Dale May Photography

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Dale May Photography

New York Award Winning Hybrid Photographer, Director, CGI/VFX Artist for Global Advertising Brands and Pharma. ONE ARTIST. ONE VISION. COMPLETE CREATIVE CONTROL.

Dale executes photography, direction, CGI, VFX, post-production and AI assisted workflows under one roof with one clear creative vision. DALE MAY: NEW YORK HYBRID PHOTOGRAPHER, DIRECTOR, & CGI/VFX ARTIST

Dale May doesn’t just make images, he builds worlds. Recognized by leading institutions including Lürzer’s Archive (200 Best Advertising Photographers & Digital Artists) and the International Pho

tography Awards (2024 Special Photographer of the Year, Digitally Enhanced), his work spans still photography, motion, and cinematic CGI production. For over 30 years, Dale has been a distinctive voice in advertising, defined by one principle: the most powerful campaigns begin with a strong portrait and evolve into fully realized cinematic worlds. Every element: CGI, VFX, animation, and post-production - serves that story. His highly stylized, conceptual work includes talent such as Daniel Day-Lewis, Charlize Theron, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Elizabeth Banks, and campaigns for global brands across entertainment, consumer goods, pharma, and tech. Dale executes photography, direction, CGI, VFX, and post-production under one roof. This unified approach eliminates handoffs, accelerates production, and ensures the original vision carries through to final delivery, resulting in cohesive campaigns across all platforms. THE WORK

His hybrid methodology blends studio photography with photorealistic CGI, AI-assisted workflows, and integrated motion production. The result moves seamlessly between still campaigns, video, and narrative film—always anchored by portraiture. Projects like Starlight Falls Motel, a fully realized CGI environment, demonstrate a production system that removes traditional limitations - no location constraints, no weather issues, no compromises - while maintaining cinematic quality at any scale. BEYOND THE LENS

Dale holds a BFA from Parsons School of Design and is also a Sundance-selected director (2003). His work reflects a deep influence from cinema, storytelling, and visual world-building. Based in Connecticut, rooted in New York, available worldwide. WORKING WITH DALE

Dale collaborates directly with agencies, brands, and creative teams on projects ranging from single images to fully integrated campaigns, delivering one clear vision from concept through completion. AGENT: WSW CREATIVE

212.431.4480

George Watson / [email protected]

wswcreative.com

GALLERY: SAMUEL OWEN GALLERY

Lee Milazzo

203.422.6500

Greenwich CT | Nantucket | Palm Beach

samuelowen.com

04/30/2026

Takeout Tuesday meets AI-assisted VFX. 🥡👽�
This is what hybrid production looks like in 2026:

Live-action footage + selective AI integration + full creative control = broadcast-quality VFX at a fraction of traditional budget & timeline.

My closed production pipeline layers AI onto original photography and video capture, strategically, selectively, and only with client approval. Every final deliverable is ownable, copyrightable, and protected.

The distinction that matters in global advertising where IP, talent rights, and copyright cannot be compromised.

AI IS A TOOL. NEVER THE AUTHOR.

Photography | Photorealistic CGI | Commercial Video | VFX | Animation | Post-Production | AI-Assisted Workflows

When something needs to change mid-production, it changes. No handoffs.

FULL-SPECTRUM VISUAL ARTIST�
Every Layer. One Signature.

👉 Learn more about my AI production pipeline at the link in the comments.

Agent: Wswcreative

04/14/2026

The entire shoot was 6 minutes.

First frame to last, six minutes with Christina Aguilera for a global Shure microphone campaign. Specific brief, specific client needs, and a subject who knew exactly what she was doing.

These images have been sitting in my archive since 2006. I've been doing a deep rebuild of my website recently, with new case studies, new work, and a fresh look at everything, and revisiting old shoots is something I've always loved to do. Going back with different eyes and better tools is its own kind of creative work.

So I built a more narrative world around her.

The background environments were created in ComfyUI using Flux 2 Pro with perspective image guides and detailed prompts, then edited and composited with the original portraits in Photoshop. I wanted the space to feel personal. Not just a backdrop, but a place that says something about who she is. There's a vintage turntable. Tea on the coffee table. And a framed photograph of Etta James on the wall, her favorite singer.

The original studio captures are in the carousel. Swipe to see where it started.

Slide 1 — finished composite
Slide 2 — original studio capture
Slide 3 — finished composite
Slide 4 — original studio capture

04/09/2026

Five stars. Would not recommend the waterfall.

This is the Accidental Tourist. He started life as a background extra in a 2011 Prevention Magazine shoot and spent 14 years waiting in the outtakes for his real job.

The waterfall environment is an AI-assisted composite. The concept: a spec campaign for travel insurance. The headline: "Adventure finds everyone eventually."

Your next campaign might already be hiding in your archives.

Accidental Tourist appears in Lürzer's Archive Issue 232, out now. Also just found out I've been selected for 200 Best Digital Artists again this year. More on that soon.

Commissions through Wswcreative

Check out my updated portfolio at the link in comments.

03/13/2026

People always ask kids with tattoos, what are those going to look like when you're old? TOTALLY BADASS.

“Still Punk” is a portrait series I created about seniors living life entirely on their own terms. The concept is simple. What does a person look like when they've never stopped being exactly who they are? Not who their career made them. Not who their family expected them to be. Just themselves, fully realized, without apology.

The tattoos were created in post. The studio that drew them, Daredevil Tattoo in NYC, is as real as it gets. Wood panel wall and punk posters built with AI and composited in Photoshop."

For me this project is about more than portraiture. The most powerful images I make are the ones where the environment is built to match the person, not the other way around. When that alignment happens, you stop looking at a photograph and start looking at someone's truth.

That's what I bring to every campaign I work on. The ability to build any world around any subject and make it feel completely authentic, no matter how simple or complex the scene.

Who in your life is still punk after all these years? Tag them below. I'd love to photograph them.

Photography, Retouching & Concept: Dale May
Agent: Wswcreative

See more of my work at dalemayphotography.com

02/25/2026

These images are built through a hybrid process of traditional photography, CGI, AI, and hands-on compositing.

I have mixed feelings about AI. It’s impossible to ignore but I still don’t find joy in creating images that are 100% AI generated. What I love most is the tactile, problem-solving part of the creative process. The majority of my work blends photography, CGI, and creative retouching. AI is simply another tool in that pipeline, not the author of the image.

Like all of my work, this started with a portrait of a real human being. I photographed my friend , knowing we would replace parts of the wardrobe in post. I used AI to swap the pants and add props and shoes. From there, I created a rough CGI blockout of the scene and generated multiple background variations, prompting for specific light, materials, and textures.

Those backgrounds were brought into Photoshop, where I composited the strongest elements together. I then ran the composite back through AI for further refinements and enhancements. Finally, I combined the finished environment with my portrait of Natasha, relighting and color graded everything to match.

Photography Hybrid: Dale May
Agent: Wswcreative
Model:

02/03/2026

Your future as an artist may be hiding in your past PART 2: A continuation of my previous post where I discussed one of my favorite creative exercises - revisiting old photo shoots and reimagine them with the perspective and skills I’ve developed since.

Every year, I reassess who I am as an artist. That clarity is important not just for myself but for anyone considering me for their next ad campaign. I am constantly shooting new personal work and like most artists, I retire older images from my portfolio. But instead of discarding the past entirely, I often ask: What would this shoot look like if I created it now?

The first revelation comes from revisiting the original image files. When you’re in the middle of a shoot, your original concept guides every decision: what you notice, what you ignore and what you select. Years later, with different instincts and fewer restrictions, I’ve found incredible images hiding in the outtakes. Beautiful imperfections. In between moments. Frames that once felt like background elements but now feel like the hero.

CGI has fundamentally changed what I’m capable of and removed many of the creative constraints that shaped my older work.

This image was from a shoot I did for Reader’s Digest Magazine, back in 2019. It was part of a series on the funniest jokes, which was debatable but this one in particular was a classic “Why did the chicken cross the road?” In this new version, I decided to answer that question. Because this world is a bit too nuts right now.

Most of what we create as artists is instinctual. This process doesn’t replace shooting new work and moving forward. But it is an invaluable way to learn a lot about yourself, refine your voice, and understand what makes you the artist you are today.

Do you have any good chicken jokes?

Photography | CGI | Creative Retouching: Dale May
Agent: Wswcreative
Model:

01/27/2026

Your future as an artist may be hiding in your past. One of my favorite creative exercises is revisiting old photo shoots and reimagine them with the perspective and skills I’ve developed since.

Every year, I reassess who I am as an artist. That clarity is important not just for myself but for anyone considering me for their next ad campaign. I am constantly shooting new personal work and like most artists, I retire older images from my portfolio. But instead of discarding the past entirely, I often ask: What would this shoot look like if I created it now?

The first revelation comes from revisiting the original image files. When you’re in the middle of a shoot, your original concept guides every decision: what you notice, what you ignore and what you select. Years later, with different instincts and fewer restrictions, I’ve found incredible images hiding in the outtakes. Beautiful imperfections. In between moments. Frames that once felt like background elements but now feel like the hero.

CGI has fundamentally changed what I’m capable of and removed many of the creative constraints that shaped my older work.

These images are from a shoot I did for Prevention Magazine, back in 2011. The “Inner Peace” beach scene seems very appropriate for the chaos of today, so I reimagined the image with a more personal creative direction - let’s call it the “2026 Director Cut.” Scroll to see the original 2011 composite image. The man on the inflatable donut was shot as a background element for the beach scene. After looking through the old files, I decided to make him his own scene, “The Accidental Tourist”.
Most of what we create as artists is instinctual. This process doesn’t replace shooting new work and moving forward. But it is an invaluable way to learn a lot about yourself, refine your voice, and understand what makes you the artist you are today.

I’d love to hear your own creative exercises that help you stay inspired.

Photography | CGI " Creative Retouching: Dale May
Agent: Wswcreative

01/13/2026

This is not a photograph, it is 100% CGI. (Scroll to see the full image and BTS.) The reason it feels photographic is because it’s built like one.

My approach to CGI comes directly from years behind a camera: understanding light falloff, lens behavior, imperfections, and the quiet moments that make portraits believable. I don’t aim to make CGI look “impressive.” I aim to make it look observed.

This is how I approach advertising work as well — whether the final image is captured on set, built digitally, or somewhere in between. One visual language, one author, from concept through final frame.

Realism isn’t about tools, it’s about taste.

CGI: Dale May
Agent: Wswcreative

01/06/2026

Horse Whisperer - my personal project exploring character, narrative, and creative control.

Shot as traditional portrait and lifestyle photography in my home studio, then expanded with photo-realistic CGI environments to create a cohesive visual narrative. It all started by seeing a character in Molly Dryman before the wardrobe or the setting existed and despite her having no experience as a horse whisperer. I don’t cast models, I cast characters.

This hybrid approach allows complete authorship over the image: lighting, tone, environment, and story, tailored to my vision. It’s the same process I bring to advertising campaigns when concepts need to evolve, scale, or live beyond the limits of a physical location.

Personal projects are where the language gets refined. Campaigns are where it gets applied.

I predict 2026 will be a very productive and creative year!

Photography & CGI: Dale May
Agent: Wswcreative
Talent:
Cowboy Boots: Special thanks to my cousin for supplying the boots

12/17/2025

I had the pleasure of photographing lawyer and author of The Collaborative Co-Parent, Gabriella Pomare, during her whirlwind visit to NYC. We bounced around the city using only available light, a refreshing change of pace from my usual productions - camera, subject, and the inspiration of New York at street level. Feeling like a tourist again reminded me how powerful the city can be, especially with such a lovely subject.

Be sure to check out Gabriella’s new book for thoughtful, real-world co-parenting advice.

Photography: Dale May
Agent: Wswcreative
Subject:

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Fairfield, CT
10003

Website

http://www.dalemayphotography.com/

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