From the age of 17, Jesse Rieser began looking through a lens, making portraits filled with telling details and compelling characters. He quickly became recognized for not only his success with commercial clients but also in the fine art world. His work inspires engagement, drawing in the viewer, causing them to wonder about the subjects and the stories they have to tell.

With over 40 exhibitions, Rieser continues to find ways of injecting art into his photography. Here we see work from his personal practice paired with client commissions for Emporio Armani, Amtrak, Bloomberg, ESPN, Golf Digest, and Smithsonian.

Clients find him as a creative additive to the collaborative process not only with his technical expertise but also in the ideation phase. He feels his greatest currency is how he communicates and sees the world. Some call it empathy. Some call it charm. His mom just says he’s a nice young man.

Welcome to Showcase California, brought to you by Production Paradise. This issue features some of the leading creatives and companies working out of Los Angeles, San Francisco and other cities from the Golden State.

More creative professionals and facilities for photographic and film production are available in our Los Angeles Photo and Film directories and San Francisco Photo and Film directories.

Brands and publications including VW, Flaunt Magazine, Bose, Toyota, Levi's, among others, have trusted these professionals with their latest advertising campaigns and editorial shoots.

Be sure to catch our recommended events:

• The 41st Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Festival will take place from 13th to 23rd July in venues around Los Angeles.
• John Waters: Pope of Trash is the first comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the artist’s contributions to cinema. Works on view include costumes, props, handwritten scripts, correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs, film clips, and more. The exhibition opens at the Academy Museum on 17th September.
• Looking forward and back, Ansel Adams in Our Time places photographer and environmentalist Ansel Adams in direct conversation with contemporary artists and the photographers who influenced him. Unil 23rd July at de Young San Francisco.

Our cover image was shot by Andrew Friendly for Port Magazine.

"Awe is an experience I seek to share and showcase in each frame, in every set up, and for all projects. Awe is transforming, a rewiring of consciousness, the perfect vice for well being."

Represented by The Gren Group.

"All my life I wanted to be a photographer and work outdoors. I’ve driven 320,000 miles shooting for industrial and architecture clients throughout the US and covered over 2500 square miles on helicopter assignments and managed half-million dollar budgets. And proudly, I painstakingly hunted down and photographed the elusive 020 Pavilion for a personal project, which won an AIA LA Architectural Photography Award.  

Recent projects include shooting an underground storage facility in Kansas City, documenting a start-up in Los Angeles working with brands like H&M to recycle used clothing, shooting the next generation of hydrogen transportation and working alongside an emmy-award winning team shooting for Blackstone's commercial real estate powerhouse Link Logistics.  

My work takes me to challenging environments that allow me to learn everyday and push my creative skills towards that next thing."

Joe Scarnici is a Los Angeles-based photographer specialising in commercial sports and lifestyle photography. With his incredible talent and keen eye for capturing captivating moments, Joe has established himself as a prominent figure in the industry. His recent projects include an exciting campaign for Asics, which took place in the breathtaking landscapes of Boulder, Colorado.

Joe's photographs beautifully showcase the energy, passion, and authenticity of both sports and everyday life. Through his lens, he effortlessly captures the essence of each subject, creating visually stunning images that tell compelling stories. Whether freezing a dynamic sports action or highlighting the natural beauty of everyday moments, Joe's work always leaves a lasting impression.

With his LA base serving as a creative hub, Joe has gained recognition both nationally and internationally for his exceptional skills. His ability to seamlessly blend creativity with technical expertise allows him to produce visually striking photographs that resonate with viewers. Joe's dedication to his craft and relentless pursuit of excellence make him a sought-after photographer in the sports and lifestyle genre.

Still running ahead of the pack, The Big Freeze Worldwide has made its mark around the globe for over 40 years as the leader in multi-camera technology. The team specialises in frozen moments, high speed capture, and robotics, including unique customised digital assets. Their professional expertise, leadership in production, and breathtaking content raises the bar for social sharing numbers: they are the masters of the frozen moment. Their expansive inventory of cameras, engineered truss shapes, and developed software is matched by none.

From the nostalgic GIF to digital 3D selfies, to place in the physical world, The Big Freeze’s quality content that charms all markets and is the best brand marketing tool in the industry.

"Let us capture the content that will stick to memory and elevate your branded story visually.

Contact The Big Freeze Worldwide for your wow factor!"

Anton and his team recently traveled to Utah to shoot the launch images and video for the all new 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD PRO and TRAILHUNTER. Anton shot the stills and also worked as the director and DP of the videos.

Laura Barisonzi strives to capture pure action and genuine emotions.

Her style is based on the beauty of how we move in space naturally. This holds true not only for athletes but also she finds those fleeting little moments that add up to illustrate ‘the big picture’ from lifestyle to portraiture.

Whether she is shooting a library, a single ad campaign or a personal project, Laura’s passion and energy results in organic images that resonate.

Jenny Haapala is a Los Angeles-based fashion and wardrobe stylist who specialises in commercial, editorial and celebrity styling as well as personal shopping and styling.

Born in Finland into a family of artists, it was clear since age two that she had strong calling to express herself through clothing and fashion, always picking outfits for herself and her brothers and cousins. Jenny has always had interest and love towards pop and youth culture but also appreciation for heritage brands. You can see both of these elements in her styling.

Before moving to NYC in 2013 to pursue career in styling, she worked as a buyer for high end street wear boutique and an in-house stylist and creative consultant for a denim company.

Jenny relocated to Los Angeles in 2020, but travels all over the country for ad campaigns and music videos. Her clients include Nike, Puma, Android, Apple, Bose, Lacoste, New Balance and Levi’s among others. Her editorial work has been published in magazines like Flaunt, Paper, Wonderland and Highsnobiety.

"Motion and stills production has trusted us with scouting, permitting, and managing locations for all levels of brand advertising since long before the pandemic’s challenges, and we have helped our partners produce in all conditions.

We provide inspiring, practical Location options for our many clients, such as Ralph Lauren, Harley Davidson, Waymo, Regeneron, Apple, Samsung, Vogue, Hummer, Lucky Brand, Merrell, Levi’s, Balsam Hill, Wells Fargo, Garmin, Camp Chef, Chopard, DirecTv, Merck, Tres Generaciones, Lancôme, Logitech, Land’s End, Hewlett Packard, Toyota, Corvette, Visit California, Saia Freight, Lyft, Intuitive Surgical, Dish Network, Intel, EKO Health, Hodinkee, Shaklee, Cadillac, J.Jill, Allure Magazine, McGee and Co., Tory Burch, Buick, Amazon, Old Navy, Lucid, Service Channel, The Sundance Catalog, Simon Malls, Milly, Cash App, Cytokinetics, Square, WalMart, Timberland, HydroFlask, Salesforce, CVS, Amour Verte, Bonterra, and Fabrazyme."