Mickey May – Official Photographer

Danish photographer Mickey May is a very familiar face at tournaments all over Europe. She has specialised in taking photos at live events since 2003 and has been covering the Irish Open since 2006.

Mickey first took up photography while backpacking with her now-husband poker commentator, presenter and author Jesse May in the early 1990s. Mickey took numerous pictures while they were away and once they got home, decided to pursue her passion. Following a two-year internship at a New York photography gallery, she then studied for six months at Fatamorgana, a Visual Art College in Copenhagen, before joining the college staff as an administrator.

Mickey was already well-accustomed to railing Jesse at poker tournaments but in 2003 she undertook her first poker photography assignment working at the World Series of Poker. It was a momentous milestone for live poker as 2003 was the year that accountant Chris Moneymaker took down the Main Event – a victory that helped sparked a massive poker boom that shows no sign of abating. She said: “I absolutely loved my experience at the WSOP and realised that this is what I wanted to do full-time. It also coincided with Jesse starting to do a lot of commentating. As a poker photographer, we’d be able to travel to events together.”

Since then, Mickey has worked for tons of well-known tour operators including Paddy Power, PokerStars, Ladbrokes, 888, Dusk Till Dawn, PartyPoker and GG Poker. She has also worked at numerous televised events such as PokerStars’ UKIPTs, the Poker Millions and Premier League events – along with being official snapper at three poker weddings! In 2015 she and Jesse jointly shared a European Poker Award for Best Media Content for their feature on PokerNews about the late Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott.

Although Mickey has loved every Irish Open that she’s worked at, one particular year stands out for her. In 2008 her good friend Neil Channing won after beating a 667-entry field. She said: “That was a very special moment and after his win, he invited a huge group of us out for a Thai dinner. It was an amazing night.”

Mickey, who grew up in Copenhagen, now lives in the Danish countryside with Jesse and the couple’s ten-year-old son, Luka. She does occasionally play poker herself – and was even once persuaded to play in a televised Ladbrokes event – she says she is definitely happiest behind the camera.

Check out our collection of Mickey’s favourite Irish Open photos. You can also follow Mickey on Instagram.