diff --git a/demo_images/folder with spaces/bridge.jpg b/demo_images/folder with spaces/bridge.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ab99cd
Binary files /dev/null and b/demo_images/folder with spaces/bridge.jpg differ
diff --git a/demos/image_paths.py b/demos/image_paths.py
index ae85601..a79946e 100644
--- a/demos/image_paths.py
+++ b/demos/image_paths.py
@@ -1,11 +1,33 @@
 # author:    Adrian Rosebrock
 # website:   http://www.pyimagesearch.com
+# Updated by Tim Poulsen, @skypanther
+
+# USAGE
+# from the demos folder:
+# python image_paths.py
 
 # import the necessary packages
 from __future__ import print_function
+# You'll need to force '../imutils' into the system path if testing
+# before this addition is merged into the imutils library so that you
+# load the local package not the one installed on your system.
+# sys.path.insert(0, '../imutils')
+# import sys
 from imutils import paths
 
 # loop over the image paths in the previous 'demo_images'
 # directory and print the paths to the terminal
 for imagePath in paths.list_images("../demo_images"):
     print(imagePath)
+
+print('\nUsing `list_files` with a jpg file extension filter:\n')
+
+# validExts must be a tuple
+for imagePath in paths.list_files("../demo_images", validExts=('.jpg',)):
+    print(imagePath)
+
+print('\nUsing `list_files` with a contains filter:\n')
+
+# validExts must be a tuple
+for imagePath in paths.list_files("../demo_images", contains='bridge'):
+    print(imagePath)
diff --git a/imutils/paths.py b/imutils/paths.py
index 8bcdf79..5e60640 100644
--- a/imutils/paths.py
+++ b/imutils/paths.py
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 # import the necessary packages
 import os
 
+image_types = (".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".bmp", ".tif", ".tiff")
+
+
 def list_images(basePath, contains=None):
     # return the set of files that are valid
-    return list_files(basePath, validExts=(".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".bmp", ".tif", ".tiff"), contains=contains)
+    return list_files(basePath, validExts=image_types, contains=contains)
+
 
-def list_files(basePath, validExts=(".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".bmp", ".tif", ".tiff"), contains=None):
+def list_files(basePath, validExts=None, contains=None):
     # loop over the directory structure
     for (rootDir, dirNames, filenames) in os.walk(basePath):
         # loop over the filenames in the current directory
@@ -19,7 +23,7 @@ def list_files(basePath, validExts=(".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".bmp", ".tif", ".t
             ext = filename[filename.rfind("."):].lower()
 
             # check to see if the file is an image and should be processed
-            if ext.endswith(validExts):
+            if validExts is None or ext.endswith(validExts):
                 # construct the path to the image and yield it
-                imagePath = os.path.join(rootDir, filename).replace(" ", "\\ ")
+                imagePath = os.path.join(rootDir, filename)
                 yield imagePath