The True Value of Photography

Let me start off with some background on myself. My name is Dan Switzer I have three over the top, high energy, drama to the max, adorable children and I am madly in love with the most beautiful woman in the world, Salma Hayek. (Update: My wife hated that joke and told me to take it out. I told her I did lol) In all seriousness, I am married to the most amazing woman I have ever had the privilege of knowing. Not only is she an amazing mother and wife she is intensely kind in a way that makes you feel special rather than that fake kindness that is all too common these days. My wife, Esmeralda, and I have been together since we were 17 and 18 respectively. Now 33 and 34. We both work full time and run our photography business, Pike and Pine Photography, on our “spare” time. We specialize in family and couple photography, seeking out families and couple that are much like ourselves; fun, quirky, over the top, honest and after several Google searches still not 100% sure if they know how to properly use a semi-colon. So, In a nutshell this is me and this is us. 

So, with that out of the way I wanted to work through my thoughts on the value of photography. If you are expecting me to talk about why you should spend tons of money on photography, you may be sad to know that I will not. I will however, attempt to define the value I place on having the life of my family documented. 

When I think about the value of something I think of the emotion, need or use tied to it. For me I value convenience over cost. I’m a sucker for quick and easy. I will always pay more to wait less. The idea of saving a renewable resource, money, while sacrificing an undeniably scarce resource, time, doesn’t make any sense to me. Those seconds or minutes that I save add up over time to be a trip to the zoo or time to teach my oldest how to take a photo. Those dollars that I spent in gaining those moments then become largely inconsequential in relation to the the memories that my children will carry for the duration of their lifetime. So when I try and asses the value of an item, tangible or not, I try and look at what having or not having it would mean for my life. Using the convenience example again, I have decided that money is less valuable than time and as such I will happily trade money for time without a second thought. That is certainly not to say that it’s the right way or the only way. It’s just my way, and one of the things that makes me, me. 

To better explain where I’m coming from I want to explain how we became Interested in family portraits. When Esmeralda and I were first looking into starting our business we were throwing around Ideas of what kind of pictures we wanted to take. To non-photographers, it’s easy to assume that all photographers can take any kind of photo since they have the required gear, a camera. The truth is, quite frustratingly I might add, far more nuanced than that. While it is true that a skilled photographer can likely take a decent photo in a number of genres, they really only master one or two over the course of their lifetime. Some of the best photographers in history only ever really used one focal length and shot exclusively one style for their entire career! Like most things in life, the more broad your focus the less time you have to spend on mastering each element. So then, if we couldn’t just shoot everything how on earth would we figure out what we WOULD shoot? The answer to that is simple, figure out what we value the most. 

For Esmeralda and I, we value family over all else. We are extremely close with each other, our kids and our extended families. For us, a perfect day is one in which we get to cook and eat, or go out to the park or to the mall as a family. To be clear, when I say family I mean FAMILY! We have 10 of us in our home, from Esmeralda, myself and the babies to my 5 in-laws, our family is big and our house is ALWAYS chaotic. And we love it! So when we thought about what type of photography we wanted to specialize in it really was a no-brainer; Family photography (still no clue if I’m using the semi-colon correctly but it felt right…) So, with the “what” sorted out, next came the question of why ( and this is where we finally make it back to the topic I started a few paragraphs back). 

Family photography for us is the perfect blend of love and chaos that defines our own lives. Specializing in photographing families allows us to connect with our clients on a deep level that only parents can fully understand. As parents ourselves we understand the fragility of the memories of childhood for both ourselves and our children. It seems as though every time I blink our children change significantly and morph into new humans that are equally as beautiful, but entirely different than who they were just moments before. Long gone are the days of my oldest looking up at me, with her brilliant blue eyes and perfectly chubby face saying “but Daddy, I’m cute”, in attempts to get out of punishment for breaking a plate that she was specifically told like a thousand damn times not to touch…ahhh the irritation still strong 6 years later( I couldn’t even btw, I literally just blinked a few times, turned around and walked away. I lost that round. She knew and so did I). These days my oldest is 8 going on 18, full of moody angst like she’s caught living in a Nirvana song while walking around the house dabbing (still don’t understand what the point of that even is). While she is still very much my baby princess, I only now see those shimmers of who she once was on the rare occasion that they accidentally slip out. You see back then, like many, we didn’t understand the value of photography. We looked at the COST of the session and falsely equated that with the value of the images. So because our estimation of value was skewed, we now only have a few iPhone images that have made it through the years without being accidentally deleted lost. What we understand now is that the cost of the session was a drop in the bucket in comparison to the value that we lost by not having those memories immortalized. I cannot go back in time and capture those memories I’ve lost. I can only hope that those remaining memories hold firm for the entire duration of my life. Those memories mean more to me than any cost that may have been associated with it at the time. Unfortunately for me, it’s too late now. The good news is, we had two backup babies! While we did fail to understand the fragility memories and the harshness of time back then, we get it now. Ultimately, it’s what has driven us to this world of family photography. We now understand our love of each other and our children is not defined by grand gestures or big gifts. It is defined by those fleeting moments that nearly go unnoticed. Those moments between moments that put a smile on your face and bring a tear to your eye. The way your husband makes poorly timed (and in my case highly inappropriate) jokes at just the right, or wrong, time. The way your toddler walks around the house singing Cocomelon songs at the top of her lungs. They way your wife looks at you with gentle, reassuring eyes when she just knows that you are at your breaking point. Those moments are the “why” behind our love and why we are, and always will be, family photographers first and foremost. We connect with families that don’t want those super posed images with perfectly coordinated everything. If that is what you want, great! There are amazing Photographers out there that can help you with that, we’re just not them. We focus on capturing those tiny fleeting moments that encapsulate the love you have for your family but can’t put to words. We want those families that are looking to capture love, honestly and fully. Not afraid to be themselves completely, whether a camera is fixed on them or not. Those families that want to just have an amazing day out with those they Iove while we buzz around catching little moments that made the day special. If that’s what you’re looking for, please reach out we would love love love to work with you!

So to wrap this whole thing up, time is moving forward with or without your consent. You can choose to ignore it and hope to remember those precious, fleeting moments or you can choose to document them and ensure that they will never be forgotten. There in lies the true value of photography. It is not about the images themselves but rather the meaning and emotion tied to them. The emotion that links us to the memories of the past defines our bonds to our loved ones and helps our children shape their understanding of how to navigate this world. The choice to preserve those memories or not is undeniably yours to make. I only seek to remind you that memories are extremely fragile and are all but guaranteed to fade as we age. The decision you make today will effect you for years to come. For me, the choice is clear. I choose to preserve those memories as a shinning portrayal of my love and dedication to my family so as to serve as reminder to them that daddy did, and always will love them. When you are ready to make the same choice, Esmeralda and I will be here to help.

-Dan