We caught up with the brilliant and insightful John Swee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, John thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

I am the founder, owner and lead photographer of Dodge Creative. People always ask me where the name “Dodge Creative” came from. I see the world in terms of memories, angles, perspectives and light. I want to bring out that light. I want to illuminate the best parts of your vision and I want you to have fun and enjoy the process. I want you to smile, not because I asked you to, but because you’re filled with joy and truly feel good about the creative process and our partnership. Dodge Creative came from that place. First, it’s a photographic term, to Dodge and Burn. In the light room when you dodge an image you make that area brighter or bring out the light. I want every interaction or photoshoot to be like that. A place of Joy and brightness.

Second, wouldn’t you rather see the light in the world? I believe that we were made to have life to the full. To reach deep into my own metaphor, what if we were the ones being Dodged? Every day experiencing a little more of what we were intended. Each morning being renewed. There’s freedom in that and that’s the kind of place I want to be.

Third and lastly, when I decided to head out on my own and get out of Dodge, I took that wild west Dodge City idea with me. The idea that who you have been is not who you are now, but it is that history that influences who you’ve become in many ways. Businesses evolve. Their needs change, they innovate and explore. My job is to translate that into images and show the products, people and soul of those companies.

The wild west speaks to my rugged heart and brings with it this vision of people that were hard-working, honest, driven and equal parts self-reliant and community-oriented. That’s who I want to be. That and I want to be a cowboy, but who doesn’t? My peacemaker is a camera and I get to shoot all day. Dodge Creative and stand out of the way of common place.

John, 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?

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 Redondo Beach, California after moving from Minnesota in 2021. I travel all over the country but love working with local brands.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients has by far been word of mouth and referrals. There are so many talented photographers out there that it can be really hard to differentiate yourself. My business model has always been to treat my clients with honesty, integrity and character. I want my clients to enjoy working with me as a person as much as the outcome. I want them to know that I have their best interests at heart. I want outstanding photos to be icing on the cake. It’s the greatest compliment I can receive when someone is willing to pass on my name as someone they need to work with.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

As a self-employed business owner, flexibility and adaptability are two of the most helpful traits you can foster. In September of 2020 my family and I sold everything we had in Minnesota and relocated to the West Coast for my wife’s career. We moved out here for her business but we were confident that there was something here for me as well. This was a major pivot for me. I was just named one of the top 10 Commercial Photographers in the Twin Cities for 2021 and yet I was leaving behind all of my local clients. Over the course of my career I had built relationships with 8-10 companies that had business every month, perhaps the same number that would have new projects every quarter and then a variety of companies that would take on a larger project once a year. That variety of clientele worked out to keep my schedule very full year-round. Many of those clients I had worked with for the last decade. When we moved to LA, I had to virtually start over and establish new relationships and new local clients and business. It has a way of keeping you humble and hungry and I’ve never been one to take anything for granted, but it was a great reminder of what motivates me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.johnswee.com, www.dodgecreative.com
• Instagram: @Dodge_Creative
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dodgecreative
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/johndswee
• Twitter: @Dodge_Creative

Image Credits
John Swee – Dodge Creative