BOOK
REVIEW
A Book Review
By Jonathan Herbert
BIG CYPRESS SWAMP:
THE WESTERN EVERGLADES
Clyde Butcher is an amazing talent with
extraordinary abilities to capture moments
and pull viewers inside his photography. Big
Cypress Swamp, The Western Everglades Second
Edition is a surreal collection of photography and
stories that span a quarter of a century of photographing
Big Cypress Swamp. He hopes to “inspire
you to look beyond the guardrails that line the
roads crossing this large swath of land between
Naples and Miami.”
Clyde has been called the next Ansel Adams by
Popular Photography magazine,
awarded as a humanitarian for acting
for the betterment of his community,
and recognized as a conservationist
for bringing issues to the forefront of
public consciousness through his art.
His photography transcends political
boundaries, challenging us to work together
to protect natural places
across the globe.
His life story is both inspirational
and heartbreaking. His photography
has given so much to others and our
surrounding environments. Here is
what wilderness means to him,
“Wilderness, to me, is a spiritual
necessity. When our 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.”
Clyde Butcher’s
(Second Edition)
Being awarded as a humanitarian and recognized
as a conservationist has not changed him as an
artist,” I have always loved the environment and it
pained me to see the environment destroyed as
populations grew when I lived in California, just as
it pains me here in Florida. My art is a reflection of
who I am, and I love nature. So, those honors I’ve
received because I am what I am haven’t changed
me, I just am what I am. I’m thankful that others see
me as a person who cares, because I hope they
follow in my footsteps.”