the relaunch is live.
Perform Photography started first as an instagram page in 2021 for our founder Tony McCrackin. A potential wedding client on an inquiry call looked through his photography Instagram said "oh, I guess it's cool that you do this marching band thing" and he knew he needed a designated place to continue to share as much of his marching arts photography as possible without drowning out his portraiture and wedding work, and thus @perform.photography was created. (spoiler: Tony did not book that wedding)
As time went, Tony's work in the performing arts went from something he did for other companies or only a few weeks a year to being the lion's share of his work, and Perform Photography fully relaunched in 2026 under it's own LLC with new logos and a new website.
Capture the best of the performing arts
This is the mission. This not an aspiration to only work with the best ensembles and cover world class events, this is a mission to take each and every opportunity given to capture all facets of the performing arts as best as we can. We do this with an approach guided by three fundamentals:
1. Showcase the Power of Performance
We believe the Performing Arts are a powerful, transformative, and enriching part of the lives of performers and spectators. Because of that, they deserve to be captured and showcased at a high level.
2. Celebrate the Moment
We believe every performer, every rep, every day, deserves celebration. Because of that, we strive to celebrate not just the wins but the moments in between. Our way of celebrating these moments is through the lens.
3. Be Good, Do Good
We believe the way to create greatest impact is through a commitment to excellence. Because of that, we strive to capture high quality images and create a positive impact through photography.
Speaking Personally,
I would like to drop the we and start speaking as me, as Tony. Time to be transparent about where I am at, and list a few of my goals are with Perform Photography.
Why Now?
I've been working in the performing arts for years collaborating with great people, learning, and growing. The company I spent most of my time and energy with was Performing Arts Photography by Bateman. When I first moved to Indianapolis in 2019 with a camera and a dream, the first company I started working for was Bateman. Within 24 hours of being here, I was driving a van up to Purdue and setting risers for their group photo day. Since then I've shot hundreds of jobs for them, worked countless hours in their office, and grown in ways I deeply appreciate.
Terry Bateman has been one of my largest mentors as a photographer. His service mindset, commitment to strong professional relationships, and drive to always do right by those he worked with are characteristics I aspire to within my own life and with Perform Photography. Because of this relationship with Terry and his company, I never wanted to directly compete against them. I had my own clients, but I also brought clients into their operation instead of picking up sessions and clients I knew they would excel at.
Terry and his business partner Zhonda Shaw have started to wind down into retirement, and Performing Arts by Bateman will be closing operations at the end of 2027. With this, and with their blessing, I have started to pick up some of their previous clients and grow my own operation. Knowing Terry, he will probably continue to take photos, serve his community, and keep himself busy. Who knows, I might just have to hire Terry and Zhonda for the table at a contest or two.
What's the plan?
I want to continue to be the biggest fan of the performing arts, to grow my community with the people committing their lives to it, and to make this company the way I am able to give more while offering myself stability.
I want to find more ways to support the performing arts at all levels. From the performer to the educator, the designer, the circuit, and the sponsor. Photography has a role in all, and I want to find a way to help all.
I want to grow this business to where I am no longer doing everything myself. I already plan to hire other people to shoot contests for me, but the operations of the office I would like to be able to expand. I wear a lot of hats, and they don't all fit quite to my liking. The largest barrier I have been running into over the last year is my own time, so part of moving forward is bringing in enough work to hire people. I have not yet decided what roles I will be hiring for, but I am at least interested in a seasonal employee for the fall marching band season. I'm more interested in finding the right person who can grow and adapt with the company. I would especially be interested in creating a position for sales and marketing, and will probably need some help with the processing and uploading of multiple action galleries after large show weekends.
I want to continue to grow a great team of photographers. I already have a strong group of people I've already worked with, but I want to continue to hire and develop the best of the best, and ideally position Perform Photography as a place they can bring their operations into.
Who are you going to work with?
I am going to continue working with many of the same organizations I have been, and have already added a few under Perform Photography. I have one large organization Perform Photography has picked up for the fall, more on that in a separate announcement.
I am now open to working with more local programs than before, with new services launched earlier this week that I am hoping to provide for local programs.
What's happening with Tony McCrackin Photography?
I do still plan on taking portrait, engagement, and wedding clients under the Tony McCrackin Photography brand, but that now exists as a part of Perform Photography. I think for the jobs I do that are not directly serving the mission of Perform Photography, this makes sense. The share of work this represents and the structure that works as will probably change over time.
Thank you.
If I can be anything in life, I hope to be grateful. In this moment I am grateful for all that has happened to build me to this place, for the people I have worked with and for the direction I am going. This relaunch has been a great opportunity for me to take stock of all I have going on, and while it does mean I have been working crazy hours since the indoor season, it has given me a lot to be grateful for.
I want to close with a quote that resounded with me recently. It may be basic, and it came to me from someone on TikTok that I don't even remember, but I think it applies more than anything else to me in this phase of life. "Ready isn't a feeling, it's a decision"