We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Justin Ortega a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Justin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

Absolutely, and it’s one of those failures that turned out to be an unforgettable lesson. As a videographer, capturing weddings is one of the most rewarding and pressure-filled aspects of my job. This particular story happened to me last year (2023) and involves me filming the wedding of a lovely bride who is a well-known wedding and event planner in my area.

Everything was going smoothly that day. I filmed the wedding and even managed to create a nice edit during dinner, feeling confident about the success of the day. After the event, I went home late, backed up the footage onto my storage drive, and got a few hours of sleep before my next wedding filming the following day.

A few weeks later, I went to start editing the footage, only to find my storage drive wasn’t showing up on my computer. Panic set in as I tried everything to recover the data, but it became clear that the drive was corrupted beyond repair. Breaking this news to the bride was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. She was hurt… so much so that her mother responded for her from that point on. I felt so ashamed, and embarrassed.. So many in attendance at the wedding were looking forward to this film, and just thinking about the hurt that kept getting brought up by family and friends asking the bride when the video would be done and her having to explain it over and over again to so many people made me really depressed. I let someone down that put all of their trust in me.

Weeks went by, and as Christmas approached, I was still grappling with the situation. While preparing to upgrade my home’s network attached storage system, I stumbled upon a folder named “insert bride’s last name-RAW” in a completely unexpected place. In disbelief, I opened it to find all the wedding footage intact. I immediately get to work and, after hours of editing from midnight to 3pm, I produced one of my best wedding films to date.

I messaged the bride with a simple, “I have it.” Her response, “Have what?” led to joyful tears when I posted the finished video.

From this experience, I learned three key lessons:

1. Know Your Limits:
That month was my busiest ever, and I was balancing this business with a 9-5 job, fathering four young children, and being a supportive husband. Overworking led to mistakes, so now I understand the importance of pacing myself and staying organized.

2. Never Give Up:
Exhaust all options before throwing in the towel. Sometimes, the solution is right there, waiting to be discovered.

3. Honesty with Clients Goes a long way:
Being upfront with clients, even when delivering bad news, is crucial. The bride shared a heartfelt post about my dedication to making things right and never giving up on her, using captions over parts of the final video. Her story gained a lot of traction with her followers and beyond, highlighting the importance of transparency and integrity. This experience showed me just how much clients value these traits, and her understanding and subsequent referrals reinforced the significance of maintaining trust through honesty.

Though it was a stressful ordeal, it’s a story I’ll never forget, and it’s one that continues to shape how I approach my work today.

Justin, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi, I’m Justin “JayOh” Ortega, and I’m the creative mind behind JayOh Photography. My journey into photography started with a deep passion for storytelling and a love for capturing life’s most precious moments. As a wedding and portraiture photographer and videographer, my focus is on creating genuine, emotion-filled images and films that tell a story.

I specialize in a photo-journalistic style that emphasizes spontaneity and authenticity. Whether it’s the heartfelt exchange of vows at a wedding or the candid laughter during a family portrait session, I aim to freeze those fleeting moments in time. My services include wedding photography, engagement sessions, portraiture, event coverage, and cinematic wedding videos.

One of the biggest problems I solve for my clients is ensuring their most cherished memories are beautifully preserved. I understand the importance of these moments and work tirelessly to deliver images and videos that my clients can treasure forever.

What sets JayOh Photography apart is my dedication to authenticity and my easygoing, upbeat approach. I believe the best photographs come from moments that unfold naturally, and I strive to capture the genuine essence of every client’s story. I’m known for the fun and dancing I bring to wedding receptions, often becoming part of the party. People feel more comfortable around someone who’s dancing and having fun with them, rather than a random person snapping photos from the corner of the dance floor. Some of my best shots have come from this approach, which helps me capture the true spirit of the celebration.

My discipline and drive were honed through wrestling. I’ve wrestled since I was seven years old and went on to college to compete varsity for four years and be part of two Division 1 NCAA national championship teams with the Penn State Nittany Lions. Wrestling taught me many life lessons that have followed me into my passion for videography and photography.

I want potential clients and followers to know that at JayOh Photography, every click of the shutter is driven by passion and a commitment to excellence. I’m here to capture your unique story with creativity and heart, ensuring your memories are beautifully preserved for years to come.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

For a long time, I didn’t even market myself and only recently created a website. My reputation grew primarily through the way I operated and carried myself at weddings while photographing or filming. I’m laid back, easygoing, and when it’s time to have fun and dance at the reception, I’m usually the first one on the dance floor, encouraging others to join in. People remember that energy and the good times they had. This genuine, outgoing approach has significantly helped build my client list and reputation. Clients reach out when they’re ready to get married or recommend me to friends because of the memorable experiences they had with me.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been being observant while working at weddings. I can usually tell who is newly engaged by how they pay attention to all the details, as if they’re planning their own wedding in their head. Throughout the day, I engage with these people, offering to take photos of them without pushing my services. When the gallery is done, they see their photos and remember the experience, leading them to check out the gallery. The photos speak for themselves, and that’s the best sales pitch.

By being genuinely outgoing and engaging, I make lasting impressions. This approach, coupled with the high-quality galleries I deliver, has significantly grown my client list and reputation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jayohphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayohphoto?igsh=MWozYzRlajZ5b21waQ==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JayOhPhoto/