Fishy Eye for the Queer Spot

Fishy eye for the queer spot

 

Reproduced Courtesy of Daryl Crimp, The Fishing Paper, Issue 30, March 2008


Candid Camera:  Zane Mirfin on the other side of the lens with legendary angling photographers Cathy and Barry Beck of Pennsylvania, USA.

Zane Mirfin is a trout guide who not only has a good eye for spotting trout, but also has an eye for spotting good trout, or more precisely – photogenic trout. Throughout his career as a professional guide, Zane has been quietly developing his photographic skills and is now respected as much for the images he captures as for the trout he catches.

His work has been reproduced in books, calendars, billboards, international magazines, in advertisements and on the Strike Adventure website. He has gained most recognition in this country through his regular contributions to Fish & Game magazine.

Zane credits his enthusiasm for photography with some of the people he’s been fortunate to guide in over twenty years on the river, including famous photographers Tom Montgomery, David Lambroughton and Val Atkinson. He was fascinated by their images and as a result, has been carrying a single lens reflex camera (SLR) since 1992.

After countless clicks of the camera, he has distilled what makes a good picture into 4 elements; top lenses, high quality film, good lighting and subject matter. While he plays down his ability with a camera he does agree that all the top photographers develop their own distinctive style and the very good ones never stop evolving their craft. Those who aren’t pushing the envelope and constantly looking for new angles risk being typecast.

Zane believes he is fortunate that he is out guiding all the time with amazing people in amazing places and catching amazing fish. “Hopefully that is my point of difference and others will find difficult to replicate”.
Real dedication, discipline and enthusiasm is required to become a good fishing photographer. “It’s not until you are out with the pro’s that you realise how much time they invest in it”, Zane said. “People are also staggered at the amount of gear required and the sheer weight of it”.

These days Zane shoots a Canon SLR with fast lenses that let in more light and produce better quality pictures. While expensive, he sticks with professional quality transparency film ranging from 50-400 ISO, commenting that you get what you pay for. He varies his film speed depending on the season and what he is hoping to achieve. His kit comprises camera body, tripod and accessories; and a range of macro, wide-angle and telephoto zoom lenses – amounting to a fair old weight.

For those aspiring photographers, his advice is simple. Take out a second mortgage – one good quality lens can set you back NZ$4,000. Jokes aside, he said that there is no substitute for getting out and snapping pictures. “Don’t be afraid to waste film” said Mirf.

He says that if you shoot enough film the good pictures will come. Buy the best quality gear you can and get stuff you can add to. It pays to have a plan and at least some idea where you hope to be in 5 years time with your photography, so you don’t end up buying gear that will become obsolete. Zane still uses film, but when he decides to go digital he will only need to buy a new camera body – all the lenses are interchangeable.

Another important aspect to taking good photos is to always carry a camera. “If you leave it behind you can be guaranteed it will be the one time you are presented with a classic photo opportunity”. Good composition is important and that comes with experience. He suggests getting into the habit of taking three shots of a subject but make sure each is taken from a different perspective. The best will often be the one you least expect.

Zane downplays his ability to the point of being almost impossible to interview, so I asked Bob South, editor of Fish & Game magazine, to sum up Zane’s talent. “Actually he’d bloody useless, but we can’t get anyone else to do the job”. Bob said one of the secrets to good trout photography is location, location, location and Zane is definitely out there. “A lot of photographers are just photographers, but Zane has a passion for what he does and it comes through in his images”, said Bob. “His composition is always excellent – he definitely has a fishy eye for the queer shot and he gets the mood of the story”. Bob goes on to say that most professional photographers are “weird arse egomaniacs’, but ‘Mirf’ really hasn’t grasped the full extent of his talent. “The guy won the 2004 TP McLean Award for journalism in the recreation / adventure / lifestyle reporting category, but only after I’d forced the little bugger to enter”.