Gareth Kelly introduces us to the exhilarating life and skill of a groundbreaking yacht racing photographer in FRESH TO FRIGHTENING: THE SHARON GREEN STORY

One of the greatest powers documentary film has is the ability to shine a light on a niche area or career the average moviegoer may have never even thought about, and reveal just how much goes into it and how impressive these people you’ve never heard of are. Within the world of yacht racing photography, Sharon Green is a big name, and a trailblazing woman in a (formerly) male game. But outside of yacht aficionados, who knew the level of talent and competition involved in capturing the very best images of the boat in motion?

As a lifelong sailor who would rather be making movies, Gareth Kelly did. And he was the right guy to bring the story to the screen. In the short doc Fresh to Frightening: The Sharon Green Story, which just screened at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, he delves into Green’s history while filming her in action, hanging out of door-less helicopters to nail the perfect magazine cover or calendar image.

What his film shows made us want to learn more. So we asked.

As a sailor yourself, how did you feel about sailing photographers before meeting Sharon?

I’ll be honest; I had never really noticed them much before. I’ve been reading sailing magazines almost all my life and seeing their amazing images, always thinking they were cool, but I never quite put two and two together until I met Sharon and got to know her more. Many years ago, while living in Florida, I myself got to cover some racing and went out on a photo boat to take a few shots, which did give me a tiny glimpse into this world. 

When you’re filming somebody like Sharon, you are in a way doing the same sort of thing that she does best. Is that especially daunting?

In some ways it is, but luckily film is a very different discipline that still photography. Sharon knows all about the cameras and the lenses, etc. – some of which is used across both disciplines. But the actual filming, planning, storyboarding and all the film-related stuff is very different and of course we have audio to also deal with, which can be really tricky and something Sharon doesn’t have to worry about.

Could Sharon resist giving the cinematographer any pointers? Did they ask for any, or learn some by observing?

I think they both did learn a few things from each other. They definitely discussed lenses, lens speeds and F stops and all those technical sorts of things and also composition. Sharon really has to think about how she is composing and framing her shots, which we also do with film, but we also have a bit more wiggle room and can play with the footage a bit after the fact. Sharon can’t really afford to miss the front of the boat or something like that. At the same time I think the cinematographer appreciated Sharon’s craft and its limiting nature compared to film. One shot for the film may have two cameras, two microphone set ups, lighting, staging of background — all sorts of things — whereas more often than not, Sharon simply has her camera and that’s it! 

Did you go in the doorless helicopter with Sharon? If so, what was that like?

Unfortunately, I did not. I’d love to give some witty answer as to why, but the reality was because of weight. Sharon often flies in pretty small helicopters where a few pounds here and there can really affect the amount of time they can spend up in the air. I’m a pretty big, rugby-player type guy, whereas our cinematographer is more svelte, shall we say, so alas, he got to go along on the ride. I wanted them to have as much time in the air as possible, so me and my belly stayed on the ground! LOL

The music in the film feels unusually mellow for something that could seem quite thrilling. Is that deliberate “counterprogramming” of a sort, to make sure the focus stays on her rather than the action?

With the music we tried to stay true to both Sharon’s persona as well as match the drama of what she is doing. Sharon is such a gentle, bubbly character we didn’t want the music to overpower her. That said, you will notice in both the on-the-water race start sequence and the in-the-air helicopter sequence we decided to kick things up a bit to highlight the drama and the action. Unofficially, we also ran out of time and money for a composer!

Is Sharon’s story something that could make for a feature, and if so, would you be interested in expanding this into one?

Absolutely. From the very beginning Sharon and I wanted to make a feature. There’s a very famous and very large sailboat race every two years from LA to Hawaii called the Transpac. Giant boats from all over the world, many with professional crews and some well known names and owners compete in the over 2000 nautical mile race. It is one of Sharon’s signature races, having done many. Her coverage of this race is more in detail as she covers both the start of the race and also the finish in Hawaii.

Sharon will often go up in a helicopter to cover the multiple days of starts and multiple arrivals off Marblehead in Hawaii 5 to 7 days in a row, as well as having a team of other photographers on the water and onshore. Her images of their boats arriving in Hawaii are truly breathtaking. We would love to find the funding and believe this would make for a great feature.

What are your next plans after this – more filmmaking, more sailing, or maybe a good mix of the two?

Funnily enough, since embarking on this project I’ve sailed less as I’ve been so busy! I do love sailing, though, and am always looking to get out on the water whenever I can. Along with hopefully trying to develop a feature, as I mentioned above, I have a few other projects I am currently working on including a couple of features, another short documentary as well as a TV series I am writing. Filmmaking is my passion and is the career I truly always wanted. I’m excited for what the future holds for me as a filmmaker.

I get from watching that “fresh to frightening” describes a condition during the races. Can you be more specific on what the parameters are for that?

Sure. “Fresh to frightening” is a term Sharon has used to describe a specific type of condition where she gets her best photos. It is when it is bright and sunny, but also very windy, which usually makes for really big waves. When these conditions hit, the boats really come alive as they bash through the wind and big seas. Sharon lives for days like these and is always crossing her fingers she’ll get them. It has quite literally become her signature condition she is now synonymous with.

Popcorn or candy?

Popcorn – lots of butter, hence the belly.