BIG CYPRESS NATIONAL PRESERVE 1 © 1999

The Western Everglades

Big Cypress National Preserve was our home, so we are naturally very partial to its beauty. It seemed that no matter where I went in Big Cypress, photographic opportunities presented themselves. On this summer day, Niki and I were hiking out in the grassy plains. The beauty of the water, grass, and cypress trees all seemed to express the wonder of the ecosystem of South Florida. I couldn’t resist taking a photograph! The Western Everglades Here, in the Big Cypress National Preserve, the Western Everglades’ open waters are the lowest aspects of the topography. The cypress strand and domes lay six to twenty-four inches below the prairie. Tall emergent marsh plants like cattails, alligator flag, arrowhead leaf, and a variety of floating water lilies favor elevations between the prairie and the cypress strands that usually retain water for six months or better. Big Cypress National Preserve 1 was taken with a Deardorff 8×10 camera on Tri-X 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/32 | 150mm Schneider Super-Symmar XL lens | 1/4 second | Orange filter Disclaimer – Cropping, contrast, and image density may vary. To learn more about the darkroom printing process, click here.