FAKAHATCHEE CATHEDRAL 2 © 2009

Western Everglades

While being filmed for the documentary Big Cypress Swamp: The Western Everglades, Clyde explored the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. Clyde enjoys photographing the unique environment of this part of the Everglades due to the many species found here that are typically in more tropical climates. While standing in deep water with the crew, the sculptural qualities of this tree made him pause and take this photograph. Resilient Trees of the Everglades Well into the dry season, when much of the water has receded, the pond apple trees’ large, gently twisting buttresses lay exposed, showing marks of the past high-water wet season. Their roots dig into a rich, black muck made of partially decomposed plant debris, often several feet thick, until they reach the limestone below. Where waters tend to be deeper and the cypress trees more widely scattered, pop ash and pond apple trees thrive. Fakahatchee Cathedral 2 was taken with a Deardorff 5×7 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 | 72mm Schneider Super-Angulon XL lens | 30 seconds. Disclaimer – Cropping, contrast, and image density may vary. To learn more about the darkroom printing process, click here.