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Julie Elaine Hedges owns and operates JE Hedges Photography. She is a Professional Photographer with memberships in PPA - Professional Photographer's of America, Young Professionals of Greater Columbus, GA, WPCV - Wedding Professionals of Chattahoochee Valley, Columbus Georgia Photographers, and Kodak's Promise of Excellence. This past year was an honoring and humbling one for Julie. She brought home four awards in four different city wide "favorite photographer" voting polls:
To be recognized as a leader among all the talented photographers in our area is truly an honor. Julie has been a photographer for as long as she can remember, starting with a 126 Instamatic Camera (that used flash-cubes... remember those?) in her hand around the age of 7. "I would line up my baby dolls for portrait shoots... they were always good subjects!" says Julie. As time progressed, she of course had to move up and into a hot pink 110 Instamatic Camera with built-in flash. "I really thought I was something with that hot pink camera. (smile). I now had younger siblings that became my photography subjects. They enjoyed playing dress up and posing for the camera." Into high school, Julie transferred over to the more widely used 35mm film cameras and photographed her first wedding. Friends, family, and special events became Julie's new photography targets. "I wanted to create a photographic journal of my life that I could look back upon 50 years from now." After high school, Julie started college and entered Corporate America. She worked twelve years with two Fortune 500 companies in her hometown moving into management. "I thought Corporate America was just the way it was suppose to be. I was making a good living but my creativity was being suppressed." Julie's creative eye in her personal photographs was noticed by others. She received an increase in requests to cover family, friend's, and friends of friends special events and weddings. She purchased studio equipment, attended photography courses, and upgraded into professional level digital SLR cameras. In 2000, Photography became a full-time paying hobby outside of her full-time corporate career. The love of photography began to pull on her emotions and she knew retiring in the corporate world was not what she had in mind for the future. "I knew I was too talented to sit in a 4'x5' cubicle for the next forty years". In 2003, Julie left management in Corporate America to manage her photography business full-time. "Photography is my true passion. I love what I do. I've never looked back. I enjoy working with my clients creating photographic memories they will cherish for years to come. I become not just a photographer... but friends with my clients." Keith Ludy, General Manager, joined the company in 2005. He is Julie's younger and only brother. At 6'3" tall, he towers over his sister by a whole foot. He graduated from Columbus Technical Institute in 2002 with a degree in Automotive Fundamentals and Technology. Julie photographed Keith's wedding, to Kristi Milam, in October of 2005. They have one daughter, Savannah, who is 2. Keith is just a genius with mad skills. You name it... Keith can fix it... put it together... and make it right. His biggest challenge though is keeping Julie sane... but you can't penalize him for that. :) Keith is a second photographer at weddings, manages and directs all staff during on-location projects, is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of all photography equipment and studio sets, the expert "Train Wrangler", and has been known to act like a monkey in order to make the littlest subjects smile. Keith is a very dedicated and hard worker... if only we could clone him! Julie is extremely proud to have Keith by her side... he's her friend... her assistant... the General Manager of the business... but best of all.. he's her brother. Cary Hedges is the Technical Director and Julie's husband too. They met the summer of 1992 and were married October 21st, of 1995. In March of 2007, the good Lord above answered Julie's prayers... Cary too was able to leave Corporate America and become a full-time "Stay at Home Dad" to their then four month old daughter. Having Cary home allows Julie to continue managing the studio full-time while also getting to spend time with her daughter. It's the best of both worlds. In addition to being an AWESOME father, husband, cook, and "domestic engineer", Cary is known to friends and family as the "Electronics Geek". Cary stays up on the latest and greatest electronics, computer, and gadgets. Cary keeps all the "behind the scenes" of the studio running smoothly from the hard drives, websites, cell phones, servers, down to the book keeping, all while attempting to meet each of Julie's demands.... and if you know Julie, then you know she can be pretty demanding. :) Julie feels extremely blessed to have her supportive husband and young daughter by her side each and every day. Gracie Herrera, Marketing & Sales Manager/Editor, joined the company in 2006. She's incredibly versatile and creative, which allows her to cover just about every job function in the company. In the Spring of 2011, Gracie was promoted to Marketing & Sales Manager, along with being awarded the Editor position after extensive training with Julie. Gracie, like her older siblings, is dedicated, hard working, great at events and has an eye for detail. Oh... and she's great with interior decorating too! She is Julie's younger and only sister who obviously stole all the available "beauty" DNA from their mother. Not only does Gracie have a beautiful smile, but she has a beautiful soul and heart to match. Julie photographed Gracie's wedding, to Robert Herrera, in August 2004. She has two children, Zachary 6, and Madison almost 2. Julie's favorite events are when she has both her brother and sister by her side. Julie is extremely proud to have the best Marketing, Sales, Editor and sister anyone could ask for! If you should see Gracie out and about... be sure to slap her a high-five... but beware... she's armed with business cards and an appointment book. :) When Santa is not at the North Pole managing elves and building toys... you may find him at your event! Jerry Ludy, Julie's father, is known by many in the community as "Santa", the Master Lighting Technician. He is the creator of the "Ludy's Christmas Light Spectacular", which has received local & national media attention. Each year his lighting display raises thousands of dollars for the "Make-A-Wish" Foundation. Jerry joined the JE Hedges crew in August 2009 as a "Photo Booth Host" when the Photo Booth division was created. Jerry has way too many skills to list... but there is no doubt where Keith got his diverse range of technical skills and hard working drive. Jerry has been married to Edith (Julie, Keith, & Gracie's mother) for 38 years and has been hanging Christmas lights even longer. Jerry is an Environmental Engineer who has worked on many multi-million dollar projects, dealing with multiple levels of hazardous waste for over 24 years. We joke that he glows in the dark when the lights are turned out, which only enhances his Christmas display. :) Julie's very proud to have her "Diddy" on her team... all the years of his great advice, voice of reason, words of wisdom, and guidance is part of why Julie is who she is today. Other members of our team include Daniel Christian, Ashley Hilderbrand, Celeste Edge, Tonya Chambers, & Brandy Roberts who lend their skills to our business as needs arise. We are very blessed to have many talented individuals as a part of the JE Hedges team. JE Hedges Photography offers Family Portraits, beautiful Maternity sessions, Baby Panels, Business Headshots, has covered hundreds of events, numerous celebrities, and are regionally known for their unique, creative and fun approach to Weddings. At JE Hedges Photography, we capture all the feelings of your wedding.... the Romance, the Excitement, the Fun. We combine a unique photography style and technique with a creative eye that assures that your wedding portraits will have your distinct personality in every image. Your wedding photographs will reflect the love you feel for each other, along with the friendships and family ties of special people. "Guests and clients always tell us that our brides look like their having fun. That's because THEY ARE!!!" On your wedding day you want to feel happy and relaxed. We are unobtrusive, fun, and easy going. We take special pride in working with our clients to make them feel at ease and get the most from their portraits. Our wedding photography packages are designed to cover every type of wedding from a small affair to a large wedding event. Call today for a complimentary consultation and allow Julie to introduce you to a new photography experience! Like to read more about JE Hedges Photography? Be sure to check out our "Raves" page to read what others are saying about us!
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Julie E. Hedges Owner & Professional Photographer
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Keith Ludy General Manager |
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Cary Hedges Technical Director _____________________________ |
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Gracie Herrera Marketing & Sales Manager/Editor _____________________________ |
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Jerry Ludy aka "Santa" Photo Booth Host _____________________________ |
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All photographs
contained within this website are copyrighted. Reproduction in any form
is strictly prohibited. |
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