Behind the scenes - February
One of my favorite places to shoot is San Francisco Bay, and you can see why, when you look at the February image (which is also the cover) of the 2018 Ultimate Sailing Calendar!
San Francisco always delivers. The combination of stiff breeze, strong currents and spectacular backdrop set the perfect stage for ‘ultimate’ sailing images. Add the competitive J/70 fleet and you have the perfect recipe!
I went to the J/70 Worlds, hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club, specifically with a cover shot in mind.
The weather forecast had shaped up for the event: super windy, sunny, with epic tides. These are challenging conditions for the racers, and dicey for the photo boat too! I had an excellent driver, Pat Lopez; but even so, with the breeze pushing the boat around, it was a struggle to put us in the middle of the action and get the shots, while keeping us out of the way of the racers!
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But the J/70’s are most photogenic off the wind – so once we figured out their trajectory, we positioned ourselves so they were coming right at us. Okay, there were a few times we had to maneuver to the outside of the layline, to let them pass below us. But they look great sailing away, too, so I captured an incredible number of super shots, both coming and going.
In these ‘victory at sea’ conditions I had to be especially careful about my camera equipment. Onboard I store my camera gear in a very large Igloo cooler, modified with hinges and a latch and seal around the opening. Coolers are great for containing ice and water, right? So they’re just as good for keeping water out. I set up the cooler so I can leave the lenses on the bodies and just switch back and forth between cameras. No changing lenses in that sloppy environment! The hinged top allows me to quickly swap cameras, then the hinged top slams shut before the next wave crashes over the boat.
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For this shoot, I was using a very long lens to compress the images, but I had a total of 3-4 camera bodies set up, all Canon: 200 - 400 F4L with the 1.4 x extender; one zoom 70 - 200 2.8L; and a wide angle 16-35 2.8L. When my arm is exhausted and it is too rough, I use the 100 – 400 4.5.
For the most part I shoot horizontal, unless I’m in the air. This makes it really difficult to select images for the magazine covers: I almost always have to crop a horizontal to make it work.
But it’s perfect for the calendar!
I was really trying hard for this shot, or this type of sequence for a cover, and was thrilled when all our hard work and preparation panned out. I had a lot of images that would have worked for the cover, but this got my final vote. The vibrant spinnakers, and compact fleet charging toward us through foamy waves and spray, really represents what I’m constantly looking for, in the ‘ultimate’ sailing image!
Also in News
Make mine a double
The January pages of the 2025 Ultimate Sailing Calendar: in Luca Butto’s featured image the crew hikes hard, defying the explosion of spray buffeting the maxi yacht Cannonball, as it plows to weather at the Tre Golfi Sailing Week in Naples. In the inset image, at the bottom, Stefano Gattini captures the Club Swan 36 Farstar in hot pursuit at the Swan Croatia Challenge.
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+About Ultimate Sailing
Sailing is a magnificent, colorful and dramatic sport. This unique sport has many variables with the constantly changing elements, sea conditions, boats, events, competitors and locations. The challenge is to capture on film electrifying moments that take your breath away. Those moments and opportunities are very few, but when they happen... it is ultimate sailing." ~ Sharon Green
Sharon Green has been capturing electrifying images of performance sailing for more than 40 years. Her annual Ultimate Sailing Calendar, featuring the highlights of competitive sailing, is eagerly anticipated by yachting and photography enthusiasts worldwide. Sharon has been published in major boating publications, both locally and internationally, since she first took up a camera while still in high school.
The pursuit of 'Ultimate Sailing' images never seems to grow old. Four decades and I still love the challenge of creating memorable images for my clients and the calendar."
Sharon is happiest when she is on the water or hanging from a helicopter in search of the elusive image that can be called 'Ultimate Sailing'. "My greatest satisfaction is when it all comes together: the anticipation, planning, organizing, traveling and epic conditions that combine to create a thrilling photograph.
The passage of time eludes our grasp: we can only look back in awe and look forward in anticipation. Never did I expect, 40 years ago, that my vision of creating the Ultimate Sailing Calendar would endure and provide such an extraordinary life experience. boundless advancements in sailing, and concurrently radical developments in camera and photographic technology, have kept me on my toes and the years have swept by! I find myself at this landmark anniversary: humbled by your patronage and inspired by your support. To my many friends, colleagues, clients, and subjects who have sustained and fueled this endless passion for capturing the ultimate Sailing image, I extend my deepest love and gratitude.
View the images by clicking the 40th button
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Sharon Green
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