We have been enjoying photographing contemporary weddings for almost 20 years and still loving them!
If you are one of our former wedding clients or know someone who is, PLEASE read this message and help spread the word.

Now that we have a great new Studio space in Warren, that we LOVE, we will be conducting the wedding business from there also now – which means that I will not be meeting with clients in my home in Hazel Park anymore. I therefore do not need as much space; as it is getting hard to keep up.

So I am moving to an apartment closer to the studio this June!

We loved the years of film and still have an extensive archive of film negatives in my home.  I have just not been able to throw anything away – these are someone’s memories! But I can’t move them! We also have an archive of digital files from the years that they were not included in the contract price.

We are trying to reach everyone we can but this is just not always possible or successful.

We are offering our former bridal couples the opportunity to purchase those negatives and/or files for a nominal fee so that they can archive them, preserve their family history and have them for safe keeping. They will bring back happy memories for years to come.  This will also include a personal copyright release so that any printed copies can be made. They are $200; $225 if mailed.

I do have to add that this is contingent on my being to find your wedding files, with the hundreds up there I cannot totally guarantee this sorry to say!

After mid June, I will have to purge all remaining negatives!

Did you know???

If  you are one of our former wedding couples, you are entitled to free portrait sessions – FOR LIFE at the studio – this does not include the files or any prints. If you wanted us to come to you on location, we still can, but would have to charge a small session fee of $100.  We’d love to work with you!

If you are thinking of us as your wedding photographer – keep this in mind also.

I love the large space for the new header banner and I love that images can be highlighted to span across both columns – this really showcases them beautifully – although can not work for all photos.

Personal Header banner for my personal FB profile page – Wally Spice

Wally's personal FB banner https://www.facebook.com/wally.spice

Facebook Banner for the Wally Spice Photogrpahy Fan Page   https://www.facebook.com/wallyspicephotography

www.facebook.com/wallyspicephotography

Facebook Banner for WSP Seniors

www.facebook.com/WSPseniors.wallyspicephotography

Please check the fan pages for the newest in what is going on with Wally Spice Photography and WSP Seniors. Since the new year we have been more active on them than on this Blog.

I am trying Networked Blogs, which should automatically update the blog posts on my profile page and on the main Fan Page for Wally Spice Photography.   It is not set to be updated on WSP Seniors at this point. I’d like to see how this goes here before I upgrade.

PPM board of Directors

The Professional Photographers of Michigan held their annual Photo Expo at the phenomenal Motor City Casino.  Wally Spice and Ed Westerwood were among the ones installed as the new board of directors.

Julie was also active and entered the print competition – receiving a blue ribbon for one of her 4 prints. Her and Ed entered a dual maker album from their “Steam-punk”  High school senior album. They won a blue ribbon and will be entering it at Regional.

Julie’s sons (my grandsons) Steven and Aaron were also there as various times as volunteers and student members. They sat in on many of the classes and had a great time.

A huge THANK YOU to all of our wonderful clients and friends for the fantastic year of 2011 in our business. Thank you all for your love, confidence, encouragement and support!

It was definitely a year of growth and change as we had our first full year in our new studio space in Warren! Julie and I had so much fun fixing it up, accumulating countless chairs, backgrounds, lights, props, office furnishings, etc. to make it our studio home and office area, and we LOVE it!  It has evolved so much since we first started and will always be a work in progress!  It was hectic, crazy, and busy at times but we loved every minute!

We still photographed about 20 weddings and enjoyed each and every one.  We had the best brides and grooms to work with and the most awesome locations.  We especially loved all the varying locations for Romantics, like our very favorite Urban Shoots in Detroit, which have become a specialty for us.

This is the year we really launched our High School Senior program in earnest.  Last year we photographed about 8 seniors, but this year that went to at least 65!!  Julie has been the creative mastermind behind this and I am so proud of her.  We all loved the fantastic Senior Safari  for our models in early May and this grew to so many fantastic sessions!  Everyone commented that we were so refreshingly different.  We designed a dedicated logo and name for our senior division and decided to give the seniors their own Facebook fan page.  It grew from just a handful to over 500 fans in a very short time!   We have separate albums for our major locations: Locations – Urban Shoot (Detroit),  Rochester,  Studio,  Sterling Heights, and Plymouth. Be sure to check out www.facebook.com/WSPseniors.wallyspicephotography We LOVE our fans!

We also enjoyed photographing quite a few babies, children and families, many from our former brides who will always enjoy free studio sessions (files and prints not included).  It is heartwarming to see our bridal couples become loyal clients and friends as their families grow. And we sincerely appreciate the referrals!

Our main Fan Page for Wally Spice Photography has also been very active and popular, especially for the weddings and portraits as well as some of the other unique events we photographed.  Be sure to check out www.facebook.com/wallyspicephotography
We have links to our fan pages on the menu bar!

I am also so proud that both of Julie’s sons (my grandsons) have been active this year working with us.  Aaron did a lot of assisting on the weddings, contributing some awesome images.  He also helped with some of the endless editing.  Steven has shown a great interest too, he loved photographing the high school football games and also assisted on some senior sessions.  This has truly been a family business and we all love it!

I do feel bad that this blog has not been as active this year as it has in the past years, it was an extremely busy year as we grew our horizons and our face book fan pages have taken up the slack, but this will be better next year.
We are also looking to update and improve our actual website this year, but the blog will stay intact.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for your continuing support as we venture into another exciting year! We learned so much this great 2011, that 2012 will be even better and bigger!

HAPPY NEW YEAR –

Wally, Julie, Aaron, Steven

Hilary and Austin at the Detorit Zoo, ploar bear in the Arctic Ring of Life

Hilary and Austin at the Detroti Zoo

Hilary and Austin at the Detroti Zoo

Hilary and Austin at the Detroti Zoo

Hilary and Austin at the Detroti Zoo

Hilary and Austin at the Detroti Zoo

Hilary and Austin at the Detroit Zoo

Hilary and Austin at the Detroit Zoo

WSP Seniors Our new division of Wally Spice Photography

Since the spring of 2011 we decided that our popular division of High School Senior photography within Wally Spice Photography deserves it own spotlight. We designed a new logo for WSP seniors and started a Facebook fan page dedicated just to our high school seniors.

Please take a look at this great fan page -   WSP seniors fan page or Use menu link

Julie is the mastermind behind all of this – since she has attended numerous high profile conventions dedicated just to the seniors. At these conventions she studied for many days with some of the best high school photography photographers from around the US.

Aaron, Julie’s son will be a senior at Cousino High school next year so he joined us as an administrator of the Fan page. It wasn’t hard to find lots of fantastic models willing to have fun with us!

We had our first senior “Safari” experience with our models and everyone had a fantastic time.
We photographed all day in many great locations. Aristocat Transporations helped us make the day extra special, as the models enjoyed riding in the Excursion SUV Limousine. Our driver, Ron was the best!

WSPseniors Safari in Detroit

WSP Seniors on Safari in Detroit

WSP Seniors on Safari in Detroit

Be sure to enjoy the full photo albums and the fun videos of our Safari, complete with a few video clips in the fanpage.
Here’s the direct link to the video:

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=2062120913543&oid=102276456527682&comments 

After this we had a great “Reveal” party at Blumz by JR, a floral and gift shop on Woodward Ave in Ferndale to show all of our amazing images. They had a back room that worked out just super.  Thank you SO much for your hospitality.
(I’ll add a few images later)

Geogianna - our top WSP senior model

Shawna , one of our top senior models

We are very excited to have many incredible fans on our new WSP Seniors Facebook Fanpage. It now has almost as many fans as our regular Wally Spice Photography fan page! (over 380)

But don’t make our original fan page feel bad – we’ve been posting on that one too – LIKE THEM BOTH!
Main Wally Spice Photography fan page or use menu link

Julie and Diane Flores  had a fantastic idea this time for a special photo contest – I set up a background and photographed every bride (that wanted to0) next to the photo of the new square SE Michigan Perfect Wedding Guide magazine poster.  These are all on the fan page for Perfect Wedding Guide and the brides  and their family and freinds are going to the site,  liking it – and then finding the bride of their choice and Liking  their photo or making a comment under the photo. The bride with the most “likes” will have her wedding featured in the next issue of the Perfect wedding Guide.

I had so much fun taking the photos and often encouraged them to be a little different – as in “show me some attitude!”

110 brides ended up having their photo posted- and the competition is getting very heated. Kyleigh Roberts has 345, Nikki Earl has 344 and Gerilynn Karoub has 255! as of  March 27th – and we only go to April 1st.  Good luck ladies and have fun!

I enjoyed working with all of you, and IF you do not already have a photographer we would love to be your wedding photographer!  I am extending a special $200 off discount to anyone that books with us at Wally Spice Photography!

Give us a call and lets talk about your specific plans!

One of our weddings was featured in the the first square magazine – take a look at Lindsey and Scott and the stunning photos of  their dip in front of the Fox theater at night – part of our fun and famous  “Urban Shoot” and the other great images on pages 22 – 23. This spread was used in all the marketing for the contest as an example of what you can win!

This is the link to the Perfect Wedding Guide Fan Page – then go to Photos for the photo album

www.facebook.com/MichiganPerfectWeddingGuide

Album link with the photos

Wally Spice Photography taking the photos of the brides for the PWG bridal show.

Wally Spice and Julie Proudfoot with Wally Spice Photography taking the photos of the brides for the PWG bridal show.

Wally Spice with Wally Spice Photography

Wally Spice Photography featured wedding in Perfect Wedding Guide magazine

Molly and Justin, Engagement session at the Detroit Zoo

Molly and Justin, Engagement session at the Detroit Zoo

Molly and Justin, Engagement session at the Detroit Zoo

Molly and Justin, Engagement session at the Detroit Zoo

Molly and Justin, Engagement session at the Detroit Zoo

Molly and Justin, Engagement session at the Detroit Zoo

See more images on our Facebook Fanpage  http://www.facebook.com/wallyspicephotography

At least half of our couples have a great solution – they elect to see each other beforehand; usually this is based on timing of the day.  But no-one can talk you into it – the decision has to be yours alone – we can only point out advantages.

The idea of not seeing each other comes from medieval days – when marriages were arranged – if he saw you beforehand – he might change his mind.  A lot of contemporary couples are now saying – let’s make this work for us.

The whole secret – it that you HAVE to have a “special moment” when you first see each other – and we help to arrange this – it should be more private – maybe you are coming down a staircase, or out a door, and he is there waiting – be creative.  Then you can say things to each other without the whole world watching and we just capture the emotion from a distance.

Then you can have your wedding party join you and we can go where ever you want – within reason of the timing, and just have FUN!  This is your snuggle time and special time with each other and the people closest to you.  Believe me, after the ceremony it gets much more hectic. ENJOY this time!

The 2 of you are your own best friends, you tend to calm each other down, and this is usually such a relief and stress reducer.  This is the most important day of your lives – why spend it hiding from each other?!
Besides, you get to wear your gorgeous dress longer!
And, you get a lot more incredible images that are natural and fun and really show your style and the creative style you chose your photographer for!

NO-ONE has EVER said “I wish we didn’t do that” – everyone has loved it and raved about it.

When you walk done the aisle it is another special moment!
Sometimes we still do a limited amount of immediate family “Alter groups” just after the ceremony – but then you can mingle with your guests and ENJOY your own party!

I went looking through the files and found so many great images of this over the years – here are a few of our favorites.

Carmie and Steve meet at the Detroti Athletic Club

Suzanne and Flint meet at the Detroit Zoo

Charlie and Josh meet at the Henry Ford Estate in 2005

3 more couples meet beforehand

These images show what words cannot express!

It is a real option that many modern couples have embraced to make the timing of the day work for them and enjoy EACH OTHER more.  If you have any questions please feel free to call and we can talk about your options within the timing of your day!