April 24, 2017

Meet Vinney Dawson of Vinney Dawson Photography in Beach Cities and South Bay

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vinney Dawson.

Vinney, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started Vinney Dawson Photography in 2015 as a way to help fellow musicians promote themselves better. I knew that a quality headshot is essential in LA and made it my mission to ensure my talented friends had equally talented portraits. From there, I started taking my camera everywhere and grew to include lifestyle shoots, engagement sessions, and weddings.

Fast forward to today: in 2017, I’ve brought in my business partner, Andi Galindo, as a stylist to take clients’ experiences to the next level. She’s a veteran in the wedding industry and puts people at ease. The Vinney Dawson Photography team is small but mighty and is constantly tackling crazier jobs and bigger adventures.

Though you’ll usually find me behind a lens, fun fact – my degree is in music and you can occasionally find me playing at different gigs throughout LA.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Starting a photography business in L.A. has been quite the experience – all you have to do is spend 10 minutes on Instagram to see that there’s a ton of talented people here! I’ve worked to set myself apart by connecting with clients one-on-one to get their story. If I’m shooting headshots, I want the images to show how passionate the subjects are about their art and why they should get hired; at weddings, I focus on moments that are authentic to the couple and their particular flavor of love and celebration. Finding a few veteran mentors in the industry has made all the difference.

So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Vinney Dawson Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I’m a South Bay homegrown photographer, musician, and craft beer junkie. I aim to tell stories through snapshots – after all, a picture is worth a thousand words and who reads anymore, anyways?

My priority is keeping the people in front of my camera comfortable. When you’re with me, you’ll laugh a lot, blush a little, get a ton of compliments, and have a blast. The best images always happen when people are comfortable and trust you.

My goal is to have lifelong relationships with my clients and capture everything from popping the question to their kids’ senior portraits.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Everyone dreams about coming to L.A. to ‘make it big’ – I’m lucky to be born and bred here. The photography market is pretty saturated, so it’s been a creative challenge to figure out what sets me apart from others and focus on bringing in clients who care passionately about their story and who they select to tell it. Starting a creative business in Los Angeles isn’t for the faint of heart but I’m lucky because that kind of challenge is what gets me out of bed in the morning.

I’ve also been really lucky to have found two amazing mentors in the business, David and Drexelle Park, who have helped me focus on defining my style and given me endless technical feedback.

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