Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Futrell.
Hi Rob, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Our journey into photography started in the most unexpected way. Rob was working as a software engineer at a major bank, spending his days solving technical communication problems — connecting front-end systems to hundreds of backend systems. When Jill got pregnant, Rob wanted to document that journey and bought his first real camera. He became obsessed with making his photos look as good as the images on the box the camera came in, diving deep into lighting, composition, books, blogs, YouTube videos, and eventually formal training. Friends started noticing the work and asking for photos, then their friends asked, and before long we were photographing people all over the place. When Rob’s department was dissolved and they offered a severance package, he sat Jill down and said he wanted to try photography full-time — and she was 100% supportive from the very beginning. Jill, who has always been an artist — painting, stained glass, pottery — saw how Rob was approaching weddings and stepped in, shifting our focus from just getting the shot to creating an experience. Her philosophy was simple: if we ever had to choose between a good image and a good experience, the experience should always win. We credit that philosophy with being our biggest key to success.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. The toughest thing we’ve endured was COVID — our business was completely shut down for months, and staying sane during that stretch was a real challenge. We’ll never forget working our first event six months after the shutdown; there were times we genuinely didn’t think it was going to happen again. Now, our biggest challenge is balancing work and life. Rob tends to lean more toward work, and Jill is the one who pulls him back toward life — and he’s lucky she does.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We’re wedding and portrait photographers based in St. Augustine, Florida. As a husband-wife team, we specialize in weddings, elopements, engagements, family portraits, and commercial photography throughout Northeast Florida. Over 15 years and 600+ weddings, we’ve built our reputation on creating an experience that goes beyond just taking great photos. About 70% of our clients are out-of-town couples and families drawn to St. Augustine’s beauty, so we’ve become experts at helping people who’ve never been here find the perfect locations and feel completely at ease in front of the camera. What we’re most proud of is the philosophy that drives everything we do — if we ever have to choose between getting the perfect shot and making sure our clients are having a great time, the experience wins every time. That mindset has been the foundation of our success. What sets us apart is the way we complement each other: Rob brings the technical precision and problem-solving mind of a former software engineer, while Jill brings an artist’s eye and an unwavering commitment to making every client feel taken care of. Together, we cover every angle — literally and figuratively — and that combination is something a solo photographer simply can’t replicate.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, we couldn’t have been more different. Rob was the kid who loved computers — he built his first one from spare parts he found in the attic at his school. He was always fascinated with technology and loved creating things with it, a passion that eventually led him into software engineering and, later, the technical side of photography. Jill was the exact opposite. She’d rather be outside in nature than in front of a screen, and her creative passion has always been rooted in the physical — painting, stained glass, pottery, anything she could create with her hands. In a lot of ways, those differences are what make us work so well together, both in life and behind the camera.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://robfutrell.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosbyrob/
- Twitter: https://x.com/robthelucky
