Mike Kirkpatrick shares his tips and tricks for flyfishing photography...

New Zealand’s much-touted wilderness is world-renowned for its scenic beauty, sense of isolation, and geographic variety. A flyfisher living here can truly claim to have one of the world’s finest playgrounds in which to ply their craft. Majestic mountains, bird-filled forests, and clean, clear waterways are a constant companion for the intrepid angler seeking that elusive engagement with some of the finest trout available on the planet.

The art of photography is much like fly fishing in many ways. Both are complex, frustrating, and rewarding, with equal parts highs and lows.

The rewards for both are immensely enjoyable and satisfying: for me, hooking and landing a large, beautiful brown trout in a challenging situation is only superseded by capturing a great image of that moment – whether for a client or an angling buddy. A huge benefit of being a shutterbug is that I often get two bites at the cherry. I frequently get to cast at (and often catch) incredible trout, while I’m also soaking up all that the backcountry has to offer and simultaneously hunting for opportunities to get the camera out – to immortalise those special moments and scenes that present themselves along the way.

I also relive the high points later when editing my photos, which extends the fun much further than would otherwise be the case. I find the editing process highly enjoyable; watching your pictures develop into great images is as much a part of the whole experience as being there. I look forward to seeing how well the images come up once I apply tweaks in lighting, colour, and cropping. Sharing photos on social media and dedicated photography sites also improves my learning and creates interactions with like-minded people. The world of photography is full of passionate and generous people, and we learn from each other constantly.

And much like sight fishing, light plays a major role in photography. Early mornings and late evenings produce the best chance for memorable images, with longer shadows and more contrast and mood. Bad weather also allows for some spectacular photos, which generally tell more dramatic stories than sunny, cloudless days. I also like capturing images that put the angler right there in the scene – the type of photos that invoke feelings of having been there or wanting to be there, even encouraging you to reach for the pack and rod and head out the door right there and then…

Over the long winter months, I often look back over albums full of stunning fish as a sort of vicarious playback, but it’s the places that act as the backdrop to these fish that have me lingering for the longest time. I drift back to the moment that I clicked the shutter button and sealed the moment in perpetuity, and I can feel the warmth of the day again, the breeze on my skin, and I can hear the gentle murmur of water running around my ankles as it flows inexorably to the ocean.

Photography lends itself well to wilderness flyfishing. The art of the pursuit marries perfectly with the art of casting, and the natural amphitheatre that surrounds you is, in and of itself, the purest form of nature’s art.

The photographic process makes you look more closely at what surrounds you. I am engaged much more deeply when I have the camera out; I study the lines and forms of nature and how light plays off its various structures. It makes me much more aware and deeply appreciative of the preciousness and gloriousness of life. Before picking up a camera for the first time, I would often marvel at my surroundings but quickly become caught up in an intense search for trout, only to look up hours later, realising I’d had my head down the entire time. I now take the time every day on the water, whether guiding or not, to stop, look, study, and feel what’s around me. Photography has connected me more deeply with nature, and that can never be a bad thing.

May 2023 - Mike Kirkpatrick
New Zealand Fishing News Magazine.
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