This was precious little Joey only a year ago:

And, this is Joey today! He is a walking, “talking” bundle of cute 1-yr-old!

He is such a happy boy and so very loved! This little sweet boy is loved so very much that his Aunt and his “G-Daddy” both came to help him smile! And, he got the opportunity to take some family photos, too. I just love this sweet family! Happy one year birthday, Joey!! 🙂

This is Miss Ella and her new baby brother, Will…years ago…back in 2007! How sweet are they?

And, not much has changed in the last four years! They are still one of the cutest and sweetest little sister/brother pairs I photograph! I haven’t seen Will or Ella in about two years so it was so much fun to see them again and all grown up at ages 4 and 6! I always love the relationships that I’m able to build based on this business, and it is such a joy to catch up with old friends. First up, just so you can compare to this “old” photo, here’s a few of Will and Ella together!

Love this last one! Will may not be smiling, but his little eyes are just smoldering! I think it’s just perfect! 🙂

And, a few individuals as well. First up, the new big 1st grader…beautiful and fun Ella!

And, now it’s Mr.Will’s turn! He was a bit on the serious side for the majority of the session, but those serious big ol’ eyes are fantastic! 😉

Thanks for a fun night, my sweet friends!

Life is very busy when you have a 4-yr-old, a 2-yr-old and a 12-month-old! But, of what fun!! I met up with these beautiful children and their super fun and laid-back parents for a session at the Arlington Town Square! It was ridiculously hot, yet again! These three children are seriously adorable and have eyes that just melt you. I mean seriously!! Madeline is the sweet big sister…caring, mature, and very girly! Loved twirling and showing me her ballerina moves! Mr. Graham, almost 3 years old, was a little heart-breaker. Those big pouty eyes and lips just got me every shot! And, then, little Harrison…very laid-back, just takes life as it comes to him. I loved the results we achieved! Can’t wait to show you all the rest of them! Enjoy! 🙂

First up, a few of the three of them! Love how their personalities just shine through!

Madeline…

Graham…

And Harrison…

Sweet little ones…

As I write this post, it is still feeling very much like a summer day in Memphis, TN! I’m dreaming of cooler nights out by the fire, s’mores, and crunching colorful leaves beneath my feet. It’s time again to announce 1:17 Photography’s yearly tradition and customer favorite… Mini Sessions!  Avoid the hectic times surrounding the holidays this year by planning ahead.

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, want someone else to handle that dreaded “Christmas Card photo”, needs gifts for the grandparents, 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.

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, tentatively planned for September 21st, will take place in a local cotton field. We have done a Mini Session there the last two years and they were a huge hit with 1:17 customers! Take a look at a blog from last years’s cotton field sessions!  I do need to make an important comment here, however. If you are going to purchase a cotton field Mini Session, please be aware that this is a tentative date only. We will have to wait until sometime in mid-September to know exactly when the cotton will be “ready” with those beautiful soft, white fluffs! 🙂 I am in contact with the farmer who is letting us borrow his fields, and will be sure to notify you of any changes to this date if needed. You will just need to be flexible. Just know that if you purchase a cotton field Mini and the date has to be rescheduled and you cannot make the new date, we will do our best to work with you on finding a good alternative, or we will gladly refund your money. Hopefully, this date will work…we just won’t know for sure for another few weeks!

Our 2nd location this year is out in Collierville at Schilling Farms! I am super excited about the opportunities at this location and think that there is something for everyone here. By this date, some leaves on the trees will hopefully begin to be changing colors. This will be a fabulous location that will truly feel and look like Fall! Here’s a link to a blog that I did last week with some images from Schilling Farms with my beautiful daughter, Isabella.

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!

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!

Welcome to the world, little Brooke! You’ve are one blessed little girl. You’ve got a big brother that is full of energy and joy and love for you. (Not to mention is fantastically photogenic with a-maz-ing big, blue eyes!) And, two parents who think you are such a tremendous gift! I could see through my time with you the other day that they just love you so very much. And, you…oh, Brooke. You are so gorgeous and beautiful and have a wonderful world awaiting you.

I so enjoyed my time with this family the other day. Little 10-day-old Brooke was a joy and big brother, George, was so great for his part in the shoot, too. Enjoy! 🙂

While little Brooke took a feeding break, I took the opportunity to snap a few of big brother….loooove!!

Beautiful Brooke…

There are some people who just cannot take a bad photograph! I mean seriously, not one bad picture in the bunch. And, this weekend, I was blessed enough to have not one but two little girls who have such wonderful luck! Meet Maggie and Emily, two very sweet sisters who had a great time at their photo session. We laughed and smiled through the whole session and kept it fun! I loved working with them and seeing them actually enjoy their time in the spotlight. I had the hardest time picking out which images to feature here. They are seriously all so great! Loved meeting you all and I hope you see some here you love as well. Enjoy! 🙂

Maggie…

And Emily…

Love the genuine smiles and hugs on this next one…

I cannot believe how big and beautiful Miss Gray has become! Well, to be honest, she’s always been quite beautiful. 🙂 Now she just keeps on growing up, too! I had the honor of photographing Gray for her “Sitting and Smiling” session on Saturday along with her sweet parents. I absolutely adore the images we captured of their family and hope that it conveys their sweet love for each other. They are happy, make each other laugh and smile, give sweet snuggles and, most importantly, they ALL smile with unmeasured pleasure at the fun of Miss Gray being tossed in the air by her Daddy. Love it! Enjoy the sneak peek of Gray’s session!

My favorite shot of the day is below! This baby girl is LOVED!! 🙂

Adore this girl’s big ol’ eyes…see, told ya…gorgeous!!

So earlier this week I treated you to some images with two of my gorgeous little nieces at our new shooting location, Davies Manor Plantation. Today, it’s time to feast on the cuteness of my little nephew, Graham! I wanted to show that Davies works for little babies, too. 🙂

I cannot believe how quickly this little guy is growing up! He has such a quiet, relaxed spirit and is just a joy! Don’t you just want to eat up his little chunky legs and arms! So adorable! Graham, your Aunt Julie loves you so much! You are a precious little boy!

And, since big sister Kallen came along to help, you know I just had to grab a few of her cute little 4-yr-old self. She was rockin’ those hot pink boots! I want some! 🙂

Hello, gorgeous morning light! And, absolutely stunning little Kallen! Love you, too, you little snuggle bug! Too bad Kinley couldn’t join us, too. 🙁 She was doing important things at school as a big 1st grader!

“And the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.” 1 Samuel 1:27. Meet Brantley, a little boy who definitely has been prayed over the first few weeks of his life. Brantley had a complication at birth with a tear in his lung and spent the first week of his life in the NICU. Definitely not the plan that his brothers and parents had in mind, but God was firmly in control. Brantley was prayed for and God healed him. If you look carefully at some of the photos, you can see the “scars” where procedures were done on his little chest. But, his Mom and I both agree that they are not to be photoshopped as they are just a reminder of the power of prayer! I had the privilege of photographing Brantley at 3 weeks old in his own home the other day with his two big brothers close by. What a precious and sweet gift from God this little guy is! So thankful for God’s goodness to this family and for the joy he is already bringing to their lives. Enjoy Brantley’s sneak peek! 🙂 Boy feet!! Love how Brantley’s little foot is just hanging up there! haha!

I have been in business now for almost six years, so it is very exciting to me to find a new spot to photograph! Not that I don’t love all my old standby spots, but the artist in me loves the opportunity to create something new and different. I put out a call several weeks ago on Facebook for some ideas of some new locations. My sweet friend, Amy, reminded me about Davies Manor Plantation. My two children and I went out to explore and I knew right away that Amy was right and that this place presented some amazing spots for photography. I’ve been negotiating with the sweet ladies that run the place and finally got the “a-ok” to start doing sessions there. I see so much potential here for all different kinds of looks for photo sessions. I can see pretty white dresses, and I see cowboy boots. I see blue jeans and I see twirly colorful dresses. I see families and babies, too!

To give you your first peek at what is offered here, I snagged my sister’s two little girls for a quick session the other day. This is “Liv ‘n’ Lu” from our framing company, by the way. Aren’t my nieces just BEAUTIFUL! Love them and so proud of who they are. Don’t worry, all of you with boys and little ones, I have a session planned in the next few days with my 6-month-old nephew as well.

So take a look at my beautiful nieces, the gorgeous Davies Manor and know that this is a spot I highly recommend for your next photo session. In fact, this will be the location for one of our upcoming Fall Mini Sessions. Details to follow one day next week! Enjoy! 🙂