EVERGLADES RESTORATION © 1995Everglades National Park, FL
This photo is very special to me as it was an image I donated to the Can-Do-Fund for Everglades Restoration, and it reinforced my belief that art can effect positive change in the world. In the 1990s, politicians, scientists, and artists all came together to attempt to sort out what should be done in the Everglades. It became apparent that communication had broken down, and I had seen how others’ art had cut through all the in-fighting and touched the hearts of those in power.
At the time, I had very little to offer the cause other than my voice and my art. I did some calculating and figured if I tightened the purse strings at home, I could save enough to donate some photos. In an effort to help, I offered to donate special-edition, numbered Everglades photographs to the first 100 people who donated $1,000 each to the Can-Do-Fund. I was thrilled when Nathaniel Reed purchased one for Marjory Stoneman Douglas! On the 50th Anniversary of Everglades National Park, several dignitaries, including Vice-President Al Gore, signed five of these photos, which now hang in Everglades National Park and various locations in Washington, D.C.
Help for the Everglades
Even before 1997, various departments of the U.S. government debated the importance of funding the restoration of the Everglades. Clyde focused much of his photography on sharing the beauty of the Everglades to a national audience. More than twenty years later, some improvements have been made, many still wait to be funded, and the debates on the restoration of this land continue.
Everglades Restoration was taken with a Deardorff 8×10 camera 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.