BIG CYPRESS GALLERY 14 © 2000

Big Cypress Gallery

Visitors to my gallery often ask where a good place to photograph is in the Everglades. When I reply, “My parking lot,” some folks are flabbergasted and don’t seem to believe me. This image was taken from the parking lot in front of our gallery. It is a good reminder that beauty is everywhere; sometimes, we just need to slow down to see it. Bald Cypress The bald cypress of these endangered wetlands stands as a monument to endurance and fortitude. This lumber, prized in the mid-twentieth century for rot-resistant wood, was harvested by loggers who removed almost all of the old-growth bald cypress trees. With a loss of its protective canopy, swamp regions struggled to support the once-abundant variety of tropical ferns, orchids, and bromeliads. Under today’s protections of state and national preserves, the cypress giants are making a comeback. Their positive effect on the Everglades’ environment is evident by the returning wildlife and plants drawn to the refuge the trees offer. Big Cypress Gallery 14 was taken with a Deardorff 8×10 on T-Max 100 film. This photograph is hand-printed in Clyde’s darkroom on fiber-based paper, selenium toned, then mounted and matted to current archival standards. The photograph is a limited edition and signed by Clyde. Camera settings f/45 | 120mm Nikkor SW lens | orange filter | 1 second Disclaimer – Cropping, contrast, and image density may vary. To learn more about the darkroom printing process, click here.