Sailing Photography
The camera gets wet too.
I’m Stefan Leitner, a photographer based in Graz, Austria, and I shoot sailing where it happens: on board. In 2023 I was onboard reporter with Austrian Ocean Racing, the first boat under an Austrian flag in The Ocean Race. For Henri Lloyd and aboard the yacht Barba, I’ve sailed the coasts of Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
What comes back from the boat
The crew at work. On the helm, on deck, on the lines. Focused, tired, soaked.
The weather. Spray, fog, heavy seas and night watches under red light.
Gear in use. Oilskins and equipment doing what they were made for.
The yacht from above. Aerials that turn a boat into a dot in the landscape.
Going ashore. Icebergs, calving glaciers, fjords, whales and the people in between.
Film too. Moving images as well as stills.
Why it works
I’ve been sailing for 15 years: 30,000 nautical miles, an international skipper’s licence and a longest passage of 5,700 km. Shooting on board means knowing when you’re in the way and when to grab a line.
Questions
Do you only shoot on board? No. I also work from the support boat, on land and from the air.
Where do you work? Based in Graz and Munich, working worldwide. Past sailing projects took me to Norway, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.