NEC displays help Jim Jordan Photography & White Cross Productions portray a superior image.
Quick Facts
When you first hear Jim Jordan’s life story, it sounds like one that would take place in front of the cameras in Hollywood rather than behind one. A surfer and skater in his youth, the California native is now one of the world’s most renowned and sought-after celebrity and fashion photographers.
His work has graced the pages (and covers) of trend-setting magazines such as Elle, Vogue, Marie Claire and Vanity Fair. He has created memorable ads and catalogs for J. Crew, Levi, Straus & Co., De Beers and many more. And the celebrities!m Jordan’s life story, it sounds like one that would take place in front of the cameras in Hollywood rather than behind one. A surfer and skater in his youth, the California native is now one of the world’s most renowned and sought-after celebrity and fashion photographers. His work has graced the pages (and covers) of trend-setting magazines such as Elle, Vogue, Marie Claire and Vanity Fair. He has created memorable ads and catalogs for J. Crew, Levi, Straus & Co., De Beers and many more. And the celebrities!
Jordan has captured the images (figuratively as well as literally) of A-listers from Charlize Theron to Leonardo Dicaprio, Jessica Alba, Drew Barrymore, Mila Kunis and many others. Whether in his studios in Los Angeles and New York or an exotic, tough-to-get-to location in the farthest reaches of the world, his clients trust him to create just the right shot, with just the right mood, to show off people and/or products at their absolute best.
A big part of the reason these well-known faces put their trust in Jordan is his commitment to getting every detail just so. Which makes sense given his beginnings in the business.
Jordan started in high school as a model scout, bringing fresh new faces to the attention of various modeling agencies. He introduced prospective models to Greg Glassman, a neighbor who operated a photo studio and
who would go on to found the CrossFit exercise empire. Jordan would do the hair and makeup, and Glassman, would shoot the photos.
His experience there led to a 15-year career doing hair and makeup on shoots with well-known photographers such as Herb Ritts, Helmut Newton and Peter Lindbergh. Jordan worked with the likes of Cindy Crawford, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Lauren and Farrah Fawcett.
During this time, he indulged his own interest in photography, sparked by the gift of his first camera from Glassman. Jordan took shots between the official photography sessions, impressing his actor and supermodel subjects who encouraged him to find an agent to help him get work as a photographer. They also recommended his photographic prowess to the companies that were hiring him to art direct the shoots.
Jordan’s first big break came when J. Crew hired him to shoot a catalog. Success there led to meeting more people, leading to more shoots and helping him build the business to where it is today.
Jim Jordan Photography employs seven full-time employees in Los Angeles and four in New York. In recent years the company has added commercial and multimedia creation to its portfolio, helping individuals and companies create unique, cutting-edge brand images. A separate company, White Cross Productions, provides talent management for actors, directors, makeup artists and others. One of the biggest reasons Jim Jordan Photography has been so successful is the trust Jordan and his team earned from the people with whom they work. Whether it’s how an actor or actress will look on a magazine cover or how a brand will be portrayed to its customers, a lot rides on the final outcome. Jordan and his team take great care throughout the process and use the best equipment for the results they want to achieve.
