Real living and sweet giggles . . . what you get when you mix 2 little boys and a handful of puppies.

I could not pass up the chance to photograph these sweet pups, and I was delighted that we got a grandson and his buddy to come play, too!

If there is anything more magical than the sweet interactions between these little creatures, I'm not sure what it is!

I love these smiles.

I love these sneaky faces!

And I adore the ways these young ones know how to close out the rest of the world and focus on this moment.  I wish you could hear them laughing!

I love taking photos like these and hoping that pressing pause on these moments will help their memories stay fresh.

I like imagining these little guys as old men, showing these images to their grandsons - and laughing a bit at the remembrance.

Might do us all a little good to dig deep and harness a bit of the playful spirit that must be inside us somewhere.

Maybe we should romp around with a new puppy or roll in the grass on a sunny day or laugh and laugh and laugh with an old friend.  

Maybe we just need to find the puppy or notice the green grass or pick up the phone and call the friend.  

We may not be as good at it as these guys . . . but we can do it.

Throw some worry away today.

Look into the eyes of something good today.

Forget about the grown up stuff, 

even if only for a moment. 

Ahhhhhh.

You can view the whole session at: http://deanagrahamphotography.com/p302842769

Joy . . .

That was the word that kept popping in my head as I shot photos of this precious trio.  JOY.  This little fellow emanated joy.  He couldn't stop smiling, and ran from shot to shot with a happiness that I loved!  

It was freezing cold the morning we met, but you would never have known.  The smiles were rampant, and this awesome family was up to anything.  Such fun!

When I emailed to let them know that the images were up on the site to view, I told Jen that I kept thinking 'joy' as I photographed them and again as I edited the photos.   I loved hearing the surprise in her answer, when she let me know that 'joy' had been in the forefront of her mind on her wedding day and the idea for each day in their home.  I think it's working!

joy * joy * joy

I'm quite sure that I could watch this little guy happily run all day!

And, yes, I could look into these eyes all day, as well.

Here's to joy and to another family that makes me know I've found the perfect (a)vocation.

Thanks, friends!

A sunny day, a train track and two precious boys!

I adore capturing real life moments with fun people, so this shoot was a blast!  I was excited when this awesome gang chose the railroad tracks.  Railroads are fun settings for neat images; but, more importantly, these guys love everything railroad!  Authentic spots are the best, and it was a joy to follow along as these two fellows investigated, played and daydreamed.

They played and I chased those beautiful blue eyes - perfect day!

I love the way they are relaxed and enjoying themselves, and I love to wonder about the days in the future when they'll share these photos with their little ones.  Good stuff.

 Again, the eyes . . . oh, the eyes.

Thanks, friends, for allowing me to tag along on the fun!

Two boys, one barn and tons of fun . . .

Stare into those big blues and you'll see one of the reasons I adore what I do!  

This was a super fun shoot with two special guys I've had the pleasure of knowing for a good bit of their lives.  Meeting a couple of boys and their mother at a friend's farm makes for big fun, wondrous eyes and lots to look at and investigate!

We were just in time to watch the horses get fed, and that made for long, dreamy looks . . .

and a few conversations!

I love this look!

The hay pile was a big favorite and led to lots of slip sliding fun!

A couple more blues . . .

It just keeps getting better!

I loved this one and wonder what they were talking about as they strolled.

The more stuff to climb, the better!

Ahhhhhhhh.

Sweet, sweet boys.

And, locating the tractor at the end of our time, was the perfect surprise!

Y'all come back now, ya hear?