Jim Jordan (photographer)


Jim Jordan is an American director, fashion and commercial photographer, entrepreneur, talent scout and manager, and producer.
Initially working as a hair and makeup artist and modeling talent scout, Jordan's self-taught style of photography gained the attention of the owner of fashion retailer J.Crew, which led to him becoming a world-renowned fashion and commercial photographer/director. Jordan's photography has been featured on the covers of magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair, Elle, and Marie Claire, and other. Jordan has photographed and worked with celebrities such as Leonardo Di Caprio, Charlize Theron, Mila Kunis, Drew Barrymore, Jessica Alba, and Kris Jenner to name a few.
Jordan's photography style is energetic, bright, warm and light. It is marked by clean lighting and timeless energy, as well as an intimacy in his models' demeanor that derives from Jordan's practice of building trust and rapport with his subjects before photographing them on set.
As an entrepreneur, Jordan is the proprietor of three businesses: Jim Jordan Photography, which handles Jordan's fashion and commercial photography; White Cross Productions, a production group that directs films, and produces ad campaigns and commercials for clients such as Mercedes-Benz, American Express, Warner Bros. to name a few; and White Cross Management, a talent management agency that has represented numerous celebrities and models, most notably Jeremy Meeks, Taylor Hill, and Gigi Hadid, as well as actors, musicians, and creatives in other branches of entertainment.

Biography

Jordan grew up in Southern California. At the age of 15, Jordan dropped out of school and began working as a talent scout for modeling agencies. Jordan would find high school girls that were 5'10"-5'11", do their hair and makeup, and take them to his friend Greg Glassman to photograph. Jordan would then submit Glassman's photography to companies such as Elite Model Management, who placed many of Jordan's models in haute couture photo shoots. At one point, Glassman gave Jordan a camera so that Jordan could start taking the photos of the potential models himself.
Elite Model Management recommended that Jordan fly to Italy and submit a portfolio of his hair and makeup work to the women's magazine Grazia. After Jordan arrived, Grazia hired Jordan as a replacement hair and makeup artist when a crew member failed to arrive at a scheduled photo shoot. This initial opportunity opened up more opportunities for Jordan to work on photo shoots with other magazines. Jordan began traveling as a celebrity hair and makeup artist, working with celebrities such as Cindy Crawford, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, and Farrah Fawcett, and working underneath photographers such as Herb Ritts, Douglas Kirkland, Peter Lindbergh, and Patrick Demarchelier.
While Jordan worked as a hair and makeup artist, he would get to know the models and celebrities being photographed, and would build a rapport with them. He would then photograph the subjects during lunch breaks and off hours, encouraging them to deliver more intimate and personal portrayals for his photography. Jordan stored the resulting photography in a large black box, with no intention of showing his work to anyone.
Jim worked twelve years as a hair and makeup artist before working as a professional photographer. Circa 1993, Jordan was booked to do hair and makeup for a photo shoot with J.Crew, and ended up working with the company's owner Emily Woods. Woods requested to see Jordan's photography due to the recommendations of several models Jordan had worked with previously. Upon examining Jordan's work, Woods booked Jordan as a photographer for a two-week shoot in Hawaii, launching Jordan's career as a professional photographer.

Photographic Style

Jordan describes his style as "energetic, bright, warm and light." His style has also been described as having a "crisp edge and a brilliant energy.” Jordan's frequent use of bright lighting is influenced by natural lighting from the sun. Jordan's style is primarily self-taught, and was achieved through trial and error and through observing other photographers work. Jordan credits Bruce Weber and Arthur Elgort as major influences on his work.
Jordan's photography also features a "human element" that derives from his practice of getting to know this subjects and building a rapport with them before photographing them. Jordan is able to tailor his approach to a wide range of subjects to bring out an honesty and authenticity not often seen in commercial photography.

As Entrepreneur (White Cross Productions and White Cross Management)

Jordan is the proprietor of several independent businesses. Jordan's photography business, Jim Jordan Photography, employs seven full-time employees in Los Angeles and four in New York. In 2003, Jordan launched White Cross Productions, a full service production and management company. The company has produced ad campaigns and commercials for clients such as Mercedes-Benz, American Express, and Warner Bros.
Jordan launched White Cross Management as a talent management agency. As of 2015, the agency represents fifty models, as well as musicians, actors, and other creatives in the entertainment industry.
After "Hot Felon" Jeremy Meeks' mugshot went viral in 2014, Jordan's White Cross Management took an interest in signing Meeks to a management contract while the latter was still in prison. Jordan then signed Meeks to a contract with White Cross Management in March 2016. Jordan's White Cross Management also signed model Taylor Hill to her initial modeling contract.