Drives in Action
Mike
Jones
Mike Jones is regarded as a top yachting and marine photographer. He travels all over the globe to shoot luxury yachts, powerboats and high profile regattas for the likes of Yamaha, Oyster, Beneteau, Fairline, Suzuki, G L Watson, Sony, IPC Media and RYA as well as many private clients.
"The stakes are always so high, losing my images is just not an option ..."
All in a day's work
Helicopters, fast boats and underwater shooting are all quite literally in a days' work. His personal passion for sailing and the sea flows into his work, which has featured in countless publications, brochures and advertising the world over.
In search of new images
His creative outlook and adventurous side has him climbing 100ft masts and diving under boats in search of new images. From wild powerboat races across Thailand, amphibious boats in New Zealand to opulent Super Yachts in the Med, Mike has covered a great diversity of subjects over the last ten years.
"Most people don't see the hard work that goes into the shots we get, they just see a nice looking boat and sunshine. They don't see the alarms going off before sunrise, the dragging flight cases across beaches, and the hours spent poring over charts, working out sun angles, water depths and elevation, sometimes just for one shot!"
Choosing the best
When asked about his kit, Mike said: "For shooting I use the Sony a900 and Carl Zeiss lenses for great image quality in a package that takes some punishment on the road. More often than not I will take a couple of Bowens Gemini 400 heads with a pair of travelpak batteries for lighting on location, along with a variety of custom made underwater housings.
For computers I rely on a 17" Macbook Pro with my trusty G-Tech drives, and back in the office I have a 27" iMac with Adobe CS5. I also swear by Media Pro by capture one for the image selection process. As far as drives are concerned, I run a G-Safe unit for archiving, as well as a G-Speed Q for work in progress."
Mike has been using a G-SAFE for the past two years to keep his archived shoots secure, while on location he has been using the G-DRIVE mini, and more recently the ultra-slim G-DRIVE mobile.
"I give my kit a pretty hard time. Travelling and boats (not to mention saltwater) can take their toll on equipment, but I swear by my G-Tech drives, which have never let me down, even in some tough situations." His association with Sony over the last three years has led Mike to embrace shooting and editing video. For this he has opted for a G-Speed Q to use for his media storage and editing.
"My clients ask the best of me, and I have to trust the tools I work with."
For further information about Mike's work see www.waterlinemedia.com
Mike Jones has been a long time user of G-Tech drives and is proud of association with G-Technology.
