Collection Three
Joy
Joy arrives quietly.
I've noticed I rarely recognize joy while it's happening. It usually reveals itself later, hidden inside an ordinary photograph that somehow carries more feeling than I remembered. Looking back through these images, I realize joy was never waiting for bigger moments. It had been quietly finding me all along.
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Incoming
Joy
Incoming felt pretty obvious once I looked at the photos. George has the kind of energy that deserves a warning.
It made me laugh, and it felt exactly like him.
There’s something really sweet about watching George and Leia play together. Completely content with a ball, some room to run, and each other. No awareness of anything beyond what’s happening right then.
Dogs seem to understand that kind of presence better than we do. There are probably a lot of lessons wrapped up in that—the simplicity of what makes them happy, how quickly they forgive, how fully they seem to inhabit whatever moment they’re in.
That’s part of why I love photographing them so much. For a second, I’m immersed in the joy with them.
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Good Company
Joy
Maybe joy isn't always about knowing where you're going.
Sometimes it's simply being grateful for who you're wandering with.
I chose Good Company because I don't think this photograph is really about where we were going. It's about the quiet joy of sharing the journey with the ones you love.
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Stroll
Joy
We weren't looking for an old ice cream sign. It simply made us smile, so we stopped. I'm learning that some afternoons don't need a plan to become the ones I'm most grateful for.
I chose Stroll because a stroll doesn't have a destination. It leaves room for curiosity, detours, and the little moments that were never part of the plan.
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Hello, Leo
Joy
Dogs have a way of making introductions feel effortless.
Leo wasn't looking for anything other than someone willing to stop and say hello. I'm really glad we did.
I chose Hello, Leo because that's exactly how it began. Just a simple hello that somehow turned into one of my favorite moments from the day.
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Drifting
Joy
I still think about that afternoon a lot. Fall was beginning, Leia was with us, Ross was beside me, and for a little while everything felt okay. I didn't realize it then, but those were the moments I wanted to remember.
Sometimes that's enough.
I chose Drifting because I wasn't lost—I simply wasn't trying to get anywhere. Standing beside those cornfields, watching the clouds move across the sky, life felt wonderfully unhurried. For a little while, there was nowhere else I needed to be. I let the afternoon carry me instead of trying to carry it.
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Unburdened
Joy
I hope everyone gets to feel this kind of freedom at least once—to forget themselves for a little while and simply exist in the moment.
Leia has always carried a quiet seriousness about her. She's gentle, observant, and sometimes a little unsure of the world around her. But on this beach, none of that seemed to matter. She ran without hesitation, without fear, without anything weighing her down.
I chose Unburdened because, for a little while, she looked completely free.