

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley and Justin Harmon.
Hi Ashley and Justin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
We started our photography business in 2016. We were lucky enough to have friends who were willing to let us practice on them. When we started out, people told us they wished they could find a photographer who would deliver photos quickly, would provide a comfortable and fun shooting experience and would deliver photos they love. We knew we wanted to be this type of photography company. We consider ourselves business people who happen to take beautiful photos.
From the beginning, our motto has been “underpromise and overdeliver.” We tell couples they will receive their photos in 10 days, and then we deliver in 5. We prepare everyone for their session beforehand, even including a style guide. Above all, we love people, love to learn about them, and want them to feel comfortable shooting with us!
Using this approach, we were able to go full-time in our business at the beginning of 2018. Shortly after, we worried we had made a mistake when every appliance we owned seemingly broke at once. But the bookings kept rolling in, and by the end of that year we were grateful we stuck with it.
2020 threw everyone for a loop, and with our big weddings canceled, we decided to pivot to small elopements. Since Utah remained open, many people came here to have a dream adventure wedding in Zion National Park. We were lucky enough to see our business actually expand during this time, and we were even able to raise our prices once again.
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?
Like we said before, the beginning of 2018 threw us for a loop! We quit our jobs because we were too busy to keep running a business along with a full-time workload (a part-time one on Ashley’s part). We were excited about all of our clients, and we knew it was the right thing and the right time. Shortly after our full-time launch, it seemed things started breaking in our house right and left. And on top of that, the inquiries completely stopped for 3 weeks. We worried we had made a big mistake. We have 3 daughters to support, and unfortunately, kids don’t eat dreams.
We knew we had to bring in leads, and waiting for them was not a solution. That’s when we started reaching out and networking with other wedding professionals in the area. We asked if we could help them out. Everyone always needs pictures, so we did everything we could to serve them the best way we could. We made the most amazing friends and business contacts, and our business took off very quickly after that.
As mentioned before 2020 was another trying time. At first, it seemed the wedding delays would last only a short time, and then more and more big weddings were postponed. We knew once again we didn’t want to wait around to see what would happen. We pivoted to attract people wanting to elope to the beautiful Zion National Park. At a time when many other wedding professionals closed their doors, we were so grateful to make more money than ever doing what we love.
We have loved it as we’ve been able to grow, we’ve had opportunities to give back to our community. We have been able to donate our talents to organizations that help prevent teen suicide, and we have helped raise money for needy families in our area. We believe in lifting where we stand, and we love being a part of such a loving community!
We’ve been impressed with Ashley and Justin Photography, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a husband and wife photography team, specializing in destination weddings in Zion National Park. We have been published in numerous magazines and are most proud of winning The Wedding Wire’s Couple’s Choice Photography award several years in a row because it’s our clients we are most passionate about serving.
A year ago, we took on another exciting project illustrating a series of children’s books Dilbert the Duck. The books feature a first of their kind mixed-media illustrations with real-life photos of the park and Dilbert drawn in. This has become more of our focus and allowed us to pass on our love of the parks to the next generation.
We are also grateful for the opportunities our photography career has given us to give back. We have been able to donate our talents to organizations that help prevent teen suicide, and we have helped raise money for needy families in our area. We believe in lifting where we stand, and we love being a part of such a loving community!
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important thing we have learned is that a rising tide raises all ships. Sometimes in business, we feel we can’t help “the competition.” But we have always been open to helping others learn and grow in this field.
We are always growing and improving because we have other people helping us along our journey, and we in turn help them. In the end, it helps us all become better and serve our couples better.
Pricing:
- Weddings starting at $3,800
- Dilbert the Duck Books $24.99
Contact Info:
- Email: info@ashleyandjustinphotography.com
- Website: ashleyandjustinphotography.com and dilberttheduck.com
- Instagram: @ashleyandjustin_photography and @dilberttheduck
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaJENH3MLMQvVIWxSFwttsQ
Image Credits
Ashley and Justin Photography