Oh, this boy! He has my heart. He walked around during our session and would randomly blurt out in the cutest little 2 year old voice you’ve heard, “Miss Jewie’s here!!”. And he was genuinely thrilled that I was still there with him. Melted my heart. So sweet. I love being  Lucas’s Miss Jewie. 🙂 Lucas is now two and I’ve been photographing him since he was just days old. Loved all the many faces he shared with me that day. What a cutie! I dare you not to smile! Go ahead, I’m going to win this bet. You are going to smile!

I am SO excited to announce this to you! Years ago in college, I met this wonderful friend named Katie. She did her thing after college, and I did mine-neither of which were photography or art! Years later, we reconnected when Katie discovered that I was a photographer and I became her family’s photographer when I did her oldest child’s two-year-old portraits. It was so fun reconnecting and seeing Katie at portrait sessions. Then, magic happened. Katie really put her heart and time into becoming this phenomenal artist, and I fell in love with her work!! It is sooo absolutely beautiful and breathtaking. I now have three Katie Toombs paintings in my home and they are such treasures to me. The first is one that she created. The other two are custom paintings where I gave her an idea of what I was looking for, and through collaboration and her brilliant talent, Katie created amazing pieces of art for me that hang in my home now. I LOVE THEM!

My most recent painting she completed and brought to me just a couple of weeks ago. It is a painting of my children when they were 1 and 3 years old-today they are 10 and 13! It is from an old photograph I had taken of them years ago and has always been one of my very favorites. I commissioned Katie to use this photograph as the basis of the painting. I loved the “idea” of the photo, but really wasn’t crazy about an entire field of yellow flowers as that’s a lot of yellow to adorn my hearth room! So, I told Katie that I loved the look of flowers, but preferred white. I also told her how much I loved sessions I had shot in fields of wheat grasses and cotton, too. And, I told her I preferred it be more neutral in color scheme. That’s it. That’s all I told her. And, what I got in return blew me away!! First, here’s the photo for you to see that I gave to her, and then the final product. It is beautiful in person. Honestly, photos don’t do it justice.

I love it so very much, that it got me to thinking on how I could possibly share my new treasure with you guys. We all love photos of our children, and they are “common”. Why not take what I can do and fuse it with what Katie can do, and give you something not so “common”? So Katie and started to scheme and talk and discuss-and we’ve come up with something that I am so very excited to share with you. It will be the perfect Mother’s Day Gift, or just the perfect “Just Because” gift. Ladies, here’s your chance to tell your husband that this is what you want! Make it easy for him! Or, maybe it’s time you just treat yourself to this because you deserve it!

So, how will this work? Katie and I have come up with two different possibilities from which you will choose. At the end of the day, you will end up with digital copies of my photography that will be yours to use and print as you wish-perfect for Grandmother gifts! And, you will also have your very own custom-created painting in size 11×14 or 12×12 from Katie Toombs-Fine Art! I know, it’s awesome, right? Here’s the details:

Option 1: $425.00: (To purchase, click here)

• Includes a “mini” Mini Session with Julie for approximately 10-15 min at Oaklawn Gardens in Germantown on either May 2 or May 9. Spaces are LIMITED!
• You will receive a disc with 5-7 images crafted specifically with your painting in mind. These will be your images to print as you desire! Session will mainly focus on interaction between children such as hugging, giving flowers to each other, walking down a path together, etc. It will not focus on individual “face shot” images of the children-unless you are looking for this specifically for your portrait. However, Katie’s paintings are more impressionistic so there are no facial features. See my above painting for examples or her website is www. katietoombs.com and specifically the “Figures” section. If your child has something that they love to do, consider incorporating this into your session such as playing princess dress-up, playing with trains, etc. this will be perfect for this session!
• Includes the “rights” to the photograph to have Katie create a special custom-created piece of art just for you based upon your image(s).
• You will work directly with the artist to create a painting based on your desires.  Remember, the background I photograph can be “manipulated” to be more of what you desire for your painting if necessary.
• You will receive a painting in either size 12×12 or 11×14 by one of Memphis’ most in-demand artists! Remember, as your artwork is a custom piece, it will take approximately 1-2 months to receive your painting from Katie.

Option 2: $300: (To purchase, click here)

• Have an “old” photograph that I have taken of your children or family in the past 8 years I’ve been in business that you would LOVE to have made into a custom piece of art? Then this option is for you!
• Pick any photo (or two, if needed for the same price) that I’ve taken for you since I began my business back in 2006. I will give you the digital photo to use as you wish. The rights become yours, and Katie will create your art based upon this photo. You also will have access to the photo for printing on your own if you so desire.
• Includes the “rights” to the photograph to have Katie create a special custom-created piece of art just for you based upon your image(s).
• You will work directly with the artist to create a painting based on your desires.  Remember, the background I photographed can be “manipulated” to be more of what you desire for your painting, if necessary.
• You will receive a painting in either size 12×12 or 11×14 by one of Memphis’ most in-demand artists! Remember, as your artwork is a custom piece, it will take approximately 1-2 months to receive your painting from Katie.

I know the date for the first session is this week, but the weather looks beautiful and azaleas are still blooming! 🙂 May 2nd is the date that will be filled first.

Please remember, this is commissioned artwork and SPACES ARE LIMITED!! Please don’t delay!

Are you ready? Simply go to my website and choose your option. Follow this link, and it will take you there. Once I receive your order, Jodie will get with you to schedule your “mini” Mini Session or I will contact you so you can tell me which photo I need to search my archives for! Here’s the link: http://117photography.com/store/?page/30319/load/product_category/category/3850/imageID/0/mini-sessions There are two options there, so choose the one you want.

Need a little inspiration? Here’s just a handful of images from 2013(mostly) that I grabbed that are great examples of photographs that would make beautiful paintings! Don’t delay! I promise you won’t regret it!

I had the extreme honor of photographing this warrior last week on the campus of St.Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Meet Alexis, a senior from Southaven, Mississippi. Alexis is only a teenager, but has lived and survived through horrors that most of us cannot imagine. This fighter has come back from fighting ovarian cancer that was discovered when she was 16. She has fought HARD the last year and a half, and come out on top! Alexis specifically wanted to do her Senior Portraits on the campus of the hospital that has literally helped save her life. I just LOVE that! She is now cancer free and heading to Mississippi State in the fall after she graduates with honors in May! Now, that is AWESOME!!! Way to go, Alexis! And, congratulations!! I’m so happy for you! 

Alexis wanted photos with this statue. Loved how she called Danny Thomas, founder of the hospital, “her” Danny! 🙂 Please consider making a donation to St.Jude and help other kids like Alexis have a  fighting chance. It’s pretty amazing that no child or family is ever charged for care while at St.Jude. For more information, please see http://www.stjude.org/because-of-you?sc_icid=spot-becauseofyou  to learn more! 

This is Mays a little over a year ago…so sweet! And this is Mays today! How precious is this sweet girl? I have absolutely adored photographing Mays over the last year and watching her grow into the big eyed, charming, grinning, laughing, fun-loving girl that she is becoming. It has been just wonderful! Happy Birthday to you, Mays! Thanks for sharing your first year with me. 🙂  Those curls!! LOVE! 

A beautiful Spring day on an gorgeous college campus! A family who are my friends, whom I’ve grown to just adore over the past years of photographing them and watching them grow up before my eyes. A perfect day! Thank you so much, Mary Kate, Tripp and your beautiful Mommy for making me love my job-all over again! Enjoy! 🙂

This is beautiful Emma! Isn’t she just absolutely gorgeous with those big brown sparkling eyes? Our family become friends with their family through our boys who are friends. Sadly, this amazing family is military and they will be leaving Tennessee soon to move “back home” to Missouri. I am so happy for them; but, we will miss them so much. Emma is graduating from Arlington High in just a few short weeks and will be starting her new life in college at Mizzou in the fall. It has been a joy to get to know these wonderful people. Emma, I wish you all the best in college. The best is yet to come! Enjoy every moment. I hope you love your little sneak peek. So. Many. More to come! 🙂 Congratulations! 

I’ve been photographing all of these sweet children since they were merely days old! What a privilege to watch them grow up before my lens. This time, it was for a quick little Mini Session in the gorgeous grasses. I just love these families and love this setting. I couldn’t be more pleased with our results. Lovin’ it! 🙂 Thank you Lainey, Molly Kate, Dawson and Parker for just being simply…AWESOME!

First up, Lainey and her beautiful parents…
And, now it’s Dawson, Parker and Molly Kate…

Beautiful baby boy!! Little Cohen is an absolute doll. I couldn’t get enough of his precious little snuggles. I think he would’ve snuggled with me all day-and actually preferred that to me photographing him. lol! He was super interested in all the new textures surrounding him and very curious-surely he will be very smart like his big brother. I just love the bright colors paired with the spring flowers. Gorgeous boy! Such a fun day with you. Can’t believe you are already so big! 🙂 

Oh my! How I just love that little crinkled nose smile on sweet Brianna! I’ve been photographing this family for several years now and it is always a joy! I can never wait to see what gorgeous outfits their Mom picks out for them to wear-it is always absolutely perfect! Plus, to make it even better, sessions are always scheduled in the “prime time” of the gorgeous Memphis Spring! To get to photograph a beautiful girl on a beautiful Spring day? It doesn’t get much better that this! Happy #5, Miss B! You are so precious and you make me SMILE!! 🙂

Every once in awhile, you get one of “those” sessions. Photographers know what I am talking about. It is just perfect in every way. Newborns are a little notorious for normally needing a little extra TLC-understandably! They’ve had quite the change in lifestyle from the womb! 🙂 But, sweet Cal was just absolutely perfect his entire session. Never made a peep, has the perfect little amount of chubbiness, a beautiful momma to hold him, and yummy early Spring light! Really just perfect. So excited this little guy is a part of our Newborn Club. Can’t wait to see his cuteness unfold over the next year. Congratulations to this sweet family!
I mean, does it get any more beautiful than this? Swoon!!