The 35th America's Cup is under way in Bermuda with five teams fighting for the right to take on defender Oracle Team USA for the Auld Mug, first awarded in 1851 and known as the oldest trophy in international sport. As the competition heats up, CNN asked each team's official photographers to select a few of their favorite images. Here they share their experiences and killer techniques.
The 35th America's Cup is under way in Bermuda with five teams fighting for the right to take on defender Oracle Team USA for the Auld Mug, first awarded in 1851 and known as the oldest trophy in international sport. As the competition heats up, CNN asked each team's official photographers to select a few of their favorite images. Here they share their experiences and killer techniques.
ACEA 2017/Photo Ricardo Pinto
<strong>Oracle Team USA:</strong> "Long exposure technique works well to reflect the actual speed of these boats. However, it's very difficult to apply on the water given the continuous shaking, bouncing and vibration from the chase boat where (we) are based for shooting. I've tried it a lot and this is one that I like" -- Javier Salinas. <br />
Oracle Team USA: "Long exposure technique works well to reflect the actual speed of these boats. However, it's very difficult to apply on the water given the continuous shaking, bouncing and vibration from the chase boat where (we) are based for shooting. I've tried it a lot and this is one that I like" -- Javier Salinas.
ORACLE TEAM USA/Javier Salinas
<strong>Oracle Team USA: </strong>"It is very challenging to move around on these boats with the G-forces while using a 5kg camera water housing. The chances of falling off and ending up in the water are very high. One misstep and you're off. At this moment, for my safety, Jimmy [Spithill, skipper] asked me to stay still and not move as they prepared for a maneuver. We sailed very late in the day so I was very fortunate to get this light" -- Javier Salinas.<br />
Oracle Team USA: "It is very challenging to move around on these boats with the G-forces while using a 5kg camera water housing. The chances of falling off and ending up in the water are very high. One misstep and you're off. At this moment, for my safety, Jimmy [Spithill, skipper] asked me to stay still and not move as they prepared for a maneuver. We sailed very late in the day so I was very fortunate to get this light" -- Javier Salinas.
ORACLE TEAM USA/Javier Salinas
<strong>Oracle Team USA:</strong> "Getting in the water with one of these boats is pretty terrifying -- you're swimming within feet of these daggerboards and one slip up or wash out could be very messy. Total trust in the skipper is crucial, and luckily we've got the best in Jimmy Spithill. To make the situation safer I'm positioned next to a large channel marker. That way they know where you are and can't hit you. This shot took a lot of planning and coordination to pull off safely, and I was stoked that the sun came out for a brief second during this flyby" -- Sam Greenfield.
Oracle Team USA: "Getting in the water with one of these boats is pretty terrifying -- you're swimming within feet of these daggerboards and one slip up or wash out could be very messy. Total trust in the skipper is crucial, and luckily we've got the best in Jimmy Spithill. To make the situation safer I'm positioned next to a large channel marker. That way they know where you are and can't hit you. This shot took a lot of planning and coordination to pull off safely, and I was stoked that the sun came out for a brief second during this flyby" -- Sam Greenfield.
ORACLE TEAM USA/Sam Greenfield
<strong>Oracle Team USA:</strong> "These kinds of events only happen once -- hopefully never -- during a campaign and when the boat goes over it's only a matter of minutes until it's been righted so the shooting window is very fast. I was lucky to have the drone in the air during this capsize and positioned it right over the yacht. The perspective was completely different, as though the catamaran was pinned up against a blue canvas but the chase boats were swimming away like little fish. It always makes me look twice" -- Sam Greenfield.
Oracle Team USA: "These kinds of events only happen once -- hopefully never -- during a campaign and when the boat goes over it's only a matter of minutes until it's been righted so the shooting window is very fast. I was lucky to have the drone in the air during this capsize and positioned it right over the yacht. The perspective was completely different, as though the catamaran was pinned up against a blue canvas but the chase boats were swimming away like little fish. It always makes me look twice" -- Sam Greenfield.
ORACLE TEAM USA/Sam Greenfield
<strong>Artemis Racing: </strong>"Taken on the Great Sound in Bermuda, March 2017. This image was taken with a very slow shutter speed of 1/25th of second to get the movement in the water. I like it because the lines of the clouds work nicely with the boat in the middle. They drag you into the middle of the frame. Normally the subject in the middle of the photo doesn't work but here with these clouds it does" -- Sander Van der Borch.
Artemis Racing: "Taken on the Great Sound in Bermuda, March 2017. This image was taken with a very slow shutter speed of 1/25th of second to get the movement in the water. I like it because the lines of the clouds work nicely with the boat in the middle. They drag you into the middle of the frame. Normally the subject in the middle of the photo doesn't work but here with these clouds it does" -- Sander Van der Borch.
Artemis Racing/Sander Van der Borch
<strong>Artemis Racing: </strong>"It is very hard to shoot these boats as they are traveling over 40 knots. Normally you are always following the boats around as it is hard to predict where they will be, so you can't set up a shot somewhere ahead as they might never come your way. In this case I was on one of the team chase boats with all the coaches and performance analyzers. I always like to shoot the action through the gybes [turning maneuver where stern passes through wind]<strong> </strong>as you see the boards splashing down in the water. The high shutter speed freezes the water and makes for some nice details behind the foil and the rudder" -- Sander Van der Borch.
Artemis Racing: "It is very hard to shoot these boats as they are traveling over 40 knots. Normally you are always following the boats around as it is hard to predict where they will be, so you can't set up a shot somewhere ahead as they might never come your way. In this case I was on one of the team chase boats with all the coaches and performance analyzers. I always like to shoot the action through the gybes [turning maneuver where stern passes through wind] as you see the boards splashing down in the water. The high shutter speed freezes the water and makes for some nice details behind the foil and the rudder" -- Sander Van der Borch.
Artemis Racing/Sander Van der Borch
<strong>Artemis Racing: </strong>"The America's Cup has begun and the racing is incredibly close! In our match against Emirates Team New Zealand there were nine lead changes. After a jury call, we were penalized and the match handed to the Kiwis. It's hard to swallow, but this happens in sport. During the actual racing most images will be taken with lenses of over 500mm as we can't get close to the action" -- Sander Van der Borch.
Artemis Racing: "The America's Cup has begun and the racing is incredibly close! In our match against Emirates Team New Zealand there were nine lead changes. After a jury call, we were penalized and the match handed to the Kiwis. It's hard to swallow, but this happens in sport. During the actual racing most images will be taken with lenses of over 500mm as we can't get close to the action" -- Sander Van der Borch.
Artemis Racing/Sander Van der Borch
<strong>Emirates Team New Zealand:</strong> "This was the first image I took with the team on joining them in Bermuda on May 1. We had just got out on the Great Sound and the natural state of the yacht floating and moving slowly had a peacefulness to it that I had not really expected. The sailors calm, like the breeze -- I could somehow sense a powerful accumulated energy amongst them" -- Richard Hodder.
Emirates Team New Zealand: "This was the first image I took with the team on joining them in Bermuda on May 1. We had just got out on the Great Sound and the natural state of the yacht floating and moving slowly had a peacefulness to it that I had not really expected. The sailors calm, like the breeze -- I could somehow sense a powerful accumulated energy amongst them" -- Richard Hodder.
Emirates Team New Zealand/Richard Hodder
<strong>Emirates Team New Zealand:</strong> "It felt surreal and as we picked up speed out of the dockyard -- my first time on a sailing catamaran, first time on foils. It was hard to not look around and just enjoy the glide across the water as I sat on the tramp, but this was no joy ride. The focus and determination was apparent amongst the team and it became clear in this moment that it was not some game. Everyone had a purpose and everyone has a job to do -- not even the spray of the water would not distract the team from focus" -- Richard Hodder.
Emirates Team New Zealand: "It felt surreal and as we picked up speed out of the dockyard -- my first time on a sailing catamaran, first time on foils. It was hard to not look around and just enjoy the glide across the water as I sat on the tramp, but this was no joy ride. The focus and determination was apparent amongst the team and it became clear in this moment that it was not some game. Everyone had a purpose and everyone has a job to do -- not even the spray of the water would not distract the team from focus" -- Richard Hodder.
Emirates Team New Zealand/Richard Hodder
<strong>Emirates Team New Zealand:</strong> "When the hull touches down and the boat leaves a trail of water it makes me want to be onboard and feel the energy rushing past, to be really part of the action and to experience the speed. The image helps show pace, even if touching down on the water is not the goal if you are looking for top straight-line speed ... but for me it captures the movement. I love the pre-start where the boats often need to kill their speed and touch down and dunk themselves in the drink -- it's often the most exciting when a hull touches the water at speed" -- Richard Hodder.
Emirates Team New Zealand: "When the hull touches down and the boat leaves a trail of water it makes me want to be onboard and feel the energy rushing past, to be really part of the action and to experience the speed. The image helps show pace, even if touching down on the water is not the goal if you are looking for top straight-line speed ... but for me it captures the movement. I love the pre-start where the boats often need to kill their speed and touch down and dunk themselves in the drink -- it's often the most exciting when a hull touches the water at speed" -- Richard Hodder.
Emirates Team New Zealand/Richard Hodder
<strong>SoftBank Team Japan:</strong> "Testing our designs on the AC45 Sport yacht last year we had our fair share of hairy moments -- all teams do when trying out new daggerboard designs. This shot was grabbed mid-gybe in high winds as the team was running from side to side to try to keep the yacht out of the water. The shadows and backlit bodies onboard didn't become apparent until we had reached shore but we all saw it and were blown away by the energy in the shot" -- Matt Knighton.
SoftBank Team Japan: "Testing our designs on the AC45 Sport yacht last year we had our fair share of hairy moments -- all teams do when trying out new daggerboard designs. This shot was grabbed mid-gybe in high winds as the team was running from side to side to try to keep the yacht out of the water. The shadows and backlit bodies onboard didn't become apparent until we had reached shore but we all saw it and were blown away by the energy in the shot" -- Matt Knighton.
Matt Knighton/SoftBank Team Japan
<strong>SoftBank Team Japan:</strong> "This shot was taken onboard the team's AC45 Sport test boat last year as we were developing our race foils. You can see Artemis Racing nearby testing as well. Usually when hit with this water doing 40 knots your instinct is to close your eyes but you need to keep them open to realize the framing and timing of a shot like this" -- Matt Knighton.
SoftBank Team Japan: "This shot was taken onboard the team's AC45 Sport test boat last year as we were developing our race foils. You can see Artemis Racing nearby testing as well. Usually when hit with this water doing 40 knots your instinct is to close your eyes but you need to keep them open to realize the framing and timing of a shot like this" -- Matt Knighton.
Matt Knighton/SoftBank Team Japan
<strong>SoftBank Team Japan:</strong> "During one morning at the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in Toulon I had my water housing with me and followed the shore team at the crack of dawn. This shot is of Simon McLean cleaning the foils prior to racing to eke out every performance gain possible. It was a lucky shot with the morning sun at the right angle and being able to get deep enough while Simon was cleaning" -- Matt Knighton.
SoftBank Team Japan: "During one morning at the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in Toulon I had my water housing with me and followed the shore team at the crack of dawn. This shot is of Simon McLean cleaning the foils prior to racing to eke out every performance gain possible. It was a lucky shot with the morning sun at the right angle and being able to get deep enough while Simon was cleaning" -- Matt Knighton.
Matt Knighton/SoftBank Team Japan
<strong>Groupama Team France: </strong>"The boat is flying at 30 knots and I'm holding on at the back of Groupama Team France's AC45 during the practice races the day before the World Series event on Lake Michigan in Chicago. Beautiful spot, beautiful races, real action" -- Eloi Stichelbaut.
Groupama Team France: "The boat is flying at 30 knots and I'm holding on at the back of Groupama Team France's AC45 during the practice races the day before the World Series event on Lake Michigan in Chicago. Beautiful spot, beautiful races, real action" -- Eloi Stichelbaut.
GroupamaTeamFrance/Eloi Stichelbaut
<strong>Groupama Team France: </strong>"West Brittany, France -- taken from the coach chase-boat. The sun finally showed up after a cold training day with the AC45 Turbo, showing the amazing light of this part of France during the winter"<strong> -- </strong>Eloi Stichelbaut.
Groupama Team France: "West Brittany, France -- taken from the coach chase-boat. The sun finally showed up after a cold training day with the AC45 Turbo, showing the amazing light of this part of France during the winter" -- Eloi Stichelbaut.
GroupamaTeamFrance/Eloi Stichelbaut
<strong>Groupama Team France: </strong>"A windy day on the Great Sound, Bermuda as training gets really intense two weeks before the America's Cup qualifiers begin"<strong> -- </strong>Eloi Stichelbaut.<strong> </strong>
Groupama Team France: "A windy day on the Great Sound, Bermuda as training gets really intense two weeks before the America's Cup qualifiers begin" -- Eloi Stichelbaut.
GroupamaTeamFrance/Eloi Stichelbaut
<strong>Land Rover BAR: "</strong>We have been using drones for performance analysis, which has really opened up the opportunity to get different perspectives of these boats. It's a little tricky keeping up with a foiling boat and operating from the water, but the shots from above are stunning. Bermuda is a beautiful island and the crystal blue water always looks so idyllic from the air" -- Harry Kenney-Herbert.
Land Rover BAR: "We have been using drones for performance analysis, which has really opened up the opportunity to get different perspectives of these boats. It's a little tricky keeping up with a foiling boat and operating from the water, but the shots from above are stunning. Bermuda is a beautiful island and the crystal blue water always looks so idyllic from the air" -- Harry Kenney-Herbert.
Harry Kenney-Herbert
<strong>Land Rover BAR: "</strong>This was during a rare opportunity to get on-board the team's race boat and right in the action. The boat was doing 40 knots, we dipped a little and the windward foil clipped the water throwing up this intense spray" -- Harry Kenney-Herbert.
Land Rover BAR: "This was during a rare opportunity to get on-board the team's race boat and right in the action. The boat was doing 40 knots, we dipped a little and the windward foil clipped the water throwing up this intense spray" -- Harry Kenney-Herbert.
Harry Kenney-Herbert
<strong>Land Rover BAR</strong>: "There's a crew of six on-board and the guys have to cross the boat as fast as possible and sometimes this means leaping over the back beam -- skipper Ben Ainslie, pictured here mid tack" -- Harry Kenney-Herbert.
Land Rover BAR: "There's a crew of six on-board and the guys have to cross the boat as fast as possible and sometimes this means leaping over the back beam -- skipper Ben Ainslie, pictured here mid tack" -- Harry Kenney-Herbert.
Harry Kenney-Herbert