We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Wes & Chelsea Jerdon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Wes & Chelsea below.
Wes & Chelsea , appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?
I honestly think I started my business at the right time for who I was then, even if there are parts of me that wish I had leaned in sooner.
The early roots of Westley Leon Studios go back to 2012. At that point in life, I was coming from an IT background and spending a lot of my creative energy on side projects, video editing, and music-related work. I bought my first professional camera and started out shooting concerts, which was a huge creative spark for me. Then, after only a few months, another photographer asked me to help with a wedding, and that completely shifted things. I realized weddings had the energy I loved from live events, but with way more emotional depth and connection. That was the hook for me.
If I had started sooner, I probably would have had more years under my belt earlier, but I also do not think I would have been ready in the ways that matter most. I needed those earlier seasons of life to build the creative instincts, problem-solving mindset, and people skills that now shape how I work. The version of me that started this business was hungry, creative, and ready to care deeply about the client experience, not just the photos. That made a huge difference. Our brand has always been rooted in creating personality-filled imagery and actually giving a damn about people, and I do not think that approach would have been as fully formed if I had forced it earlier.
If I had started later, I think I would have missed out on a lot. I would have lost years of experience, a lot of trial and error, and a lot of growth that came from being in the thick of it. Since then, Chelsea and I have grown this into a husband-and-wife team, and eventually into a larger team that serves couples throughout Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and beyond. That growth only happened because we started when we did and kept building from there.
So looking back, I would not say I wish I had started later. And while there is always that part of an entrepreneur that wonders what could have happened if they had gone all-in sooner, I really think the timing was right. It gave me the room to grow into the business instead of rushing into it before I had the experience and perspective to build it well.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
We’re Westley Leon Studios, a husband-and-wife-led wedding photography and videography team based in the South Bend, Indiana area, serving couples throughout Indiana, Michigan, and beyond. At the heart of what we do is a pretty simple idea: we believe people deserve to feel like themselves in front of the camera. Our work is built around personality-filled imagery, honest emotion, and an experience that feels grounded, supportive, and real, not stiff, performative, or overly manufactured.
My own path into this industry was not the most traditional one. Before weddings, I was coming from an IT background and spending a lot of time on creative side projects, video editing, and music-related work. In 2012, I bought my first professional camera and started photographing concerts. I loved the energy of it, the pace, the movement, the unpredictability. Not long after that, another photographer asked me to assist with a wedding, and that changed everything. Weddings had that same live-event energy, but with way more emotional depth and human connection. That was the moment it clicked for me. Chelsea was already part of the wedding world through makeup artistry, and over time we built Westley Leon Studios into a husband-and-wife team, and eventually into a growing team of artists who share that same commitment to authenticity, care, and strong storytelling.
Today, we provide wedding photography, wedding videography, hybrid photo and video coverage, engagement sessions, portrait sessions, and printed artwork like albums and wall art. We do not just show up with cameras and hope for the best. A big part of our work is helping couples feel taken care of from the start. That includes timeline guidance, planning support, detailed wedding resources, and a process designed to help people feel relaxed and understood long before the wedding even gets here. We want the whole experience to feel seamless, not chaotic.
The problem we solve is bigger than just “we take photos.” A lot of couples come to us because they are worried their images will feel overly posed, generic, or disconnected from who they actually are. They do not want to spend their wedding performing for the camera all day. They want the day to feel like their day, and they still want imagery that looks elevated, intentional, and emotionally honest. They also do not want to juggle a million moving parts or feel like they are hiring vendors who are going to treat them like another template. We help solve that by reading the room, adapting to personalities, giving guidance when it is needed, and stepping back when it is not. We create space for real moments to happen while still delivering polished, creative work.
I think one of the things that sets us apart is that we care just as much about the experience as we do the final product. Yes, we want the imagery to be bold, vibrant, emotional, and memorable, but we also want people to feel supported while it is being created. Our brand voice talks a lot about leading with empathy and following through with unforgettable imagery, and that really is who we are. We are energetic, easygoing, and creative, but we are also deeply attentive. We know when to hype people up, when to calm the room down, and when to quietly capture the moments no one else noticed. That balance matters.
Another thing that makes us different is that we have built a business that is both personal and scalable. Westley Leon Studios is still rooted in the relationship Chelsea and I have with our couples, but we have also grown into a real team with associate photographers and videographers who align with our style and values. That allows more couples to access the Westley Leon Studios experience without losing the heart behind it. We are not interested in being a faceless volume brand. We want every couple to feel seen.
What I am most proud of is the trust people place in us and the fact that the work has never only been about pretty pictures. Over the years, we have documented well over 700 weddings, and the thing that means the most is hearing that people felt comfortable, understood, and genuinely cared for. We have built a brand around authenticity, emotional connection, and imagery that still feels like you years later. In an industry where trends come and go, I am proud that we have stayed committed to making work that is both exciting and timeless, while creating an atmosphere where people can actually be themselves.
If there is one thing I would want potential clients, followers, or readers to know, it is that our work is not about forcing people into a version of themselves that photographs well. It is about helping them feel comfortable enough to show up as they are, then creating something beautiful from that place. We care deeply, we work hard, and we believe the best images come from real connection, not performance. That is the core of the brand, and it is the reason Westley Leon Studios exists.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being a creative, for me, is making something that outlasts the moment it came from.
Weddings, portraits, films, all of it happens in real time and usually pretty fast. A lot of the day is emotional, chaotic, funny, beautiful, and gone before people fully realize it. What I love most is being able to take those passing moments and turn them into something people get to keep. Not just as proof that it happened, but as something that brings them right back to how it felt. That is a huge deal to me.
I also think there is something deeply rewarding about helping people feel seen. A lot of people come in worried they are awkward, not photogenic, too camera shy, or that their story is somehow not interesting enough. Then you create space for them to relax, be themselves, and trust the process, and suddenly they are looking at images or film that actually feel like them. That part never gets old.
Another big part of it is connection. This work is creative, yes, but it is also very human. We are not just making pretty things. We are stepping into some of the most important moments in people’s lives and being trusted to handle them well. That trust means a lot. Knowing the work can become part of a family’s history, part of how they remember people, relationships, and seasons of life, that is probably the most meaningful part of all.
So for me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the mix of artistry and impact. You get to make something beautiful, but you also get to make something lasting, personal, and emotionally real. That is what keeps it from ever feeling shallow. It matters.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
One story that really reflects resilience for me is the way this business grew from something uncertain and creative into something that now supports not just our family, but a whole team and hundreds of hundreds of couples’ memories.
When I first got into this world, I was not stepping into some perfectly mapped-out dream career. I came from an IT background, spent a lot of time doing creative side projects, and got pulled into photography through concert work. In 2012, I bought my first professional camera and started shooting concerts. Not long after that, I was invited to assist with a wedding, and that opened a completely different door for me. Weddings had the energy I loved from live events, but with more meaning, more emotion, and more connection.
What people do not always see is how much grit it takes between that first spark and a real business. Building something creative is rarely a straight line. There are seasons where you are learning on the fly, trying to improve your craft, trying to earn trust, trying to figure out pricing, process, branding, and how to serve people well, all at once. Then you add in the emotional side of it. When you care deeply about your work and about the people hiring you, every mistake feels bigger, every setback hits harder, and every challenge asks you whether you are really built for this.
One of the biggest tests of that resilience came in 2020. COVID hit the wedding industry hard, and like so many other small businesses, we were in a season full of uncertainty. Weddings were postponed, plans kept changing, and there were a lot of moments where the future felt unclear. It was tough, really tough. But we made it through, and a huge reason why is because of our couples. Their trust, patience, support, and willingness to keep showing up with us through all of that meant everything. We will never forget that. In a time that could have easily broken a lot of businesses, our couples helped carry us through it.
Resilience also looks like continuing anyway. It looked like refining the work, sharpening the client experience, learning how to lead under pressure, and staying committed to building something real instead of something flashy but hollow. Over time, Chelsea and I grew Westley Leon Studios into a husband-and-wife team, and then into a larger team of artists. That did not happen because everything was easy. It happened because we kept showing up, kept learning, and kept choosing to care. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Seth Rogen and that is; “If you don’t quit, you might make it. If you quit, you definitely won’t make it”.
I think resilience also shows up on wedding days themselves. This job teaches you quickly that not everything goes to plan. Timelines shift. Weather changes. Emotions run high. Unexpected things happen. We have built our whole approach around being steady in those moments, helping people breathe, adapt, and still feel taken care of. That ability came from years of learning how to stay calm, solve problems, and keep moving forward without losing heart.
So if I had to point to one story, it is not a single dramatic moment. It is the bigger journey of starting from a creative leap, pushing through the uncertainty, and continuing to build a business centered on authenticity, empathy, and great work. I am proud that we did not just survive the hard parts. We used them to become better at what we do and better at how we serve people.
Contact Info:
- Website: Https://westleyleonstudios.com
- Instagram: Https://instagram.com/WestleyLeonStudios
- Facebook: Westley Leon Studios
Image Credits
www.westleyleonstudios.com