FINALLY!!! SPRING IS HERE! Yes, I’m aware that all caps means that I am shouting, because I am! 🙂 After what seems to have been the endless winter and countless numbers of “spring” sessions rescheduled due to the winter-like conditions in Memphis this particular Spring, I’m in the mood for some happy shouting! So thrilled with the way these Mini Sessions turned out. The cold days have had one benefit…they’ve kept the daffodils around much longer than usual and I was thrilled to incorporate them into these sessions. The golden warmth of the Spring sun just shines in these happy faces. It was a perfect evening, and I so enjoyed playing in the warm evening with all my sweet little friends and their families. I hope you all love what you see so far! I had a hard time picking my sneak peeks, and that’s never a bad thing, right? Enjoy! 🙂

Another sweet family has added another little boy in blue to their crew! A big welcome to sweet little Graham! This is my first time working with this family, and it was such a joy to get to be in their home to experience and capture their happiness at the new addition of little brother and son, Graham. Big brother, Bennett, did a great job snuggling and getting in on the action, too! We were all very proud of his hard work. 🙂 You can see from the smiles and laughter that this is a family full of joy! Little Graham was a trooper, too, considering that he was awake throughout the majority of the session. Poor lil guy was soooo tired, but just wouldn’t give it up unless he was tightly snuggled up with his Momma. You’ve got to love a little boy that loves his Momma, right? Congratulations to you guys. So very happy for you! Enjoy your sneak peek!

Now this is one very beautiful and brave little girl! 🙂 Sweet Brianna and her family drove all the way in from Jackson for her session with me this week in the daffodils. And, let me tell you…it was VERY cold. But it didn’t stop this pretty girl from smiling, laughing and dancing her way through the fields of flowers! This is why I love working with children. Their little hearts and joy for life just make it all so worthwhile! I’ve come to know and love Brianna all last year through her sister’s newborn club plan; but, this was her first time to have a session all by herself. And, she made the most of it! We got some wonderfully beautiful and sweet images of this lovely little lady! Happy 4th birthday, Brianna! Thanks for making my job so much fun! 🙂

Wow!! Sometimes you just get really, truly blessed by those who are brought into your life. This wonderful family is one such gift in my life. I can hardly believe it’s been a year since this photo of little newborn Benjamin was taken. Look how sweet they were then…And, even more so now! LOVE!

This amazing family has truly been such a joy to work with this past year. I am so in love with this little boy. And, I am heartbroken knowing this was our last session together. Benjamin’s momma is a pediatric oncologist at St.Jude, but in a few months, they will be returning back “up north” to be closer to their families and she will be taking a job at a hospital there. I can’t say that I blame them for heading back home, but I sure am going to miss you guys! You are truly a light in this world, and your joy for life and sweet spirits are something I will always remember. Thank you, thank you for allowing me to share in Benjamin’s first year. May God richly bless you!

And, Happy 1st Birthday to you, big guy!! Always smiling. 🙂  More bubbles, Daddy!! Pleeease? 🙂

Benjamin’s first birthday party is going to be a Hungry Caterpillar theme from the Eric Carle books. How precious is little B in his caterpillar outfit? I just ADORE the one of him reading the book. I mean, so sweet! 🙂

Oh, sweet joy of a new baby boy!! I just love this family SOOO much. And, JenaBeth and Eric…can I just say that you make some beeee-u-ti-ful little boys? Wow! I’m so happy for this wonderful family which is now a family of four. What an honor to be asked back into their home to photograph their 2nd little man…not quite two years after I photographed little Fisher. And, speaking of Fisher, he was just MARVELOUS at the session. Did such a great job for such a little dude. And, the camera just loves him, too! Little Sullivan was wide awake for the majority of our session, but that didn’t stop him from rocking his newborn shoot. Love those wide-eyed newborn pics. There’s many sneak peeks because I couldn’t pick just a few to blog. Whoops! Congratulations to you, “N” family! God has richly blessed your family. So happy for your crew! 🙂

Loved this collage in Fisher’s room! The colors were amazing in his nursery!

Finally!! After a very long break from shooting outdoors during the winter months, I finally…FINALLY!!…got to shoot a beautiful session outdoors this past weekend. My shoots at Botanic Gardens in the fields of daffodils become a yearly tradition for us here at 1:17 Photography, and I truly love them so very much. They never disappoint, and neither did this sweet family of two sisters, Kaylee and Kassidy. Such sweet girls along with their parents and grandfather, we all enjoyed a beautiful spring day of 70 degree temps, warm sunshine and beautiful flowers. Thank you so much, “W” family for starting off the 2013 Spring season so perfectly. Enjoy your sneak peek! 

Today is the first day that I’m starting to believe that Spring is coming!! It is finally starting to warm-up up outside and the sun, which it seems we haven’t seen in weeks, is shining brightly! It’s a beautiful day in Memphis, TN! I’m dreaming of warmer nights grilling out, fresh fruits and veggies from the farmer’s markets, colorful flowers, and soft, green grass beneath my feet. It’s time again to announce 1:17 Photography’s yearly tradition and customer favorite… Mini Sessions!

How is a Mini Session different from a regular session? Well, it lasts about 15 minutes and you receive approximately 10 fully edited custom images. These sessions are perfect for those that don’t want a full session, have a person in your family who just likes things done quick and efficiently, someone who needs gifts for the grandparents for Mother’s or Father’s Day, or just wants a few quick , simple, and lovely portraits of their favorite kiddo! And new this year, we are going digital! No shopping carts, no hard decisions to pick your favorites! You’ll just get them all on a disc and can use them to your liking. PLUS, if you prefer to print with my professional labs, you will receive 20% off any print or canvas item you purchase through 1:17 Photography from your Spring Mini Session.

See below for all the exciting details! Need to schedule your session time? Simply contact jodie@117photography.com with your desired date and she’ll be happy to help you complete the process. Again, these sessions are always a customer favorite so if you see an idea that sounds like something you’d like, don’t delay!

Due to the great feedback we received from last year’s Mini Sessions, we will once again offer a couple of different dates each at a different location!

The first location, planned for March 23rd, will take place in a local field that has wild grasses growing. I have a couple of different places in mind and plan to wait until the week of the sessions to pick which field we will use. I want to pick the one that looks the best at that time. Take a look at a few blog posts from some sessions that took place in these fields. I just LOVE the soft, simplistic feel that these photographs have-plus they are a decorator’s dream as their neutral colors will work great in any room. Love these photos in both color and black/white!

Here’s the links to those blog posts:

http://blog.117photography.com/?p=3874

http://blog.117photography.com/?p=5284

http://blog.117photography.com/?p=5257

Our 2nd location this year is out in Germantown at Oaklawn Gardens! I am super excited about the opportunities at this location and think that there is something for everyone here. I have picked this date to be hopefully when the azaleas should be at their peak (hopefully-as this is based on the weather!). Combined this with the awesome textures of old benches as well as an old railroad car, old rustic buildings…it is a beautiful setting. Think lots of green grass and colorful spring azaleas! This will be a fabulous location that will truly feel and look like Spring!

Here’s a few links to the blogs that show the images from Oaklawn Gardens. All of these are from last year’s Mini Sessions at this same location at the same time of year:

http://blog.117photography.com/?p=4015

http://blog.117photography.com/?p=4026

http://blog.117photography.com/?p=3998

http://blog.117photography.com/?p=3917

Finally, the cost for this year’s session is $300.  I’m always like to change things up a bit, and this year I’m trying to make things a little easier on both of us for the Mini Sessions. With the purchase of a Mini Session this fall, it will cover your Sitting Fee, and you will receive the images from your session on a disc(approximately 10 images), professionally retouched with a print release giving you the opportunity to print and create as you wish. More and more often customers are asking for Digital Images, so here’s your chance! You won’t have to worry about shopping carts, ordering deadlines or any of those things. You’ll just get a DVD full of memories and beautiful images! Plus, for those who prefer to still order through me, you will recieve a 20% discount on all prints and canvases that you would like to order through 1:17 Photography using any image from your Spring Mini Session.

Be sure to look at the blog links above to get a better idea of what you can expect at each location. If you’d like to join us this year, don’t delay in scheduling. Sessions fill up fast! Can’t wait to see you!

Beautiful Mays has made her arrival! What a precious baby girl, who has been blessed with two fantastic and fun parents. I just know these three are going to have a family constantaly full of laughter and lots of love. Little Mays was not quite even a full four days old at her portrait session, but you’d never know it. She was alert as could be, not wanting to miss out on a moment. And, she smiled…a lot! Especially to the sound of Mommy and Daddy’s voices…so sweet. So, we didn’t end up with too many sleepy poses; however, I love the wide-eyed shots just as much. She is such a beauty. I’m looking forward to watching her grow in front of my camera over the next year. Welcome, sweet Mays! So happy for this great family! Congratulations! 🙂

Oh, sweet baby boys! What a joy to get to photograph Mr.Easton, at only 4 days old. Beyond precious! This sweet bundle of love is the new son of my lifelong friend, Mandy and her husband, Ron. He is just perfect. Soft baby blond hair, perfect features, beautiful skin….perfect, I’m telling you…what a gift from God! And, it looks like myself, Ron and Mandy aren’t the only ones super excited about little Easton’s arrival. Big sister, Lyric, is pretty enthralled as well and did such a GREAT job posing for pictures with her “baby”. Considering she is only 21 months old herself, I think she did amazing. Congratulations to all of you! Much love to you all. So happy for you! 🙂

Something about this next one just makes me swoon. Love the soft sweetness of it! 

Look at this sweet baby hair. Love!!

Hats off to Daddy, the firefighter! Sure to be one of Easton’s heroes very, very soon! The feet sticking straight up in the air just make me laugh so much! 🙂

Tanner’s smile one year ago was precious…

Now Tanner’s smile is both precious and FUN!! Love it!

I’m convinced that Tanner’s Mom has found the perfect way to ensure that a one-yr-old is happy and energetic for his session. Simply put him in the car at 5am, and drive for 8 hours! Then, you are sure to have a happy baby that is beyond thrilled just to be out of confinement and full of spunky fun and great smiles! Seriously, though, I have to give a big thumbs-up to Shelby, Tanner’s Mom, as they live in Georgia where his Dad is currently stationed. But, they are headed back to Memphis this weekend for Tan-Man’s big party!  Shelby, made a big effort to get here yesterday while the weather was absolutely perfect for an outdoor session. We had a blast with Tanner and he just made me smile so much. What a CUTIE!!

Happy birthday, little Tanner! Can’t believe you are already one! 🙂

He didn’t like the cake…at all…haha!! 🙂