Sneak Peek of Deirdre & Ian's Victorian Gothic Wedding at the Bolling Haxall House | Richmond, Virginia Wedding Photography

January 17, 2025

Deirdre & Ian are the absolute sweetest, along with their adorable son Luka. I was thrilled when they booked me because I knew our styles would totally vibe together. A few of Deirdre’s words to describe the wedding aesthetic were “Victorian Gothic”, “spooky”, and “vintage”. Umm, yes please!

When I first visited the Bolling Haxall House to scope out the location before the wedding, I was honestly stunned by the details and the magic of the interior. Their wedding was December 16th, so the venue was a unique blend of holiday magic and ornate design. It felt like a scene straight out of A Christmas Carol. There was a haunting moodiness that blended together perfectly with Deirdre’s love for darker elements. Deirdre is actually a good friend of my sister and I’ve always known her to be a talented and creative artist and person. I’m honored that they chose me to be a part of their wedding day. I just sent off quite a few film rolls from their wedding to get developed and I can’t wait to see how they turned out! In the meantime, below is a blend of digital photography and polaroids from their wedding day.

I can’t believe it’s already 2025 and that I’m almost fully booked up for this year, and already booking for 2026! I’m only taking a few more 2025 weddings so make sure to tell your recently engaged friends and family members. :) They can contact me here! And if they’re looking for a wedding DJ as well, my husband and I offer a discounted package if we’re booked together. You can find out more about his business, Melody Mouse Media, here!

Happy New Year!

<3 Myles Katherine

The Ultimate (Affordable) 35 mm Film Camera for Traveling - The Minolta Maxxum STsi - 35 mm film photos in Portland, Maine

October 9, 2022

(This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links.)

I’m always on the hunt for the “ultimate 35 mm film camera”. When I travel, I tend to bring wayyy too many cameras with me, mostly because not one of them covers all of my photography needs. When I discovered the Minolta Maxxum STsi, I was SO excited to try it out for the first time. It’s super affordable AND it’s EVERYTHING I hope for in a 35 mm film camera. It was originally manufactured in 1999, but you’re still able to find some in near perfect condition on eBay.

Specifically for traveling, the main features I’m looking for in a 35 mm film camera are the following:

-Lightweight
-Zoom Lens
-Aperture Priority Mode
-Panorama Option
-Pop-up flash (for nighttime photos)
-Double/Multiple Exposure Option (a NECESSITY for me)

This is the first camera I’ve found that has ALL of those features. I’m heading to Italy next week and I will definitely be bringing this camera along. I recently took it on a trip with me to Portland, Maine and shot my first roll of film with it. You can look through them at the end of this post! I was pleasantly surprised with the sharpness of the lens, particularly with the panorama images. I’ve had quite a few panorama 35 mm cameras (such as the Vivitar IC 101) but they all lack a sharpness to the images. I’m absolutely thrilled that the Minolta Maxxum STsi beats them all in terms of crisp, sharp images, especially with a 100 speed film. I used Kodak Pro Image 100 for the images below.

Not to mention, this camera is extremely affordable. I purchased the body ($18) and the AF 28-85mm 3.5-4.5 Zoom lens ($25) separately, both on eBay. Browse through the available options here for the body or here for the lens!

But you can also find it on Amazon or KEH Camera. There are a ton of different versions of this camera, so if you ever have questions, I recommend calling KEH Camera and asking them what they’d recommend if they don’t have the STsi version. They’re always great with giving advice on film cameras.

FILM RECOMMENDATIONS:

Kodak Gold 200 35mm film

Kodak Portra 160 35mm

Lomography 100 35mm film

#CommissionsEarned

While this is technically considered a beginner camera, it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite 35 mm cameras to travel with. I’ll be sure to share my photographs from our trip when we return home!

If you found this post helpful or if you’d like to see more of my work, I’d love it if you considered signing up for my Patreon! For as little as $1 a month, you’ll get early access to all of my YouTube videos, plus tons of photos that I don’t post anywhere else. Depending on which tier you choose, you could also receive seasonal prints and/or discounts! I always use all of the proceeds towards cameras, film & processing. Find out more here!

Thanks so much for stopping by! Feel free to leave questions and comments below.

Have a great day!
<3 Myles Katherine

Richmond, Virginia Wedding Photographer | Tessa & Stephen's Vintage Inspired Backyard Wedding

December 31, 2019

Going through Tessa & Stephen’s wedding photos just makes me tear up all over again. It was one of the hottest days I can remember experiencing in Oregon - the sun was literally burning through the top of my black oxfords to my toes. But the heat definitely didn’t take away from the sentiment and calmness that their wedding day held. Tessa & Stephen made sure their guests were comfortable (and cute for photos!) by providing their guests with colorful paper fans and umbrellas. You can tell just by looking through the photos, how kind and caring Tessa & Stephen are. The wedding took place at their Aunt & Uncle’s house with the ceremony in a beautiful grassy opening in the front yard. We took advantage of the big open field behind their house for sunset photos and I am still obsessed with how they turned out. They had some of the best (in my opinion!) food vendors that Portland has to offer, including Salt & Straw ice cream, Poplandia popcorn and Mint & Mirth bartending. It was definitely one of the most successful and beautiful at-home weddings I’ve ever been a part of. Take a look for yourself!

Congrats Tessa & Stephen!

<3 Myles Katherine

· Photographer - Myles Katherine Photography

· Hair/Makeup - Kayla Kintner of The Beauty Bar Salon and Arbonne

· Cake/Dessert - Salt & Straw

Caterer - Twilight Pizza - cocktail hour buffet food from Costco

Florist - Tessa’s Aunt Liz, and all flowers from Tessa’s Aunt Nancy's neighbor's incredible garden!

Officiant - Friend

DJ/Band - Tessa’s Cousin Brett oversaw the Spotify playlists, audio equipment rentals from Mike Moore at Big Screen Presentations

Wedding Dress - ModCloth

Veil/Hair accessory - Handmade by friend, with fabric from Etsy

Jewelry - Pearls from Kay Jewelers, and earrings and belt from ModCloth