We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful David Veit. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with David below.

David, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

So, 2007 had me fed-up with my life as a banker. I quit, not knowing what was next, I just knew I needed to do something totally different.

Originally, I got a job in a kennel to learn the ropes with the intention of opening my own doggie daycare after a year or so. But I was so responsible, good at picking up poop and feeding dogs, that I was quickly promoted to Dog Trainer. I figured it was a great skill to have as a kennel operator, so I went with it. I boarded dogs in my apartment as a side hustle and my girlfriend at the time, who’d never owned a dog, took a liking to a particularly gentle Rottweiler in my care and decided she wanted a Rottweiler too. I told her the golden retriever disposition is unusual in this breed so we should go to the dog park and meet some other breeds. I thought she might like a Chihuahua or a Pomeranian or a toy poodle or something much more suitable for a first time dog owner. We had such a good time that a walk around the Fiesta Island Dog Park became a weekly activity.

One day we met there after work and I brought my brand new (read: Craigslist, used) DSLR camera and just happened to forget to remove my training treat pouch after work. So before long I found myself using the treats and the body language of dog training to model the dogs I was meeting to photograph them. Most of the dogs I met had some experience with the slung-from-the-waist treat pouch and they were the easiest, but the others quickly learned “sit” or “down”. I started getting asked to email the photos and then to buy the photos and it occurred to me that a few out of work wedding photographers were probably making good money at pet photography on a Tuesday afternoon, but that I could do a better job. I started David Veit Photography working exclusively with dogs in September of 2009.

At first I was doing “speculative photography”, taking walks with the camera at one of the many great dog parks around town. During the walk I’d make some great photos, then walk over and schmooze dog’s owners. I’d collect an email address and email them a link to an online gallery where I started selling prints and digital files. Delivering beautiful, large prints at the dog park wasn’t a great method. People wanted to unwrap and examine before paying. You can imagine the logistical challenges. So I moved some stuff around my apartment to create a client space including a large surface for examining prints, but also a ceiling-mounted projector where I could show private session clients what I’d done for them and take orders for large mounted prints. This work for private session clients is still my bread and butter.

In 2011 I added a proper studio and started photographing families and other pets. In the 17 years I’ve been in business, I’ve photographed so many dogs and cats, but also reptiles, amphibians, birds, rabbits and even a guinea pig (among others). Today I do all kinds of portraiture from pets to families, boudoir, executive portraiture and even custom stock photography and product photography for businesses.

But dogs will always have a special place in my heart.

David, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into portrait photography after establishing myself as a pet photographer. Before that I was a business banker, I worked in tech, completed an MBA, and I worked for a Japanese consumer products company right out of college.

I’m in the business of making my subject look amazing. Whether it’s for a website or a photo album or a wall-ready piece of art, as the principal photographer in San Diego’s premier boutique pet photography studio, I curate the time for my subject. It’s important the session is really enjoyable for my subject, so they naturally offer their best expressions. After the session I help my clients with printed products and digital files.

Many of my clients remark on my patience and ability to put others, including non-humans, at ease. Again, this allows them to look their best in the photos. Take a look at my work. Nobody (human or canine or otherwise) looks forced into a pose, stiff or uncomfortable. This is super important with pets because an owner can tell when their child is uncomfortable and nobody wants to look at that on their wall every day or remember them (remember, our pets life spans are tragically short) that way when they’re gone. I have been honored with an annual judging assignment for the San Diego County Fair’s photo competition for nearly 10 years now and I see a lot of unfortunate pet expressions in the entries.

My customers deserve a photo of their dog offering a joyful expression rather than simply a shot of the dog temporarily agreeing to sit and stay against her will, right?

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

For years my best source of new clients was dog shows. I was the first new dog show photographer in the circuit in 30 years. Unfortunately, with all the shows shrinking and folding and aggressive competition among dog show photographers, that source is going away. Going forward I’ll be looking to partner with businesses to offer photo events that leverage group purchasing power and introduce my work to more new patrons at the same time.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’m not a huge fan of social media. When I was new in business I posted a whole lot of content on Facebook that entertained a whole lot of people. It got me new views and seemed like a partnership, but Facebook wasn’t grateful (no big surprise there) and made some changes that made what I’d done irrelevant. I still use it and Instagram, but I tend to get sucked-in and lose my focus when attempting to post my work there, but it is gratifying to be recognized and even win new business from it. Thanks for asking the question. I will resolve to be more consistent with posting and not allow myself the doomscroll.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.VeitPhotography.com
• Instagram: @daveveit
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidveitphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidveit/
• Youtube: @davidveit
• Yelp: https://share.google/Q92wMKVmwTmuLYs00

Image Credits

I hold the copyright to all images save the one shot of me photographing the yellow lab. That image provided courtesy of Mallory at Mallory Erin North Georgia Photographer.