Rob & Jill Futrell
Meet Rob and Jill Futrell
Husband and wife team since 2014
Rob and Jill Futrell are husband-and-wife photographers based in St. Augustine since 2014. Over 2,500 sessions photographed and we know every corner of this city.
Rob's the technical one—obsessed with light, angles, and making every image the best it can be. Jill's the one who makes sure you're actually having a good time. Her philosophy? If we had to choose between a good image and a good experience, a good experience should always win.
We've learned that the best sessions happen when we fade into the background. Our job isn't to direct your day—it's to catch the moments that matter while you're busy living them.
Let's Work Together
About Rob
Rob and Jill Futrell make a natural team—Rob's the technical one in the family. Computer issues, software problems, printer not working—that all falls on him. He loves researching cameras, lenses, hard drives, processors. He has pages of technical notes.
Before photography, Rob spent a decade as a software engineer at a major bank—technical communication, connecting front-end systems to hundreds of backend systems. He had a reputation for being more of a hacker. "My solutions weren't always the most elegant, but they were very practical."
That problem-solving, self-taught approach carried directly into photography—the same obsessive learning pattern of going deep when something interests him.
When he's not behind a camera? "I'm probably sitting at my computer editing. If I'm not editing, I'm answering emails. If I'm not answering emails, I'm responding to text messages. If I'm not responding to text messages, I'm asleep."
Also: bread baker, espresso perfectionist (he's been perfecting his setup for a decade), competitive pickleball player, and known for handmade tortillas and pizzas. Basically anything bread-based.
About Jill
Before photography, Jill worked as an Occupational Therapist—she has a natural gift for reading people and knowing when someone needs a break or a confidence boost. That background shapes how she works during sessions.
Beyond photography, she does hot yoga (105 degrees) just about every day—she's been at it for 20 years. She's also an artist with a studio in the garage where she makes concrete pots, planters, candles, stained glass, and paints. "She's an absolute inspiration. She's so happy when she's creating."
During sessions, Jill's instinct to put clients first keeps Rob from getting too far down the rabbit hole on a specific picture. When things aren't working, Rob wants to make them work. Jill is smart enough to say, "Hey, let's pull the plug on this idea and move onto the next great idea."
"Jill is so graceful and people just love her energy."
Why the Partnership Works
"The best part of working with Jill is that she knows what I'm thinking without me having to say it. We've developed a shorthand over the years that makes us quicker and more efficient than other teams. She knows how to take my good ideas and make them great."
"We rarely disagree, but when we do it's usually a three-second conversation where I get a chance to plead my case and then we do what Jill suggested in the first place."
How We Met
Jill's mom, Joy, tried to set us up through a mutual friend. Rob's buddy had been sharing terrible dating stories at work, and Joy—Jill's mom—decided she had to get them together. We were set up on a blind date. We both blew it off.
Joy didn't give up. She emailed Rob directly with Jill's contact information. Rob thought a friend was pranking him, but Jill reached out to apologize for her mom's forwardness. We started chatting, eventually went on a date, and have been inseparable ever since.
"Jill's mom loves taking credit for getting us together—and I am forever grateful to her."
How We Got Into Photography
Rob has been into photography since he was a kid, but when Jill got pregnant he wanted to document that journey and purchased his first real camera. He became obsessed with making his images look as good as the ones on the camera box. Friends started noticing his work and asking for photos. Then their friends asked.
The turning point: Rob's department at the bank was being dissolved. They offered him a severance package. He sat Jill down and said he wanted to try photography full-time. She was 100% supportive from the very beginning.
Jill joined because she's an artist—she painted, made stained glass, did pottery. As photography consumed more of Rob's nights and weekends, she wanted to be part of it. She saw how Rob was approaching certain situations and stepped in: "We can do this so much better."
Not bad for what started as a way to capture baby photos.
The Futrell Crew
Our teenagers are in on the family business too. Our son is the official pet wrangler when couples bring furry friends to sessions, and our daughter runs our social media—which means she knows way too much about our work life.
We have two dogs—Marshall the Goldendoodle and Indy the Golden Retriever—who are fully convinced they're humans. Our cats, Jhit (Florida surfer slang for a little kid, spelled J-H-I-T) and Ziggy, sleep inside all day and go party outside all night. And then there are the 10 ducks who manage our pond and lay about five eggs a day. People are always surprised we eat the eggs, but duck eggs are amazing—bigger than chicken eggs with giant yolks.
Life Outside the Lens
When we're not photographing your big moments, here's what we're up to
Our Holiday Card Tradition
What started in 2012 as a fun way to test Rob's Photoshop skills has turned into a full-blown family tradition. Every year we dream up a new theme—sometimes elaborate, sometimes ridiculous, always a lot of work.
Our friends and family try to guess what we're doing next, and honestly, half the fun is watching them try to figure it out. These cards are a peek at who we are when we're not working: creative, a little quirky, and always up for a good time.
Testimonials
What Our Clients Say
289+ five-star reviews on Google, WeddingWire & The Knot