Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Danielle Galbraith. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Danielle thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

I took photography classes throughout high school and continued photography as a hobby throughout college. When I got to college, I met one of my close friends and she happened to be a portrait and wedding photographer. She asked me to be a second shooter for some of her weddings, and although it was a fun experience I quickly learned that wedding photography wasn’t for me. I actually went to college for an animal behavior degree, and at the time I was helping photograph those weddings, I was also taking some entrepreneurship classes. I always had this idea of owning my own business one day, I just had no idea what I wanted to do or what that business would look like. So, when I realized that I wasn’t into shooting weddings and with the timing of my animal behavior and entrepreneurship classes, everything seemed to click. I started to think of how I could merge my passion for photography and animals together, thus Digitails by Dea, LLC came to be!

Danielle, 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?

I am a pet photographer based in Western New York. I knew at a young age that I wanted to work with animals, but not only operate on them. After some exploration I found a love and curiosity for animal behavior. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA I moved to Buffalo, NY in 2016 and have since completed my two undergraduate degrees in Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation, and Psychology from Canisius College. I love connecting with all human and non-human animals alike! My focus is on capturing the truest of your pets’ personality through a stress and fear free, fun approach! I have years of animal handling experience, am certified in fear free animal handling, and I am an advocate for utilizing positive reinforcement training methods.

I am most proud of the ethics I stand behind in my animal related business. Although I am not a certified dog trainer, I still work with dogs and their owners everyday, so having the knowledge of dog training is beneficial to me. The animal training industry is highly unregulated, meaning that anyone can call themselves a dog trainer. There is SO much information you can find on the internet about training animals, but unless you are involved in the field or have the educational experience, you would be easily persuaded into believing everything you search for. I not only offer a fun photography experience, but I also share all of my knowledge, expertise, tips and tricks with clients and friends! When you work with me, you will be hiring more than just your pet photographer!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I hope to be an inspiration and provide knowledge to all pet owners and a resource they can come to for all of their pet related questions and photography needs! As I said before, I am a big supporter of Fear Free approaches with animal interactions and positive reinforcement training. These philosophies have made me question things about myself. For example, I no longer use the word “command” when talking about teaching an animal something. I now use the word “cue.” Just this simple change has made me more aware of the relationship I have with animals and has taught me to be more kind in all of my interactions with them! I never realized how much power a single word could withhold until being introduced to these topics. I go more in depth about this experience in my one blog post that can be found here: https://www.digitailsbydea.com/blog/cues-vs-commands/

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is having the flexibility to make my own schedule and being in control of the work I take on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.digitailsbydea.com
• Instagram: @digitails.by.dea
• Facebook: Digitails By Dea, LLC
• Other: Email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Danielle Galbraith (myself)