POWERGRAMS

PROFILE A Picture's Worth … Photo by Bill Snow Employee enjoys brisk side business, personal interaction Gadsden Marketing Specialist Williams has enjoyed photography since 2002. Spencer Williams was doing basic Web design development as a hobby in 2002 when he decided to buy a professional camera to take images for his websites. Once he began taking pictures, Williams was entranced by the social aspect of photography and realized he enjoyed it more than building websites. "The thing is, it's not only great work, but you get invited to the best events," said Williams, a marketing specialist in Gadsden. "They feed you great food and you're having a good time, and you get to capture it for them to keep forever." Williams' side venture has spun into Spencer Photography, where he captures a variety of events such as weddings, proms, civic functions and fundraisers. His business takes him from Gadsden to Huntsville to Atlanta, and has expanded into more than he ever imagined. A high school friend's wedding was the first official event Williams shot, and he did not charge her because he was not sure how the photos would turn out. Since then, Williams has photographed about 50 weddings. "The business kind of snowballed," Williams said. "It has grown into more than I expected, but it is a great challenge." Williams touts his onsite abilities as the niche that has made his business prosper. "I offer an onsite mobile processing lab at all events," Williams said. "This gives me the ability to offer full packages and in turn, that unique quality is what got me into large events." Williams took photos at the Alabama Power Eastern Division dealer meeting, giving copies to participants as they exited. "Our dealer meetings are made up of individuals whose businesses are their lives," said Division Area Manager Steve Hildebrant. "Getting their own picture to take away from the event is not only an added value and personal touch, but also shows them how special they are to us." With an impressive resume, the new frontier Williams hopes to conquer is sports. He takes the athletic pictures for each school in the Gadsden city system, with still shots for the three middle 6 schools and action shots for Gadsden City High School. This fall, Williams will be on the sidelines at Gadsden City's varsity football games, where he hopes to capture the winning touchdown catch or the game-saving tackle. It has been more than a decade since Williams bought his first camera and was captivated. When talking with him about his business and customers, his personable side shines through and suggests why Spencer Photography has become a success. "Customer interaction is more important than any picture I could take," said Williams. "And that is by far what I enjoy the most." By Katie Kilcoyne Samples of Williams' work for Spencer Photography.

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