ENTRY DESCRIPTION
1986 Western Everglades, FL USA
Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida – This photograph was taken on the side of the road. Some of the most beautiful scenes are not noticed when driving by them at 70 mph. This was one of the first black and white photographs I took with my 8”x 10” view camera after my son was killed by a drunk driver. This was also one of the photographs that encouraged me to change from color photography and begin, once again, to photograph with black and white film. Ever since then I have dedicated myself to documenting the natural landscapes of Florida; specifically the Everglades to help educate people of its importance and necessity for life itself.

AUTHOR
Wilderness, to me, is a spiritual necessity. When my son was killed by a drunken driver, it was to the wilderness that I fled in hopes of regaining my serenity and equilibrium. The mysterious spiritual experience of being close to nature helped restore my soul. It was during that time I discovered the intimate beauty of the environment.
My experience reinforced my sense of dedication to use my art form, photography, to show people that there is a unity between all undisturbed natural places, whether a peak of a renowned mountain range or a stream-bed in an urban watershed. My hope is to educate…to let people know our land is a special place and to inspire others to work together to save nature’s places of spiritual sanctuary for future generations.
-Clyde Butcher

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