Expert Profiles

Alan Mahon

Professional advertising photographer specialising in athletes

I have been a professional advertising photographer specialising in athletes for about ten years. This job is all about being able to guarantee results, under high stress, in short periods of time with celebrity athletes.

It’s highly technical, using high speed flash and sophisticated triggering systems, but the images should not feel technical - they have to be beautiful and tell a story about movement that is appealing to the ‘man on the street’. The work is always a collaboration: I interpret the vision of the creatives who come up with the ideas in order to produce powerful marketing for the sports brand, which ultimately pays for the shoot.

It’s a great job. I get to travel the world, meet amazing athletes, work for highly creative people and produce beautiful photographs.

Image © Alan Mahon