Mary McCartney (b.1969, London) started her career as a photographer in 1995. Since then Mary’s work has concentrated on the world of portrait and candid reportage photography. Her style lies in finding a moment that gives us a new insight on the subject.
Mary’s assignments have led to her work appearing in editorial titles such as Harpers Bazaar and Interview Magazine as well as high impact advertising campaigns for clients such as Adidas, Bucherer and Mandarin Oriental. “Mary is the new creative spirit behind Mandarin Oriental’s He’s/She’s a Fan campaign, taking over from the late Patrick Lichfield.”
In May 2000 Mary took the first official photographs of Tony and Cherie Blair with their newborn son, Leo. Mary has a number of pictures in the National Portrait Gallery Collection, along with a commission entitled ‘Gay Icons’, that was exhibited in the NPG in 2009.
Mary’s first solo exhibition was in October 2004 entitled ‘Off Pointe – A Photographic Study of The Royal Ballet After Hours' in which she was invited into the private world of the elite Corps De Ballet. This series of black & white photographs reveals an intimate unseen aspect of the world of ballet capturing the prestige and the chaos of life behind the scenes and the contrast between the sometimes gruelling, painful lifestyle of the dancers and their fairy tale performances. "