72PROFILE JAMES JAGGER
Stunning images
I’ ve also had considerable success shooting with the Apple Iphone 7 + which has two fixed focal length lenses which produce stunning images.
The best camera is the one you have on you, be it a phone, a compact or a bridge camera. I travel with all of those and use my professional Sony cameras for the day-to-day work when image quality is paramount. The important thing is to get out there and find your own shooting style. I run photography tutorials and aim to help clients to improve the quality of their images no matter what their level.
Unfortunately I wouldn’ t be able to make a decent living at this point if I just took images of sailors but that may change as doors open. I’ ve just covered the Virgin Kitesurfing Armada at Hayling Island and got some awesome shots of the kitesurfers. One of the images made it into the Sun newspaper so it made all the hard work worthwhile. Variety is the spice of life as they say and being able to cover a range of different watersports plus the weather photography is key at the moment.
uk
WIND SURFING
Persistence is how to‘ make it’ at anything. Keep challenging yourself technically. Have the best kit you can afford. Have a decent agent. My agent at Alamy Live News, Jessica Mann, is amazing and will call me to discuss a shoot and the markets we’ re aiming for.
Greater variety
I think it would be great if windsurfing images weren’ t published from the same two or three photographers all the time but that brands were willing to give some of the freelances a shot. That would bring greater variety to the sport as each photographer has his or her own unique style. I’ d love to be commissioned to do a photoshoot for one of the major brands, either at an event or ultimately in Maui!
I first windsurfed in 1985 on a lake in SW France but it wasn’ t until 1987 when I got really inspired seeing the images of Mark Angulo doing killer loops. I got my first shortboard soon after that and have never looked back. I currently use RRD boards and Ezzy sails, although I do have a magic Simmer Quantum quad which I love when conditions are firing.