Winter always brings out the structural beauty of the naked cypress tree. This winter was unique due to a tropical storm that passed through Florida late in the hurricane season. Tropical Storm Gordon swept from the gulf across the Everglades to the Atlantic, leaving higher than usual water levels across the state throughout the winter. I was able to capture the water flowing through the grass between the bare trees offering an unusual moment in the environmental history of the Everglades.
Dwarf Cypress Trees In the wide-open spaces of wet prairies, where soil depth is scant, and mineral-rich resources are negligible, grasses, sedges, and forbs dominate. The few cypress trees that have managed to cling to life in these regions are often gnarled, stunted, and ancient. They have survived some of the Everglades’ driest conditions as moisture in the prairie evaporates quickly in the absence of a protective tree canopy. The logging industry in the mid-twentieth century that removed all the large, old-growth bald cypress trees saw no value in these small, twisted old trees. They left these enduring forms that we enjoy today.
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.
Disclaimer – Cropping, contrast, and image density may vary. To learn more about the darkroom printing process, click
here.
One of Clyde’s favorite ways to find a good scene is to go “chasing clouds.” Florida Bay is a beautiful place, but very tricky to navigate. Meandering around mangrove islands and shallow waters can lead to either ideal photographic locations or going aground on a sand spit. This particular day, Clyde was so immersed in chasing clouds that he lost track of where he was. Fortunately, a passing fisherman helped Clyde orient himself within the mangrove islands
with directions back to the Florida Keys. As a result, his favorite image from this day is “somewhere” in Florida Bay.
Florida Bay Estuary
The coastal area of the Everglades ecosystem, including mangrove islands, is crucial to the marine life that inhabits most of the Gulf and Atlantic waters around South Florida. The freshwater runoff from the wetlands mixes with the saltwater of the Gulf to create an estuary supporting the bulk of recreational and commercial fish during their reproductive or developmental stages.
Florida Bay 3 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 | 90mm Schneider Super-Angulon XL lens | orange filter | 1 second.
Disclaimer – Cropping, contrast, and image density may vary. To learn more about the darkroom printing process, click
here.
Mangroves are special plants because without them we would have no fish. Yet people do not respect them. I remember when Florida’s late Governor Lawton Chiles said he was afraid that if we didn’t pass a law to save the mangroves, the state would look like a giant bathtub because all the mangroves would be replaced by concrete sea walls.
Florida Bay Estuary
The coastal area of the Everglades ecosystem, including mangrove islands, is crucial to the marine life that inhabits most of the Gulf and Atlantic waters around South Florida. The freshwater runoff from the wetlands mixes with the saltwater of the Gulf to create an estuary supporting the bulk of recreational and commercial fish during their reproductive or developmental stages.
Florida Bay 3 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 | 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.
Ellen Peterson, the visionary behind “Save Our Creeks,” was a fierce, protective voice for the environment, fighting tirelessly to preserve many of Florida’s natural areas, including Fisheating Creek. Upon one visit to the creek, Ellen graciously invited Niki and me to her cherished tree, where I took this photograph. Upon her death and in her honor, I named the photograph Ellen’s Memorial Tree, immortalizing all her endeavors to safeguard this creek for the benefit of future generations.
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.
Disclaimer – Cropping, contrast, and image density may vary. To learn more about the darkroom printing process, click
here.
Sloshing around in the lush green summer swamps of the Everglades fills Clyde with a deep joy of being alive. He says, “There is something primeval about it that connects to my very soul.” When he came across these Guzmania bromeliads, he was overwhelmed by the abundance of the plants around him. Today he’s glad to have this photograph, as this fragile ecosystem is under attack by the invasive Mexican bromeliad weevil. The Guzmania population today is drastically reduced, and overall only one percent of the plants left are adults.
Bromeliads
This area of the Everglades, in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, is often likened to the Amazon rainforest of South America by park biologists. Even with the devastating effects of the weevil, this roughly 20-mile-long cypress swamp provides the thermal protection needed to support one of North America’s highest concentration of naturally occurring rare and endangered tropical bromeliads. The Florida Park Service is working with regional botanical gardens to secure specimens. Their goal is to preserve the genetic diversity of several species of existing plants for later seed production and reintroduction into the Everglades.
Fakahatchee Strand 5 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 | 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.
With mysterious names of plants like Guzmania and Ghost Orchid, I was easily enticed into exploring the Fakahatchee Strand. Studded with native Royal Palms and many tropical plants found only in Central America, the Fakahatchee is truly a remarkable place.
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.
Disclaimer – Cropping, contrast, and image density may vary. To learn more about the darkroom printing process, click
here.
Sloshing around in the lush green summer swamps of the Everglades fills Clyde with a deep joy of being alive. He says, “There is something primeval about it that connects to my very soul.” When he came across these Guzmania bromeliads, he was overwhelmed by the abundance of the plants around him. Today he’s glad to have this photograph, as this fragile ecosystem is under attack by the invasive Mexican bromeliad weevil. The Guzmania population today is drastically reduced, and overall only one percent of the plants left are adults.
Bromeliads
This area of the Everglades, in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, is often likened to the Amazon rainforest of South America by park biologists. Even with the devastating effects of the weevil, this roughly 20-mile-long cypress swamp provides the thermal protection needed to support one of North America’s highest concentration of naturally occurring rare and endangered tropical bromeliads. The Florida Park Service is working with regional botanical gardens to secure specimens. Their goal is to preserve the genetic diversity of several species of existing plants for later seed production and reintroduction into the Everglades.
Fakahatchee Strand 3 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 | 90mm 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.
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.
Upon relocating to the west coast of Florida, we were fascinated by the barrier islands. Fort Myers Beach on Estero Island quickly became one of our favorites among these. After 23 trips to the beach, I finally found a composition. On this day, the afternoon sun lit the background, bounced off a cloud behind me, and cast the perfect, enchanting light in the foreground.
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.
Disclaimer – Cropping, contrast, and image density may vary. To learn more about the darkroom printing process, click
here.
After learning about the beautiful dunes in the Florida Panhandle, I was excited to visit and photograph them. When I arrived in Port St. Joe, the weather was overcast. Every day for a week, I returned to the dunes, set up my camera, and waited for the light to be just right, but Mother Nature didn’t cooperate. Finally, on my last day, just an hour before we were ready to pack up and leave, the sun briefly broke through the clouds, just long enough for me to shoot two pieces of film.
Originally, this photograph was in color and was one of my best-selling pieces at art festivals. People loved the soft colors and often focused on the sun. However, once I converted it to black-and-white, the focus shifted, and the image had a completely different, more powerful impact on the viewer; instead of focusing on one aspect of the image, they were able to take in the complexity of the scene with sky, sand, and water, seamlessly melding into a unified whole. To date, this is my most recognizable and sought-after black-and-white photograph.
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.
Disclaimer – Cropping, contrast, and image density may vary. To learn more about the darkroom printing process, click
here.
