Fran Miller is a talent. Her eye for what she calls “emotive moments” and capturing not just the physicality of surfing but the emotions that bubble up in the individual as a result is incredible. Recently, Canon Australia caught up with Fran, Sally Fitzgibbons, Belinda Baggs, Brooke Farris (Ripcurl’s GM of Digital), and up-and-comer Macy Callaghan to talk about the power of imagery in women’s surfing. We reached out to Fran to talk about how she first got into shooting, and her favorite shot she’s taken so far in her career.
Fran editing a photo of Sally Fitzgibbons. Photo: Ed Sloane/Canon Australia
What got you into photography?
I was always surrounded by art from my mother being a passionate painter, and photography from my sister being a passionate photographic hobbyist. My sister let me use all her SLR gear from a young age. Not having access to gear can stop the progress of anyone, and I was fortunate to be able to access quality Canon cameras since I was a child. As a teenager, I was on the Australian snowboard team which gave me the opportunity to travel all over the world. Seeing so many different places was a blessing I didn’t realize at the time. Travel challenged my mind on how things “are” because they simply aren’t the same everywhere. I loved to take photos (all on film!) of the places I visited. The natural progression of being surrounded by family who was into the arts, and my instinct to record what I was seeing, contributed to taking on photography.
Not a bad spot in the world for a roundtable discussion. Behind the scenes of Canon Australia’s Women In Surf series. Photo: Ed Sloane/Canon Australia
What about shooting surfing, in particular, was attractive to you?
I started surfing when I was about 8 or 9 so it has been a lifelong passion of mine. I was a magazine addict as a child. I grew up in an age without the internet or social media. What I saw in books and in magazines allowed my imagination to explode. I had subscriptions to all the surf magazines. Australian Surfing Life, Underground Surf, Tracks, Surfing Magazine. I was so young that I had saved up all my coins and tried to put them in and envelope in the mail to get my subscriptions! Didn’t work haha. The pictures I saw in those magazines filled my childhood self with excitement and dreams of where I may one day go. I have been trying to shoot surfing photos since childhood. I still have film photos of lineups and waves, trying to get the perfect arc of a barrel like I saw in magazines. Shooting surfing feels like the most natural part of myself. Surfing and the ocean tells the story of more than just catching a wave. It is our place of refuge. It can be our hell too. It can show the best of us, like our courage, skills, and community. It can also show the worst, like our rage, ego and selfishness. Shooting surfing has no limits because it encompasses the sphere of ourselves as humans, good and bad. That’s why I love it.
“My favorite shot is of Leah Dawson doing a bottom turn at Canggu in 2014.” Photo: Fran Miller
Do you have a favorite photo?
My favorite shot is of Leah Dawson doing a bottom turn at Canggu in 2014. I took the shot right in the middle of the men’s final of the Deus 9ft and Single contest. I saw Leah and Kassia Meador walking down the beach away from the contest and I knew that I would be seeing some incredible surfing simply knowing how talented those ladies are. I can clearly remember there being at least 20 photographers on the beach, all with their camera’s pointed at the men’s event and I remember getting some funny looks when I was the only person with my camera pointed in the other direction. That is a massive part of the context of my career, shooting what other people aren’t and also giving attention to women’s surfing. Leah took off on this wave and just soul arched into the most beautiful bottom turn. To me, it was just the most pure moment of surfing. That photo ended up being my first cover photo with Pacific Longboarder Magazine. That moment taught me a lot. To not care about what other people think of what you are doing. To be brave enough to pursue your own passion and style of photography. And significantly, the purity of surfing is equal for both men and women.
Be sure to check out the other episodes in the feature on Canon Australia’s website or their YouTube channel.
