held their reception at the very exclusive Biga on the Banks Restaurant and Bar. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to photograph such a lovely couple at such a wonderful place! Thank you and congratulations to Ali and Aldo!

Dads and Donuts!

Today was very special, because my Mattie's kindergarten class had Dads and Donuts Day! You know I was totally looking forward to this! 

This is a drawing Mattie did of me, the top one. See the likeness?

and these are our kid photos...

all the dads waiting in the hallway...

Mattie made a card, placemat, and nametag for me to wear!

this is the bio Mattie made for me...

The proud kindergartner

mmmmmm....

Me, photo taken by Mattie... she's pretty good, don't you think?

cute!

one of Mattie's classmates...

Mattie's teacher, Mrs. Prentice!

Another portrait by Mattie!

song time!
Mattie pointing out where dolphins live...
a puppet show by Mattie
the class gerbil

Mattie's music teacher

and one final photo before we go!

So my daughter's Kindergarten class is having a Dads and Donuts day tomorrow morning, which I'm totally looking forward to. Anyway, we're supposed to provide her teacher with photos of the dads from when they were young so the kids can try to match up which one is their Daddy. Let me know what you think...

I think the chubby cheeks give me away...

Dale and Rachel

I absolutely love it when I get out of town clients, because then I get to show people like Dale and Rachel all the cool spots around Austin! It's so much fun, we just jump in the car and check out all the neat places to photograph. Thanks Dale and Rachel, and congratulations!

Reshma and Vinoo's wedding in NYC

Sometimes it can be difficult to explain to someone what I mean when I get emotionally attached to my clients. Vinoo and Reshma are a perfect example of a couple who welcomed me into their families, opened themselves up to me, and together allowed me to create some of the most spectacular images of my career. It would be easy to pass the beauty of these images off on the fact that they were taken in lovely Tarrytown, NY. It would be easy to say that this combination of Catholic and Indian traditions and culture enhanced the photos. The flood of colors and sounds that surrounded me as I captured their unique wedding day allowed me to become part of the event as well as document the images. But in all honesty, it was this couple who opened their hearts and included me in their family that enabled me to create such a beautiful story of their lives. I can't begin to explain the gratitude I have towards these people for letting me participate in such an emotional and uplifting day. Thank you, Vinoo and Reshma, and I wish you both the very best life can bring!

Welcome the newsest member of the DMP family!

So apparently somewhere, someone thinks I'm capable of teaching and mentoring an intern... yes, I know you're all laughing! Anyway, Lynne' (Lin-nay) is a current senior at St. Edward's University (Go Hilltoppers!), and is quite the whiz with Photoshop and lighting, etc. Her sense of humor and eagerness to learn make her a perfect fit for the studio. So when you drop by, make sure to welcome Lynne' everybody!

First day of Kindergarten...

Well, we knew it was coming eventually! Look out world, here comes Mattie! It was touching seeing her drag her backpack along the sidewalk as we escorted her to her first day of school. Did you think we were actually going to let her ride the bus? Ok, maybe in about six weeks...

End of Summer Pool Party...

My daughter and all her friends will be starting kindergarten in the next couple of weeks, so the parents and I decided to throw them an end of summer pool party! It was so much fun hanging out with everyone and letting the kids wear each other out! They grow up so fast... sniff!

Sarah and Jerad Engagement Portraits

We had so much fun today with Sarah and Jerad at Mt. Bonnell! Jerad proposed to Sarah on this very spot, so we braved the heat and then made our way back to the studio to cool off. Congratulations, you guys! You did awesome!

Summer Splash Time Crazies!

I was at a pool birthday party taking photos with my plastic toy Holga camera. I figured, why do the kids get to have all the fun? Doesn't that slip-and-slide look awesome?

Brooke's Senior Photos!

Brooke came into my studio knowing exactly what she wanted. Her creativity and personality allowed us to capture many one of a kind images. Thanks Brooke, you are amazing!!!

New DMP Site Launched...

Hey everyone, I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that my site has been completely remodeled! Thank you to everyone for helping make DMP the successful studio it is today. Special thanks to David Jay for his web-builder software "Showit Sites", for enabling professional photographers to create sites as unique as they are. 

Thanks again to all my wonderful clients, weddings and portraits alike. I invite you to come see the new site at http://www.dustinmeyer.com. Because of this new software, the site will be changing frequently, so check back often! 

Thanks!

Dustin

Lacey and Eric Engagement Photos

One of the fun things I get to do is engagement portraits. Photographing Lacey and Eric was such a treat for me! We hit several locations around town, including South Congress and Old Town. Getting to collaborate with them on different spots and outfits allowed us to come up with some fantastic images. Of course, having a couple who's madly in love is a bonus as well!

Taylor Smith Senior Portraits

So this guy walks into my studio... and completely raises the bar for all my guy seniors at DMP! Taylor Smith completely commanded the stage with his unique versatility and originality. Taylor, this one's for you!

Makenzie's Senior Portraits

Makenzie came to me with tons of ideas for her session! Everything from casual to more fashionista looks. She was fantastic, trying everything we could throw at her. Fabulous job, Makenzie!

Leslie and Jeremy...

Leslie and Jeremy tied the knot on July 5th, 2008 at Kali-Kate Farm. Jeremy is in the Army and served in Iraq, so the day was full of emotion and excitement to have him home with his gorgeous bride, Leslie. I was so thrilled to be a part of the day, photographing every special moment. Congratulations, you guys!

New blog site...

Welcome to the new location for my blog! I was previously using iWeb, which is great. But it can get a little tedious having to upload, re-export, blah blah blah, etc. So I decided to change it over to a web-based site which is much easier to use.
You can always check the old blog at the original site: www.dustinmeyer.com/blog. Thanks and enjoy!