Daniel Peirce

Daniel William Peirce (born May 21, 1959) is an American photographer, author, entrepreneur and philosopher, best known for his fine art photography representing the style and design of the motorcycle engine.

Peirce was born May 21, 1959, in Washington D.C, the third of four children of Margaret Daniels. His father Frank Peirce Sr, a career soldier in the United States Air Force, eventually led to the family’s relocation to Universal City, Texas when Peirce was four years old. Peirce began his study of photography at Samuel Clemens High School, and continued in that profession after graduation, despite the recommendation of the high school counselor that he consider plumbing. He decided to pursue photography after graduating from high school and completed the School of Modern Photography correspondence course in 1979.

Peirce now lives with his wife of 30 years in Grapevine, Texas. He continues his passion of rebuilding vintage motorbikes and is currently working on a 1968 Harley Davidson Sprint.

Having ridden motorcycles in his teens, Peirce picked up his hobby of motorbikes again at 38 years old. He rebuilt a free 1972 Honda CL350 basket-case and started riding again. A few years later, he would buy a 1978 Honda CB750 that would become his daily rider, the Landshark.

Since 1979, Daniel Peirce has worked in nearly every field of professional photography, including police forensic photography, wedding and portrait photography, photo lab management, and professional photography instruction. During the last 16 years, the majority of his work as an artist has been in commercial photography, concentrating on the motorcycle equipment and apparel industry. Peirce's current and longest-held position is as the head photographer for Tucker Rocky and Biker's Choice Distributing, producing images for their motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel catalogs, which are the largest of their kind in the nation.

While developing his personal photography skills and style, he met a University of Texas graduate, Pamela Anne Mitchell. The two were married December 6, 1980 in a ceremony in San Antonio, Texas. They have two daughters, Elizabeth (1983) and Catherine (1988).

In 1985, the family moved from Universal City to Dallas-Fort Worth. In 1992, they moved again to the Hawaiian island, Oahu where they lived for three years before returning to DFW.

Past career highlights include: 1991 Louis Daguerre trophy from the Professional Photographers of America, 1995 President of the Corporate Imaging Association, 2009 chosen as official photographer for the Old Indians Never Die International Indian Motorcycle Rally in Traquair, Scotland.

In the year 2000, Peirce founded Trick Photography, a personal business in which he produces images and articles for motorcycle publications and individual clients. His work has appeared in every major motorcycle magazine in the nation including: Cycle World, Motorcycle Classics and the Robb Report. The original Trick Photography business model centered on providing professional portrait services that allowed vintage vehicle owners to pose alongside their machines. This artistic endeavor led Peirce to develop an increased appreciation for the aesthetic of the motorcycle itself, and its potential as the subject for fine art photography.

In 2011, works by Peirce were selected for exhibition at Thunder at CAM: An exhibition of motorcycles and motorcycle art at the Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay, Oregon. Peirce's work Hayabusa Headers received a winner's recognition from panel judges.

The UNS Engine Project began when Peirce attended the North Texas Norton Owners Association’s annual motorcycle rally at the Lake O' The Pines, near Jefferson, Texas. Peirce was assigned to shoot photos to use in an article for Ride Texas Magazine. The highlight of the rally is always the impressive vintage bike show. Showing primarily European motorcycles, the show boasts many bikes seen nowhere else. From that session, a double-framed collection of ten solid pictures showing motorcycle marks from Ariel, to Honda, to Triumph, to Zundapp were created, titled "Motorbikes from A to Z, Lake O' The Pines 2001."