Meet John Swee | Commercial Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Swee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
How to create a positive and sustainable work life balance was a really important step as I learned more and more about the healthy rythms in my business. As a self-employed business owner, working from home, it was so easy to answer emails at any hour or hop on the computer to take care of one more thing. In the early years I justified it by saying that if I wasn’t able to respond right away I would loose business. This mindset however was damaging to me and my family at the end of the day so we came up with some new ground rules that really helped me avoid burn out and allowed me to be present to my family.

We decided that in 10 years, I would never look back and say that I wished I had missed more family time in order to work more. Time is precious with the ones you love. I no longer would work on Sundays. I wouldn’t go on my computer and I wouldn’t respond to emails or book shoots. Sunday became our family day and a day that we really needed to protect. We also made the decision that I would “come home” from work at 5pm. This basically meant that I would stop what I was doing and come out of my office to be with the family, have dinner, hang out, spend time. During the busy seasons, I’d have to work 80-90hrs a week some time, but instead of giving up that family time, I would stop at 5pm and just back on the computer after the kids went to bed or before they woke up in the morning. It was harder in terms of energy, but I didn’t miss those precious moments with my family. Often I was much more productive in those times as well because the house was quiet and I was motivated to get things done.

I look back on the last 10 years and I was present, I was an active participant in the lives of my kids and and equal partner to my spouse and my business did not suffer because of it. Setting up those boundaries gave me the freedom to say no, which is hard to do as a sole-proprietor, but it creates healthy patterns and my customers truly did not mind at all.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It all started when I posted some photos online of a recent backpacking trip I had taken. I was a Graphic Designer at the time, working at a swanky, downtown marketing firm. The kind of place with coolers of unlimited Redbull and bagel Wednesdays. I have a degree in Graphic Design and chose it as my profession because I thought it was a more legitimate career path than taking pretty pictures. Getting out of the office and taking photos was my creative outlet though and even though I had picked something else, Photography was about to choose me.

A friend of mine saw those photos I had posted and asked if I would be willing to photograph her upcoming wedding. I asked if she was out of her mind?! I took photos of my dog and flowers, I didn’t know the first thing about shooting a wedding. Despite being absolutely clueless, I accepted and kept those fears to myself. I dove head first into learning what I needed to know and prepared myself to hopefully not ruin the most important day of her life! I showed up and celebrated with her and at the end of the day we were still friends. Someone saw those photos and someone saw those next photos until I was working two full-time jobs. It didn’t take long to realize that this is what I wanted to do. It took about two years until I decided to step down as a stable Graphic Designer and enter the world as a self-employed Photographer and business owner and it was the best decision I ever made.

My whole career as a Photographer started out with weddings, but I wasn’t made to be a wedding photographer. I cherished every one of the couples that I got to get to know and work with, but my heart and passions lay elsewhere. I knew that weddings weren’t my ultimate goal, but what I didn’t know is what a great training ground weddings were for what I do now as a commercial photographer. While shooting weddings, you have to shoot from dawn until well after dark in every conceivable weather condition. You need to know how to photograph in every single lighting situation from bright mid-day sun, to nearly dark church corners and banquet halls. You use natural light and studio-strobes, flashes and reflectors. You need to know how to shoot portraits, tiny details and landscapes, large groups and small intimate moments. You have to anticipate what might happen next and you have to do it all quickly and on the first try. It forced me to learn what my camera was capable of and how to approach each moment instinctively and focus on the creativity instead of getting lost in the technical aspects of the shot. I already knew what I needed to do to get the best results.

I had had two small children at the time and as weekends became more important and summers became more important, I started transitioning to more commercial work and less weddings. I finally found my calling. Commercial Photography gave me the ability to use all those skills I had learned and use them to create the stories and visions of so many different businesses and companies.

Remember those photos from the backpacking trip that I had posted originally? Those were the photos that I would take for fun and now that is my job. I have a passion for the outdoors and the people and businesses that prioritize health, wellness, fitness and the outside. My perfect clients are small to medium size businesses where I get to build a long-lasting relationship with the company. I get to fully understand what they stand for and how to communicate their values and mission.

I get to work with inspiring fitness coaches and influencers as they teach others how to live a more healthy lifestyle. I work with lifestyle brands and health conscious snack companies, outdoor gear companies and those that specialize in hearing devices and communications. I help gyms with social media libraries of their athletes. I get to partner with so many amazing people that my job is always something new. I get to photograph people living life and expressing themselves. I photograph everything from advertising and marketing campaigns, social media content, product photography, portraits, lifestyle images and video.

Ultimately I work in a service industry and my job is truly to partner with these companies to help them grow, educate and share how amazing they are and the people they serve. My job is to make their job easier. I want to give them an image library that they can use to rebuild an outdated website or take product photography to show their latest innovations and achievements, social media content and lifestyle images for their latest tradeshows.

I am based in Los Angeles, California after moving from Minnesota in 2021. I travel all over the country but love working with local brands.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are so many reasons to come to Southern California and giving just a little taste of those things are an easy recipe for a great time. If I have a friend visiting for a week, the first thing they want to see and I want to show them is the Ocean. I normally take them to El Torito on the Redondo Beach Pier for lunch. They’ve got amazing chips and salsa and the Margaritas help any guest settle in to vacation mode. The best part is the view from the pier while you eat. From there, the cliffs and scenic over looks of Palos Verdes are just down the way making for a great place to welcome someone to California. There are some amazing historic homes and beautiful hiking trails to spend some time exploring.

Aside from the beaches and sun, Southern California is known for all the activities and opportunities to people watch. A trip to the Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach and Hollywood offer a glimpse into the eclectic characters and personalities you’ll find in the area. I prefer nature in the midst of such a big place, so visiting Runyon Canyon or hiking to the Hollywood sign checks some tourist destinations off the list.

I love the South Bay, so spending time at the restaurants and shops in Manhattan or Hermosa Beach is a lot of fun. I love the Happy Hour at Hook and Plow in the Riviera Village of Redondo Beach. Eating under the lights in front of the fireplace is a nice way to catch up at the end of the day.

I’d teach them how to surf in Malibu and drive through the hills of Topanga, stopping at little antique shops like Hidden Treasures along the way.

Heading into Orange County, the pace of life changes and the Southern California vibe makes anyone feel at home. Cliffside restaurants and hikes dot the landscape down the historic coastline. One of my favorite spots in San Clemente and Dana Point.

There’s so much more, but they’ll just have to come back to spend more time.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to dedicate this shoutout to my wife, Jodie, and our two daughters, Emma and Holly. As much as anyone, they had to sacrifice their time and energy to support me and my passion for this chosen profession.

Website: www.johnswee.com, www.dodgecreative.com

Instagram: @Dodge_Creative

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/johndswee

Twitter: @Dodge_Creative

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dodgecreative

Image Credits
John Swee – Dodge Creative