Jonathan May is one of Australia’s most original and highly respected portrait and advertising photographers, now making his mark as a director of documentary, narrative short films, scripted TV commercials. Jonathan May’s creative journey has taken him to all corners of the globe the past 12 years, from Sydney, Paris, Los Angeles, Moscow to Africa - he has left no stone unturned.
Gaining a cult following for capturing powerful moments on camera; his artistic personal and commercial work have earned him an indelible reputation as a photographer and filmmaker. It would not be unusual for May to shoot Boy George and Naomi Watts on the same day that he goes to a dog shelter and lends his cinematic lens to assist animal adoption.
Highly awarded for his signature approach to crafting searing cinematic language that is shareable, May has been a finalist in the hEAd oN portrait prize for nine consecutive years, winning the competition in 2013. May has also been listed in Lurzer's Archive magazine as one of the top 200 advertising photographers worldwide for 3 years.
May is fascinated with humanity, the intrigue of human frailty and uncovering truths in our brave new world and often remote locations attract his attention -- his work draws us into the bold underworld of his subjects. Recently signed to Universal Music in Berlin, May’s artistic cinematic short ‘Saudade’ delighted global audiences in collaboration with the neoclassical pianist Joep Beving, shot in the North Pole on the fringe of humanity, evidence of his mastery of the craft.
May's focus has always been utterly unique storytelling, so the transition from stills to directing has been a natural progression, as evidenced in the global awards and attention his short film Rear View Mirror has received and the trust by major brands such as National Australia Day Council, Bridgestone, Suncorp, AVIS and TAL and Commonwealth Bank all seeking his original approach and aesthetic.
Jonathan May
As an artist I believe careful seeing is imperative to uncover the truth of the human condition, and I often find myself chasing stories or people living on the fringes of society. I find here that there is a level of truth and authenticity that you just can’t replicate in big cities.
It is said the world is made in the way that we observe it, our particular lens of experience - my goal is to take the viewer on a journey of emotional connection to my subjects world and situation. To places and people that they would never normally experience or witness.
My honest and personal approach between my subjects allows for a deeper understanding the cuts through the layers of fear and acceptance.
I’m inspired by the greats, but if I had to put myself in a box it would be meeting my subjects with an inquisitive nature, like Louis Theroux but see the world through the eyes of Emmanuel Lubezki.
Reach out, I would love to collaborate on something special with you - info@jonathanmay.me
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
“Working with Jono on the Army Reserves brand campaign was a dream. From the get go, he was bloody amazing. Instantly entrenching himself in the creative whilst helping to push it as far as it would go (with client approval of course). With one of the toughest weeks of shooting loaded with high stress and extra long days, his output of quality was incredible. Not to mention his cool, calm and collected on set management with client, crew and agency. BRIEF THE MAN.”
— Aaron Rocca, Senior Intergrated Producer, VMLYR
“We had the pleasure of working with Jono on an absolute monster of a job for Army Reserves throughout 2020 and into 2021. It had all the ingredients to be a disaster: A complicated and technical brief, a shot-list as long as the Great Wall of China, and constant curve balls from both us and client. And he was absolutely brilliant.
Jono and his rockstar team were essential in the process, keeping it on rails when clients wanted to go off-road. He has an amazing photographic eye and a brilliant conceptual brain.
A diamond in the rough, and we will be working with him again soon!”
— Bryce Waters. Senior Art Director, VMLY&R
“Last year we engaged Jonathan to both direct and photograph our 2020 Australia Day campaign. The idea around the campaign was to reflect the diversity of people and their stories, who make up Australia, in terms of ethnicities, abilities, family types and sexual orientation and indigenous Australians, including stolen generation.
“Jonathan’s warm, friendly manner made each of the people feel not only respected, but also completely comfortable in front of the camera. The result was beautiful.”
As you can appreciate, this required incredible understanding and empathy. I was fortunate enough to travel the country with Jono and was incredibly impressed with Jonathan’s ability to relate to everyone we worked with. His warm, friendly manner made each of the people feel not only respected, but also completely comfortable in front of the camera.
The resulting film and imagery were beautiful. The campaign was incredibly well received by both the government and the public. Such was our appreciation of everything Jonathan did, we engaged him again this year to capture our 2021 campaign. If you get the chance to work with Jonathan, grab it.”
— Dave King, Co-founder, Creative Partner. WolfKing.
“Jonathan May was the photographer for a large brand campaign shoot for Commonwealth Bank’s agribusiness division. I selected him as I wanted someone who would approach the brief from a different perspective and tell the human stories in a compelling way.
Jonathan not only researched each physical location in detail but the people behind them. He also built strong rapport and trust with the farmers so they were at ease in front of the camera.
The resulting work was beautiful and poignant, capturing in a unique way the essence of their life on the land and relationships with the Bank.
That year the agribusiness division achieved record profit and NPS scores and was #1 in customer satisfaction.”
— Ryan Parrott. Marketing Manager, Commonwealth Bank of Australia
“While at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, I was honoured to work on the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) account on shoot for almost 30 days in Australia across five states. Some of the locations were quite remote. The assignment was to capture testimonials of agri-business owners, who were CBA clients/customers, in their work environments, which were financially possible due to their partnership with CBA.
Jonathan May was our photographer of choice. From his portfolio, we saw his knack for capturing real people authentically and beautifully. He kept the shoot professional and fun. Prior to the shoot day and our arrival to Australia, Jonathan reached out to each talent to get a feel for their personality and to “break the ice”. Tech scouts are a given, but this additional time with the CBA clients allowed the shoot to flow. The talent was already familiar and comfortable with Jono before he introduced the camera.
His team’s pre-planning was precise. The trajectory was nailed down perfectly - maps, transportation, accommodations, transfers, meals and even downtime.
We captured some beautiful images, and the client was ecstatic! It was a true adventure; one that is burned into my memory forever. ”
— Britt Gardner. Goodby, Silverstein & Partners