spence photographics blog

capturing life... one image at a time

welcome to my blog!

i am david s. spence, chief photographer and founder of spence photographics, a frederick, maryland-based wedding photojournalism studio.

i use my many years of newspaper and magazine photojournalism experience to capture couples as they are, in their own environments. i strive to be "hands-off" in my approach to shooting. my direction to couples is minimal so i can capture their true personalities in the images. i look to find natural, organic light to capture the moments as they are. with each wedding comes new and exciting challenges, but also fun and unique personalities that drive my images. i love to see the interaction between two families coming together to form a new family and lasting friendships.

cheers!

david

Aug 11 2010

engaged: jenn and nathan

jenn and nathan are so fun! i met up with this hip, young couple in baltimore’s federal hill area recently for an awesome engagement session. from the sweet ride they drove around in to their adorable daughter, it was an incredible evening. they are getting married at shade trees and evergreens in libertytown later in august. can’t wait! it is gonna be party central!

jenn’s dad, jeff, allowed the couple to drive around in his ’61 chevrolet corvette for the shoot! what a car! scores of people stopped us to check it out, including a very nice meter maid, who let us park illegally for a few shots. thanks!

nathan gets a quick lesson from jeff in how to drive this classic.

rock on, you two!

after lots of shots with the kick-ass corvette, we headed to federal hill park to capture some fun with the couple’s daughter, giselle.

such a cutie…

and a ham!

federal hill holds special meaning to jenn and nathan… it is where they got engaged, just a few park benches from this one! the “real” bench was occupied by a surly character when we were shooting.

giselle! you are too cute!

no engagement session is complete without a nice swing ride from mom and dad!

posted in engagement

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Jul 29 2010

liz and tom in hagerstown

liz and tom’s wedding day was forecast as the hottest day of the year. oh boy! not exactly what a wedding photographer likes to hear. hot = limited outside photos. but we lucked out! even though it was hot, (i think i downed something like 2 gallons of water!) there was a really nice breeze throughout the day in hagerstown and everyone managed to stay relatively cool. yay!

everything about the day was fun! from liz’s parents’ house (awesome front/side porch), to the beautiful church (tons of nice light!), to the antique car liz and tom were chauffeured around in (a 1939 packard 120 convertible sedan = sweet!), to the rockin’ reception hall (huge picture windows = tons of great natural light) made the day go smoothly and kept me going! onto the pics!

hey, guys!

liz’s incredible flowers and a detail of the prayer book she carried down the aisle, which both her mother and grandmother also carried on their wedding days. cool!

awesome front porch!

liz’s uncle jimmy driving the 1939 packard 120 convertible sedan that he restored and in which liz’s parents, susan and mike, also rode in on their wedding day back in 1979. love the history!

with an open top antique car, you attract lots of attention! liz and tom loved it!

i knew this group was fun, they totally were at ease in front the camera!

who invited panama jack? love the fedora and stogie!

what a good lookin’ wedding party! again with the awesome porch!

strolling the grounds of liz’s parents’ home, staying in the shade as much as possible, so we don’t melt!

the reception was in downtown hagerstown at the ever cool leiter’s downtown ballroom. loads of photo possibilities here!

liz and tom’s favorite drink – the mint julep – was also their signature drink for the evening. perfect!

the flower girls loved twirling on the dance floor!

cheers, gentlemen!

proud papa and adoring mom. love it!

dj evan hunt did an excellent job of keeping the party moving and everyone danced the night away overlooking downtown hagerstown.

thanks for an incredible day, liz and tom! you two are so perfect for each other, i loved photographing you both and seeing the love your family and friends have for you!

posted in wedding

1 comment

08.3.10 - 8:36 am

colleen - It was a wonderful, fun wedding with beautiful ,fun pictures to keep the memories alive. We loved being there to share such a beautiful day!

Jul 23 2010

silly station – get wacky, get sexy, get wild, get silly!

we’ve got some exciting news to share here at spence photographics. well, it’s not just exciting, it’s also wacky, sexy, wild, and most of all, silly!

it’s our brand-new offering, silly station! a few, lucky couples already tried out silly station at their wedding receptions this year, and the results have been so super fun…

so, what exactly is silly station, you ask? it’s a photo booth (that’s really not a booth at all)! basically, it’s a backdrop with a camera, a flash, a remote, and crate full o’ wacky props you can use to snap your own photos.

there’s no curtain or strip of four photos that comes out the side. you’ll be able to see all the photos taken in silly station in an online photo gallery soon after your event!

silly station is a great way to entertain your guests during parties or receptions — especially all those “too cool to get out on the dancefloor” uncle bobs out there!

young, old, and everyone in-between really love silly station! there’s no limit to how many photos you can take, and you can get as silly or as serious as you want!

wow, this is a really serious one, right?!

most of all, silly station is a way for you to get even more great photos out of your day with us!

we love seeing all the creative things people have done so far with silly station! (and you can see even more over at silly station’s own website by clicking here!)

so why not give it a try? we offer silly station with any of spence photographics‘ wedding packages for $250! or you can book it on its own at another event for $300, which includes two hours of silly station fun!

either way, you get your choice of all photos in a custom dvd case, or 100 4×6 prints in a custom-designed image box!

and, for wedding packages booked with us through october, we’re offering silly station at 50 percent off!

so, what are you waiting for? get wild! get sexy! get wacky! get silly! get silly station!

posted in blog|event|silly station|wedding

1 comment

08.15.10 - 12:33 am

Shiffana - I wish you operated out of Texas! I’d love this for my December wedding.

Jul 05 2010

engaged: holly and steve

meet holly and steve. holly rides horses. steve is into bouldering. they love to travel. they love to run together. they are getting married. yay!

i met up with this awesome duo recently in gettysburg, pennsylvania for a fun engagement session. we were blown around by the wind from a passing storm, but luckily the rain stayed away. we started out walking around the same areas of town that the couple recently walked on during a ghost tour. spooky! sorry folks, no ghosts to be seen this evening. only love from these two!

gettysburg has some really cool old homes! i love the colors on this one!

giant metal loading dock door, i *heart* you!

holly was trying so hard to keep a straight face! she is just so smiley all the time. love that!

we then headed to the gettysburg national military park and the super cool spot called “devil’s den.” i can remember climbing all over these rocks as a kid, the many times my family camped around gettysburg and toured the battlefield. the only difference is they seem a tad smaller nowadays. it’s funny how your perception changes as you get older!

sunset! yay!

we had fun in the tall grass around the battlefield, all while tourists on segway personal transporters gawked at us from the road. too funny!

holly and steve are getting married next june at the ever popular musket ridge golf club in myersville, maryland. i can’t wait! you two were such a joy to work with, the big day is going to be awesome!

posted in engagement

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Jul 01 2010

becky & steve at morningside inn

you may remember becky & steve from the fun engagement session we did together around downtown frederick in late may. i was looking forward to working with these two again, this time at the beautiful, scenic morningside inn in eastern frederick county. what a day — hot, but that didn’t matter much. an amazing group of people and a super location made this wedding an awesome experience!

as soon as I saw this basket full o’flip flops, i knew we were in for some fun. they’re not just for the ladies, guys! your feet can be comfy too!

steve’s mom created all the table arrangements, like this beauty. each table had a completely different, lovely presentation! wonderful touch!

adventures in bridesmaid-ing! steaming your dress while wearing it? now that’s a good trick!

i promise — there’s a bride under there somewhere!

simply stunning! becky is known for her penchant for going barefoot. and her wedding day was no different. i loved that about her!

i’m not sure i want to know what’s going on here! all smiles with a knife to your throat?!

a proud papa, ready to escort his daughter down the aisle.

right there with you, steve! i was sweating like crazy too! a hot, but beautiful ceremony.

that’s a good look for you, mr. bradley!

this girl’s getting ready to party!

one of the bridesmaids found a tiny, little good luck frog out in the grass. how did she find that wee thing? so cute!

yay for the newlyweds!

i i loved shooting at the morningside inn. not only is it surrounded by rolling green fields, but it’s also only minutes from my home! bonus!

super yummy, and good looking too, cake from karen rodkey cakes!

steve’s brother served as best man. he recounted “the corn story” about one of the couple’s first dates …

which got quite a reaction from becky and steve!

i love, love, love working with wide, open spaces like this! perfect!

thanks for sharing your day with me, becky and steve. i had an exceptionally fun day and evening with you all!

posted in wedding

1 comment

07.14.10 - 6:55 pm

Diane Freeland - David:

I love your descriptions of the photos. They are so fitting.

Jun 23 2010

nicole & douglas at grey rock mansion

what a whirlwind day! three locations and hot, hot, hot weather! rain threatening, and then doing! a rockin’ dancefloor! and most of all, an incredibly awesome couple!

nicole and douglas, you two were amazing. thank you for inviting me to be a part of your day!

the two ring bearers looked so dapper in their little suits!

the boys, havin’ a laugh.

douglas and his son, jalen. so handsome!

sarah campbell of intrique design and decor created the amazing bouquets and centerpieces. love them!

nicole and the girls arrived through the grand front entrance of grey rock mansion.

this was the last frame i shot before the heavens opened up and everyone had to run inside. plan b time!

everyone got under cover and waited for the ceremony to be reset.

nicole looked absolutely gorgeous walking “down the aisle” with her father!

in the end, the impromptu indoor ceremony ended up being incredible!

i love the tradition of jumping the broom!

you can see in their faces that they are so thrilled to be married!

so glad the sun came back out after the ceremony so we could go back out for more pics!

the couple’s signature drink: the “mi amor” – vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, lime juice, and a lime wedge. yum!

the tent was awesome! diane freeland of events of sophistication did an amazing job pulling everything together!

nicole calling all her ladies for the bouquet toss.

the cake by artistic desserts looked perfect. and tasted awesome!

the dancefloor was packed all night long, thanks to the dj styings of shanae snowden, aka dj shay.

this gentleman was one cool cat. i kept seeing him all night and loved shooting him!

guests really enjoyed douglas’s cigar bar!

after a long, fun night, it was time to say goodbye! best wishes to the newlyweds!

posted in wedding

4 comments

06.30.10 - 3:13 pm

Holli - Nicole and douglas,

I really enjoyed looking at your pictures. You make a breath taking couple. Congratulations on your BIG day. Nicole, thank you for sharing your special day with me. Remember to keep God first in your marriage and stand on the Word and it will last a lifetime. Best wishes to you both as you begin your lives together.

06.27.10 - 11:40 pm

DJ Shay - This was thee best wedding! And…Nicole..you got your dance on girl! I really enjoyed dj’ing your wedding!

06.25.10 - 9:28 pm

Diane Freeland - David:

Only one word “Amazing” – I loved working with you. You did not miss a thing. I agree, the impromptu inside ceremony was fabulous. You did such a great time capturing the day, one cannot tell that the sky opened up as soon as the processional startted and everything had to be shifted inside! But, that’s what we do, don’t miss a beat. I also agree that Sarah did a fabulous job on the decor. I cannot wait to see more photos.Everything was stunning, but not as stunning as the bride! :)

06.24.10 - 9:55 am

Sarah – Intrigue Design & Decor - Fabulous! I love your style.

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