Justina Kris

Hi, I’m Justina, and I photograph weddings, elopements, and couples in Marbella, Spain, and anywhere a couple is willing to take me.

I started at twelve years old, chasing sunsets with whatever camera I could get my hands on, and I never really stopped. That was well over a decade ago. The sunsets are still the same. However these days there’s usually a couple standing in front of them.

My whole approach comes down to one thing: most people feel awkward in front of a camera. My job is to make them forget it’s there. We walk, we talk, it starts feeling normal fast, and the photos end up looking like a really good day.

I’m a gear minimalist. Two bodies, two lenses, no lights.

If I can’t carry it up a mountain for a sunset elopement, it doesn’t make the team. I shoot Sony, and the less I have to think about my equipment on a wedding day, the better I shoot.

Everything in my bag earned its place by being dependable and, in the best possible way, boring. I know.

Sony A7 III (x2)  – My two workhorses, one on each shoulder with a different lens.

The eye autofocus holds onto people while they’re moving, laughing, and doing anything except posing, which is exactly how my couples operate.

It also keeps up after sunset, when my favourite light happens. Two identical bodies means muscle memory never breaks, and there’s always a backup at a wedding. There has to be.

Sigma Art 24-70mm f/2.8 – the everything lens. Ceremonies, tiny hotel rooms during preparations, and wide frames where the mountains behind the couple get to play a supporting role.

Sigma Art 85mm f/1.4 – The couples lens. It lets me stand far enough away that people genuinely forget I exist, and it melts backgrounds into something soft and cinematic. Most of the photos people write to me about were taken on this one.

In terms of lights and triggers, I’m natural light only, and southern Spain hands me more of it than I can use.

On a recent lantern elopement, we shot straight into the dark, and the two lanterns the couple were holding were the entire lighting setup. Best lighting assistants I’ve ever had. They didn’t complain once.

C Coiro Leather Double Camera Harness – Looks really cool and is sturdy and of great quality.

Adobe Lightroom Classic – where 95% of my editing happens, using my own presets that I’ve built and kept tweaking over the years.

Adobe Photoshop – for the stubborn stuff a preset can’t fix. I edit everything myself. Every gallery should look like one person shot and finished it, because one person did.

Spare batteries and SD cards – more than any reasonable person needs. Two of everything, always. Cards get backed up in camera as I shoot.

There are always snacks, as a hungry photographer at hour ten of a wedding is a hazard. The energy bars are as important as the 85mm lens.

I always carry my Insta360 camera for behind-the-scenes videos.

Gear gets you sharp photos. Making people comfortable gets you good shots.

If you’re starting out, learn the second one first. It’s harder, and it matters more.

Go out and shoot a sunset this week. It worked on twelve-year-old me, and it hasn’t stopped working since!

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