Daylight comes first.
We use natural light if it is capable of doing so. Only add a supplement when it is truly necessary for the short.
Studio · est. june 2024 We have two rooms,
We have two rooms,
eight people,
and one rule.
Jicx is a tiny commercial photography studio with two rooms (Kochi and Bangalore), eight employees, and an in-house retoucher who has worked on the complete collection since 2024. We maintain the same producer on a brand from the first call to the last delivery, and we operate more slowly than the typical rate card.
200 m² GREENPOINT · NYC
4.6 m ceilings · N light
Chapter 01 · founding2024 — a three-person
2024 — a three-person
working group in
a borrowed loft.
The studio began in June 2024 as a working group of three people, including Adam and Jon, who shared a 90-square-meter Williamsburg apartment that we had borrowed for the fall from a friend who had travelled to Patagonia to produce a documentary. Five of the twelve initiatives we took on in the first quarter resulted in financial losses. The projects we were declining were beginning to ask twice, so we persisted.
Our first documented studio rule was to never ship a frame that we wouldn't hang. — DAVID JICXSON, founder
In the 1980s, David' grandparents operated a tiny printing business in Bangalore, which is where the term "jicx" originated. The discipline persisted even after the shop closed. Even if the art itself is modern, the studio's house style—careful colour, thoughtful light, paper-first thinking—is a direct legacy from that business.
The studio is privately held, and we anticipate continuing to be owner-operated for the foreseeable future. We have never accepted outside funding or sold a portion to an agency. We are eight in number. Eight of us plan to stay.
03
ADC Awards · 2022 — 24
11
Cover stories · 2024
02
Type Directors Club · 2023
80%
Repeat-client rate
PrinciplesWe won't break
We won't break
these six rules.
These limitations have influenced every shoot we have created; they are not goals. After a few years, the majority of studios learn these lessons the hard way. None of them have been loosened since we put them in writing in 2024.
color-managed throughout.
from photography to printing. ICC-profiled. monitors with calibrations. An actual print proof for any campaign that is printed.
One manufacturer for each brand.
From the initial call to the last delivery, it was the same individual. The least expensive quality lever available to a studio is continuity.
Editing is retouching.
completed internally. never contracted out to a post office that hasn't read the brief; instead, it is handled as part of the creative choice.
The third frame.
The one, almost always. We never choose the first or the safest configuration; instead, we shoot enough of each to locate it.
Never send us a frame that
we wouldn't hang.
The first rule we ever put in writing. We have postponed projects that we could have shipped, and we have never regretted it.
Room 01 · kochi200 square meters of
200 square meters of
north light.
The G train is five minutes away from the Kochi room, which is located in a former printers' building in Greenpoint. There are two pre-rigged grid points, a functional kitchen for food work, four and a half-meter ceilings, true north light, and enough corner storage for three complete backdrop libraries. For ten weeks of the year, outside crews can use the room; if you would like more information, get in touch with the studio.
- Address276, 15th Cross Road, Kadavanthra, Ernakulam
- HoursMon–Fri 0800–1900 · weekends by booking
- CapacityUp to 18 people on set
- Daylight4 north windows · 9.8 m run
- Power3 × 30A circuits · independent grip ring
Greenpoint · NYCRoom 02 · kochi140 square meters of
140 square meters of
daylight toward the south.
The Kochi Room, a smaller, more serene area on the Mitte bottom level with south-facing windows that provide us with softer, warmer light than BANGLORE, opened its doors in 2024. A single 3.6-meter roll-down, polished concrete, exposed concrete columns, and a peaceful roadway that we can block off from traffic for outside stills. We mostly use it for editorial portraits, product still life, and any other project that might benefit from the slower pace of Asia.
- Addresskochi 162,
- HoursMon–Fri 0900–1800 · evenings by booking
- CapacityUp to 10 people on set
- Daylight2 south windows · 5.4 m run
- Quirk weekly for the Sunday market
Mitte · KOCHIThe teamEight people.
Eight people.
You will work
with two.
The producer and the lead photographer assigned to your project are the two people you will speak to most. The retoucher, the studio manager, and the production assistant are visible through the pipeline but stay off the brand-side calls unless invited.
Founder · Lead photographer
Partner · Director of work
Founder · Director of production
Senior producer · NYC
Producer · KOCHI
In-house retoucher · since 2024
Studio manager · NYC
Production assistant
Hiring · 2024Looking for a studio,
Looking for a studio,
or a job at one?
We are currently hiring a junior producer based in kochi and a freelance digital tech for the kochi room. Brand-side enquiries take ten to fourteen days for a reply; hiring enquiries take four to seven.