I grew up in Florida, so I know all about the summer climate there—hot, sticky and guaranteed to rain every afternoon for about 20 minutes.
Kudos to Still55 Photography—made up of husband and wife Joseph and Christina Mills—who are based in St. Augustine, and not afraid of a little humidity fogging up their camera lenses.
During the wedding of Lauren and Jason at the historical Cathedral Basilica (originally established by the Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500s) in downtown St. Augustine, weather was indeed the main challenge. In fact, says Joseph,”It was pouring rain and super hot outside when it wasn’t raining. Humidity was 100 percent, so it forced us to work inside. I decided to keep it simple inside the Cathedral Basilica. I had Christina feather the natural light by partially opening a door located near the placement of the couple. Just by having them slide up and down the pews and opening and closing the door, we were able to achieve dramatic and unexpected images without breaking a sweat.”
As for gear, Still55 relied on the Nikon D3s and D3. “I shot most of my low light work with the 50mm 1.4 for the ceremony and creatives,” Joseph says. “I also used a 24-70mm, 70-200mm, 85mm and a 105mm—all Nikon Nikkor lenses.”
For the reception—at River House on the Matanzas River—the team bounced Nikon speed lights off the low ceiling for soft fill light. In post production, Joseph got that vintage, dreamy look using a mixture of presets created in Lightroom and AlienSkin Exposure 6 software.
Still55 says the couple Lauren and Jason brought to mind a young John and Jacqueline Kennedy-vibe. “They’re super humble, easy going, and their friends and family were a delight to be around,” says the photographer “You could really feel the joy and love in the room.”
See more of Still55’s Florida charm here.
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