I just love listening to people laugh.

There's just something to be said about a good belly laugh! The kind that makes your cheeks and your stomach sore. I have a few friends who have such contagious, wonderful, incredible laughs. Especially their belly laughs. They are just amazing! You know the kind - so deep, so honest, so full of joy that you can't help but laugh, too. Even if you don't know why they are laughing. The joy radiating off their face and the beautiful sound of their laugh creates this sense of incredible joy and freedom and connection.

I think a lot of people love laughter. For me, it's a reflection of the joy we are given in the Father; a sense of freedom to be all that we were created to be; a byproduct of finding joy and blessings in our current stage of life. It's a way to connect to other people on a deeper level. For me, it's a way to see people in a more natural habitat. It's hard to put on a mask when you are mid belly laugh. There's no covering, no faking. You are unfiltered, and it's beautiful.

They say laughter is the best medicine, and I think there is some truth to that. I don't know about you, but there have been a lot of times in my life that I have laughed at some pretty inappropriate times. Like in the middle of my youth pastor's message one Sunday night, for example. (I remember not being able to hold myself together that night, but to this day, I can't remember what was so stinking funny! All I remember is the girl next to me and I were absolutely losing it... over... something.) The beauty, though, lies in the memory of those times. I reflect on those memories with an increased sense of joy and gratitude. I can't remember what we were laughing at, but I can remember the sense of connection I felt with that girl. And I'm sure if I brought it up to my youth pastor, he would still remember that evening, too (although probably not quite as fondly as I do)!

As a photographer, I live for laughing photos. Not the silly, goofy, someone-was-being-weird-funny-faced photos (although I love those too! Check out my blog on blooper photos if you haven't already. So fun!!). But real, deep, belly laughs that showcase the relationships in the photos. Those are so precious to me, and (I hope) so precious to my clients. There's just a unparalleled level of joy and happiness you find in those moments of laughter.