The Secret to Great Action Photos

If you have seen my second At the Table Lecture, you'll know that I am a big advocate in having great action shots on your website. I go as far as to say, for most magicians, having one killer action shot is worth one-hundred posed photos.

Magicians often ask me the secret to getting great photos, and I'm very happy to share. In fact, I have two techniques:

Bribe the photographer! I use a Card to Wallet and I always keep some money inside there. If I see a photographer at an event who I know will take great photos (with experience, you certainly start to learn when a photographer will be good), I will chat with them and explain how much having excellent photos mean to me. I then ask for their business card, and hand them the money, telling them that I'm willing to pay for the photos.

I have seen many colleagues give their business cards to photographers, but I have found that they very rarely get back to them. That's why I take their card and hand over money right away — it puts some skin in the game for them to get back in touch.

Ask the booker! It's as simple as that. If I'm doing my job correctly, the photographer will feature me in the collection of photos that they submit to the client. Therefore, the booker will have the photos and is often only too happy to share them.

I confess, it's a numbers game: the more gigs you do, the higher the chance of getting perfect photos. But hopefully these two tips help improve your chances.