Micah Gianneli and Jesse Maricic are the multifaceted duo behind MICAH + JESSE, a creative team immersed in the world of fashion, photography, design, online and social media.
With a background in fashion design, Micah began as a freelance fashion stylist before creating her personal style blog in 2011. That led to alliances with names including Topshop where she was head stylist and worked with the flagship team at Oxford Circus, London, and also the L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival where she was appointed ambassador for 2012. Micah quickly carved her name not only in these fields but also in online media, both with the help of long-time partner and photographer, Jesse Maricic.
Jesse’s background lies in marketing, having worked with notable photographer Michael Warshall before moving onto Lamborghini. Fusing his love of automobiles and photography, Jesse created his personal blog in 2011, showcasing his photographic work consisting of auto, fashion and events. Jesse’s diverse photographic range has led to an impressive clientele base, working with major names including the likes of Chanel.
Since partnering to pursue their parallel adoration for fashion and photography in mid-2011, Micah and Jesse have shared much success both individually and as a team. Their unique partnership, complimentary skill sets and distinctive approach to their craft has made them one to watch; a dynamic duo who produce everything in-house, who are also comfortable behind and in front of the lens. They recently used the Leica T Camera System for a shoot with Audi, which they discuss below.

Q: This  video shows a behind-the-scenes look at a photo shoot using the Leica T Camera System. Can you tell us about this shoot? Who was the assignment for? Where was it shot?
A: The behind-the-scenes video was a look into mine and Jesse’s style shoots incorporating some of the things we love: fashion, cars and choppers. The assignment was a collaborative effort between ourselves, Audi and Leica to show that you don’t need a big production team to execute a quality shoot and produce quality imagery. It showed the convenience of a compact digital camera in an environment where everything needs to be instant.
Q: What was the creative inspiration behind the shoot?
A: The creative inspiration was drawn from the luxury lifestyle that so many of us admire and aspire to; driving a high end car such as the Audi RS7 (our favorite so far) and flying in the spacious Eurocopter.

Q: What characteristics or qualities of the Leica T-System made it a good choice for this project?
A: The minimal design and overall convenience of the Leica T Camera System made it a perfect camera choice for this project and for the daily shoots that Jesse and I produce on such limited time restraints. It was easy to use, we love the sleek and minimal design and being able to wi-fi the images direct to our smart phones for easy edit and instant and upload.
Q: Can you tell us about some of the features of the Leica T Camera System that you especially found useful?
A: As mentioned, the Leica T-System is a fully functional digital compact camera that has many uses, and perfect for an amateur or a professional looking for something convenient, sleek looking and easy to use.

Q: You work as a team. Can you tell us what it’s like working collaboratively?
A: Jesse and I understand each other both creatively and professionally. As partners for the past 10 years we’re able to work together seamlessly – though of course there can be creative differences, we manage to power through them and get the job done. It’s fun, but also a lot of work, but I wouldn’t want to be doing it with anyone else!
Q: How would you describe your work?
A: Our work is very challenging, rewarding, fun and full on – all at the same time! But we wouldn’t trade it for anything as we love the creative freedom and control.
Q: Can you both provide some background about how you got started working together?
A: As mentioned we’ve been together for just over 10 years; my background is in fashion design and Jesse’s in automobiles. In 2011 we came together to start a blog, then created separate blogs but continued to work together – where I photograph him, and he photographs me.

Q: How did you first get involved with Leica?
A: We were wanting to experience photography on a whole other level, and wanted something that would reflect the quality of work we’re producing as well as match our personal tastes of something good-looking but highly functional – and over all cool. Leica cameras are like the Saint Laurent and Lamborghini of cameras; they are understatedly cool.
Q: What approach do you take with your photography and photo shoots?
A: Depending on the nature of the shoot, we often like to challenge ourselves.
Thank you for your time, Jesse and Micah!
– Leica Internet Team
Connect with Jesse and Micah on their creative services website. Connect with Micah on her blog and Instagram. Connect with Jesse on his blog and Instagram.