The fine arts department has a new teacher, Colton Dudley. Dudley is the photography and studio photo teacher, who portrays art through both his photos and his tattoos.

Dudley attended the University of Central Oklahoma and was heavily involved in campus life. He loved how the college was community-based and networked towards creating a diverse community.

Dudley stumbled upon photography and fell in love with it, which lead to him opening his own photography company.

“I kind of got into photography in an unconventional way and hadn’t planned on ever liking it. Eventually I practiced more and shot more, and got where I am today,” Dudley said.

Though a teacher now, Dudley never imagined he would end up teaching.

“[Teaching] was also unconventional, but it’s something I really enjoy. Getting to know the students is always great,” Dudley said.

For Dudley life is all about balance: he owns his own company, recently got engaged, and is a teacher.

“Everything is a balancing act, I had to prioritize school which was easy because there are seasons for photography,” Dudley said.

However, Dudley also enjoys the simple pleasures of life. When he’s not teaching he can be found doing everything from golfing to getting meaningful tattoos.

“I like golfing, fishing and spending time with my fiance. Every tattoo on my arm is related to a family member,” Dudley said.  I like to pay homage to them because they taught me so much. It’s like an illustrated reminder.”

Though quite the master of photography himself, Dudley does not expect every student that comes through his class to be that way.

“I by no means expect students to leave as masters of photography. I want them to leave with a spark of creativity,” Dudley said.