Wildside - Outdoor Photography

A different kind of shooting

 

© Zane Mirfin, Wildside Column, A different kind of shooting, Nelson Mail, 31 January 2009

Smile: Zane Mirfin with renowned American fishing photographers Cathy and Barry Beck. Photo: Martin de Ruyter.

A recent holiday down the Marlborough Sounds reminded me of the power of photos from the outdoors, when I studied several large photo frames stuffed full of images recorded over more than three decades of recreation and relaxation. Looking at people I knew, including many members of the Mirfin family, recorded at different ages and stages of their lives was fascinating. Looking at some of the fish species caught and the places we fished also showed how the fishery has changed and how our methods, techniques and attitudes have evolved.

I’ve always been interested in photography but what got me really excited about it was my guiding career and getting to fish and guide with many of my heroes. Successful American fishing photographers such as David Lambroughton, Tom Montgomery, R Valentine Atkinson, and Cathy and Barry Beck have had an enormous influence on my personal photography, and my latest fishing photography book, The Last Best Place, was really just the result of these people encouraging me to carry a camera every day to the world-class places I was fortunate to visit in the course of my job.

Being the chief photographer for Fish and Game Magazine, I need to own some pretty good camera gear to get the image quality required for magazine reproduction. I use Canon SLR cameras with a variety of macro, wide-angle and telephoto zoom lenses, which weigh a ton.

As I get older and the rocks seem to get bigger, I have rationalised my gear to one camera, flash unit and lens per day so I have room in my large pack to carry other gear as well. I’m still a film buff, using high-quality colour transparency (slide) film, but will eventually evolve into the digital medium as technology improves further.

But it doesn’t actually matter what equipment or photographic medium you use. What is important is the act of recording images for further use and enjoyment. There have been millions of great images recorded on the old ‘‘box brownie’’ camera, and the real skill in photography is good lighting, good subject matter and good composition. I like to always take three shots of a subject but vary each shot to have a variety of images.

Try using your camera in both horizontal and vertical formats, avoiding always putting the main subject directly in the middle of the frame. Get in close and make the shots interesting, trying not to cut off arms, legs and faces but eliminating dead space that doesn’t assist in telling a story.

One man I especially admire is 85-year-old Gordon Max of Brightwater. Gordon and his mate Tracy Stratford were deerstalkers in the golden age of New Zealand hunting, long before the advent of helicopter gunships and 1080 poison. They shot many big stags, with Tracy taking the biggest. Tracy may have scored the big stag but Gordon’s love affair with his cameras secured the true trophies in my mind.

Carrying two camera bodies with one interchangeable lens and both black and white and colour film, Gordon recorded some phenomenal images that made the adventures of the two men really come to life. These images remain as powerful today as when they were taken in the 1940s and ‘50s.

Just recently at a friend’s funeral, we were treated to a 15-minute array of images, professionally arranged by Nelson photographer Melinda Baigent. A touching music soundtrack, some wonderful quotes and dates on the side made the images of Neville, his family, friends and outdoor adventures come alive. If there was a dry eye in the place, I sure as hell couldn’t tell through my fogged-up eyes. That procession of family and outdoor images made me resolve to record even more images of my family and friends at play in the outdoors while I still can.

Always carry your camera, and always remember to record a few images along the way. Don’t worry if the fish isn’t big enough or the moment isn’t important enough – have fun with your camera and think of the future.

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