He served as secretary to the jury of the World Press Photo contest from 2004 - 2012 and chair of the jury in 1993.
Mayes has worked at the top levels of photography for 25 years in the areas of journalism, art, commercial photography and fashion, working as manager of Network Photographers. Prior to joining VII, Mayes was a senior vice president at Getty Images, leading the creative department and developing commercial content strategies, including Getty's early foray into journalism. Later, he was senior vice-president at eyestorm.com, representing high-end artists in the consumer market. He also worked with Art And Commerce, as director of the image archive, representing top fashion and art photographers for commercial licensing.
Mayes regularly writes and broadcasts on the ethics and realities of photographic practice. He currently lives in New York.
