Recognize These Magicians?

How do you photograph wonder? This question led David Szymanski on a journey to document and explore magic in new and unexpected ways.

Based in Milwaukee, Szymanski works primarily as a commercial photographer. A few years ago, he decided to merge his profession with his lifelong passion: magic.

He now runs a project devoted to capturing the essence of magic today—far from the old clichés of wands, bunnies, and top hats.

After studying his work, we’re convinced that Szymanski’s photography offers something valuable to both magic and its community. It raises insightful and thought-provoking questions about our craft and how it’s visually represented to the world.

David is collecting his work into The Magicians Project:

"The project is an in-depth investigation of magic and looking at the magicians who are preserving the art form."

The collection includes portraits of prominent magicians as well as more abstract, evocative imagery inspired by magic itself.

While portraits are just one part of his project, they remain the type of photographs that magicians are most associated with. Szymanski has captured some of the most well-known names in magic, including Mac King, Joshua Jay, Colin Cloud, Armando Lucero, and Ben Seidman.

With such high-profile subjects, it's easy to default to the usual 'magic poster' aesthetic. However, The Magicians Project aims to push past those conventions and uncover the person behind the performer.

"There is no single element I try to portray, but it’s an overall feeling."

For instance, when photographing the famous close-up magician Armando Lucero, Szymanski spent hours speaking with him before even taking out his camera. He wanted to ensure he captured Lucero in a way that reflected his quiet, minimalist persona.

He took a similar approach when photographing the famous comedy magician Mac King. With someone as iconic and frequently photographed as King, Szymanski knew he had to take a different angle.

Instead of focusing on King directly in every image, he featured the magician’s guinea pig—a beloved and recognizable element of his show that also encapsulates his style of magic.

Looking further into this, we realize that Szymanski’s approach to photographing magicians is very different from the classic, stereotypical portraits—images meant to promise entertainment to potential bookers.

The iconography of magic has evolved since the days of old magic posters. However, it’s still rare for photographs of magicians to focus on their human nature; the emphasis is often placed on their stage persona instead.

Sometimes, you're asked to take the same picture everyone else has because 'it works' (did someone say smiling face and card spring?). While this type of photo can serve specific contexts, it also tends to flatten the wide variety of performers and styles into pre-existing categories.

This connects to the practical need to sell magic to a lay audience—people who may have no idea what we do. They need to quickly determine if you're the right fit for their event, and including some 'magic-looking' elements in your photos can help achieve that.

However, Szymanski observes that as magic gains popularity, more magicians are moving away from these tropes, opting instead for more human and original images.

As audiences become more familiar with magic, they also become more attuned to its varying styles and approaches—much like what has happened with other types of entertainment, such as music.

"Then comes the question: How do you photograph wonder and magic? We all felt it—but how do you capture that?"

This is the second focus of The Magicians Project: capturing the essence of wonder.

It is the most original part of Szymanski's work and raises more open-ended questions, such as, 'How do you photograph mentalism?' and 'What does magic look like in a single frame?'

Although he still hasn't found an exact answer, he describes these types of pictures as 'quiet, visual moments.'

Posing these questions is not just a creative exercise—it’s a deep exploration of what magic is and what it can be. Documenting its key moments can lead to a different and richer perception of the craft for laypeople.

Sometimes, this could mean photographing a member of the audience reacting to magic; at other times, it might be an image of a prop floating in mid-air. Ultimately, the question of portraying magic transcends the performer and delves into the very essence of what we do.

Finally, we asked David Szymanski to share advice for magicians preparing for their next (or first) professional photoshoot.

His first tip is to prioritize originality:

"We have all seen card springs and fans. Get those photos if you think you need them, but everyone has them. I think most clients are hiring you for your personality. They already assume that you’re great at magic. Unless the client is really into magic, they just want to be entertained."

The main point he brings out is about trusting the photographer. You need to look out for someone you trust and whose work you like and then follow their instructions:

"Find a photographer who understands you. Get plenty of sleep the night before, stay hydrated, have your clothing ready—ironed and pressed. Shave if you shave, have everything ready. Come with a bunch of props, but be very open for directions and ideas from the photographer. I feel like the most success you can get from a shoot comes from being completely open to the photographer."

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