Follow Me On My Photography Adventures
I tagged along with fellow photographer Robert Chaplin to the west coast of Florida for a quick scouting trip of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Corkscrew Swamp has been on my list of places to check out for sometime. Unfortunately, it was toward the end of the peak season and it was a little hot and the birds had already started to head back north. However, I did enjoy the walk through the boardwalk and will plan to return again when I have better conditions.
There is a Cowhorn/Cigar Orchid in Everglades National Park that is growing out of an old tree stump. The orchid is a very rare specimen as it is more than 5 feet wide and 8 feet tall. It is one of my favorite orchids in the park to see in full bloom. I have been trying to capture a captivating image of this rare Cowhorn Orchid in Everglades National Park for the last three (3) years. However, each time the images come out boring or to busy.
This year I decided to get creative with my efforts and visit the orchid in the middle of the night. I envisioned using the dark starry sky as my backdrop to contrast the vibrant orchid and cause it to stand out in the image. I used a flash to illuminate the orchid and some of the foreground. I was also rewarded in that the milky way was positioned in an ideal location to compliment the scene.
I am happy with this effort and believe I finally got a photo of this orchid that is unique and captivating. I also captured a few sunrise photos before I left, however I had a little problem with my lens fogging up right before the sun rose above the horizon.
This past Saturday I had the opportunity to tag along with the South Florida National Parks Camera Club to take a tour of the Nike Missile Base located in Everglades National Park. The Nike Missile Base, HM-69, is no longer in operation and has been declared an historic site. The base was constructed in 1962 to help defend the United States from an attack from Russia during the Cuban Missile Crises. The base closed in 1979.
Everglades National Park offers tours of the site from December through April. There is a fully assembled restored Nike Missile on site within one of the missile silos.
I decided to process the photos in black and white to reinforce the historic nature of the location. Also, I was there in very harsh noon time sunlight causing high contrast between the dark and light areas which yields a more pleasing look in black and white than it does in color.
I highly recommend the tour next time you visit Everglades National Park.
A rendering of a brilliantly orange sunrise over Stiltsville in Biscayne National Park. This is the Baldwin, Sessions House.
Foggy photos can be moody and emotional, but can also seem bland at times. However, add some color and fog takes on a whole new persona.
Photographing fog has been on my list of things to do for quite some time. Being that fog is unpredictable and happens early in the mornings, I have been procrastinating on setting my alarm. However, yesterday I saw that there was a dense fog advisory and high probability for fog so I decided to get up early and make a trip out to Everglades National Park.
The fog cooperated and was fairly heavy. The sun was scheduled to rise around 6:50 AM but did not make an appearance until after 9 as a result of the fog. I did not have a real plan on how to shoot the fog so I experimented as I went. I captured a few decent shots and learned a lot for my next photo trip.
I found that fog is best captured with a long lens that compresses the scene and more accurately reflects the scene. Unless you are in white out conditions, fog is more noticeable in the distance than right around you. This is more accurately captured and/or accentuated with a long lens versus a wide angle lens.
I still need to find the best subject matter to compliment the fog. I tried pine trees and cypress trees yesterday. Next trip I will work with some of the lakes and/or boardwalks.
Another lesson learned was that color photos and fog tend to be bland. I found that if I converted them to black and white they had more emotion.
While looking at the weather forecast yesterday afternoon I came up with an idea for what could be a unique photograph. Yesterdays forecast called for the coldest weather South Florida has seen in more than 4 years. The lows in the interior were thought to dip to the mid 20’s to low 30’s and a freeze warning was issued by NOAA. I envisioned trying to capture an image in the everglades with white frost within the landscape. A unique image that would be hard to repeat unless you had the right conditions. I called a friend of mine, Robert Chaplin, and asked if he was interested in tagging along with me. He said yes, so we headed out this morning at 5:30 AM to see what we could create.
Unfortunately for us, but good for the local farmers, the temperatures were running some 4 degrees higher than forecast and the wind speeds also stayed higher than forecast limiting the formation of frost. I had hoped to have widespread white frost on the ground to set my scene but now I would have to find something else. We ended up at the Pahayokee Overlook Boardwalk. Man made objects, especially those raised off of the ground tend to freeze/frost faster than living plant matter. Luckily for me the Payhayokee Boardwalk was iced over when we got there from top to bottom.
I set up my shot to use the Boardwalk as my leading line and main subject matter since I was hoping to accentuate the icing. This proved problematic since prior to the sunrise there was no light to reflect off the ice and make it recognizable as ice. I ended up using my flash and flashlight to try and make the ice more visible. I never did end up with exactly what I was hoping for but I still managed to capture an image that is captivating and has visible ice. The only problem is that without the background story one may not realize that the white color is ice and not the normal color of the boardwalk.
Luckily as a bonus I captured a few other good photos both prior to the sun rising and afterward. I even got a visit from one of the local owls. All in all it was a successful trip even if not exactly how I planned it.
On the way out I stopped back by the Cypress Dome with the blooming Everglades Daisy’s to give it one more try. I know there is a good photo in there I just am having a hard time finding a way to capture it with my camera. So far I like this effort the best. I will see if it continues to grow on me.
For Presidents Day I decided to take a day trip out to Everglades National Park to explore a few trails and Cypress Domes I have not been to in a while. The weather was great, not to hot, and there were little to any bugs to speak of.
I started my journey in a well known Cypress Dome called Double Dome. Most of the dome was dry except for the deep hole in the middle and few deeper spots here and there. However, dry is relative when talking about Cypress Domes. During the wet season Cypress Domes typically are full of water, anywhere from shin deep to waist deep. Therefore, dry means no standing water. However, there was plenty of squishy mud. Between the wet season and the complete dry season is a time period where the ground is mushy and soft. This was one of those times. Some of the Bromeliads were in bloom and the resident large gator was there guarding his watering hole and female. I saw a few Water Moccasins but none wanted to be photographed. There were also a good number of birds flying around and feeding in the few water holes remaining, including a couple of Great Blue Herons.
My next stop was a smaller less well know Cypress Dome that was full of blooming yellow flowers. I tried to capture the scene but found it to be pretty difficult. The scene was just to busy with all of the flowers, cypress trees and branches and then the grass. I am sure that printed very large it would all seem proportional, but shrunk down on a computer screen or at low resolution it is just hard to not be overwhelmed by complexity and overabundance of details.
After photographing the Cypress Dome, I then hiked a few other trails but did not find anything of interest to photograph. I finished the day by hiking a trail I had never been on but had spotted from Google Earth. On the trail I came across an alligator that had died some time ago. All that was left was some bones and the skull. They had all been bleached white by the sun. I took a few photos of it just for fun. It appeared to be a fairly good sized gator when it was alive.
I could envision capturing some good photos from this new trail given the right conditions. I will definitely hike it again.
A few weeks ago I tagged along with fellow photographer, Robert Chaplin, who was scouting for an upcoming bird workshop. One of our stops was the Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Palm Beach County. The last time I was there was about three (3) years ago and I remembered it being full of nesting birds. When I returned this time it was just as I remembered it if not better. There were more than 10 nesting pairs of Great Blue Herons as well as numerous nesting anhingas and cormorants. The best part is that many of the nests are only a mere 10 to 15 feet from the elevated boardwalk making photographing them easy to do without the need to use a long lens.
Last time I visited during the early morning hours, this time I was there in the late afternoon just before sunset. While I was there some of the Great Blue Heron males were bring food to the sitting females as well as nesting materials. I was able to capture one of the males flying back and forth with nesting materials from a nearby tree. It was a lot of fun to watch much less photograph.
The most awe inspiring part about being there near sunset is the number of birds that fly in to roost for the evening. During the last 30 minutes or so before the sunset hundreds of birds of all varieties flew into the wetlands and started roosting in the nearby trees. By the time I left every tree was full of birds roosting for the evening.
Of all the bird locations I have visited Wakodahatchee is by far one of my favorites. It consistently produces a large number and variety of birds that can be easily photographed with any lens or camera. Eco Pond in Everglades National Park at its peak is the only other location that rivals Wakodahatchee in terms of numbers and variety. However, Eco Pond’s peak is only a few weeks out of every year.
For anyone who has not yet visited Wakodahatchee I encourage you to plan a trip. I can assure you it is worth the drive.
This past weekend the 30th Annual Everglades Coalition Conference took place in the only Three Palm Designated Hotel in the Florida Keys, the Hilton Key Largo which overlooks Florida Bay. The theme of this year’s conference was Send It South: Water For America’s Everglades. 
More than 300 people comprised of local state and federal elected officials, environmental advocacy groups, state and federal agencies, scientists, educators, media members, students and the general public came together this past weekend to work toward a common goal, restoration and preservation of the Everglades Ecosystem. The Everglades Coalition, who puts on the annual event, is an alliance of 57 local, state and national conservation and environmental organizations dedicated to full restoration of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem through advocacy, education, research and other efforts.
One of the highlights of this year’s conference was an appearance and keynote speech by United States Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell. Prior to speaking at the conference, Secretary Jewell toured Florida Bay and Everglades National Park, including taking a slough slog through a cypress dome. Later that evening, Secretary Jewell acknowledged the determination and hard work of the Everglades Coalition and congratulated them on their many successes including bringing Everglades restoration and preservation initiatives to the fore front. Secretary Jewell went on to state that she would continue to be an advocate for restoration initiatives and that restoration of America’s Everglades is a top priority.
The location of the conference next to Florida Bay was fitting as many of the discussions centered on Florida Bay and how the condition of the plants and animals within it are key indicators of the health of the Everglades watershed. The consensus among experts is that more freshwater needs to be delivered into the surrounding tributaries north of Florida Bay in order to reach historical salinity levels and create an environment in which the fish, birds and plants can thrive. To effectuate this, water that is now being diverted east and west needs to be re-engineered to once again flow south.
Presently, water that has historically flowed south to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay is instead now being diverted West to the Gulf of Mexico and East to the Atlantic Ocean through a series of canals. The diverted water contains high levels of nitrogen and other contaminants that are not given the opportunity to be filtered out through natural processes. The result is frequent toxic algae blooms that can decimate the plant and animal life it encounters. As a result, not only is Everglades National Park and Florida Bay being deprived of the water it needs, but the diverted water is now wreaking havoc on otherwise healthy ecosystems.
The good news for advocates is that most parties now seem to agree that the problem needs to be addressed however, a unified solution remains elusive. The main stumbling block is that the land necessary to restore clean natural water flow south from Lake Okeechobee is presently in the hands of private land owners. This land is needed to create water storage retention areas that can be used to naturally filter the contaminants from the water as well as give the Water Management Districts the tools they need to properly control the rate of flow during the rainy and dry seasons. Advocates for Everglades restoration hope that Amendment One (1), passed by 70% of Florida’s voters, will help provide a necessary state revenue source to purchase lands and fund water projects to send the water south.
While a solution is being devised, other projects are already moving forward further south to help increase the flow to Everglades National Park and Florida Bay and restore the Everglades Ecosystem. Most of these projects are 20 years in the making and have had to carefully balance the need for flood control for the heavily populated areas in South Florida with the need to restore the natural sheet flow of water through the Everglades. Some projects have been completed, such as the 1 mile bridge on Tamiami Trail, or are nearing completion like the Picayune Strand restoration and pump project, whereas others have stalled due to a lack of federal funding.
On this front, legislation has been filed by both the Federal House and Senate to expedite 1.9 billion in funding for restoration projects set forth in the Central Everglades Planning Project (CEPP), specifically those focused on moving the water south. The legislation has bi-partisan support but was not heard during the recent lame duck session. It is anticipated that action will be taken on the proposed legislation during the 114th Congress. 
What does a restored Everglades mean to Florida and local communities? Traditionally, most arguments in favor of Everglades restoration have focused on environmental and scientific facts and figures. However, recently the argument for Everglades restoration has morphed into an discussion of economics and return on investment.
In 2011, Florida had 87.3 million visitors that generated 67 billion dollars and resulted in Florida being the number one (1) tourist destination in the world. The attraction for many of Florida’s visitors is its natural resources such as lakes, rivers, beaches, parks and forests. Fishing and related activities accounted for 80,200 jobs and 5 billion dollars in annual revenue. Photography, bird and animal watching activities generated more than 5.2 billion dollars. In 2011, Florida’s state parks had 21.1 million visitors, the Magic Kingdom in Orlando only had 18 million visitors. In 2013, Florida’s National Parks had 10.2 million visitors.
The argument for restoration economics is that without clean water and a healthy ecosystem there will not be any fish to catch, birds to watch or nature to enjoy. A depleted and unhealthy ecosystem will result in a huge negative economic impact to Florida’s economy and a loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.
A recent study funded by the Everglades Foundation found that for every $1 invested in Everglades Restoration activities $4 will be generated in economic benefits or a 4 to 1 return on investment. It is estimated that a restored everglades will add an additional 46.5 billion dollars to the Florida economy over the next 50 years and create an additional 440,000 jobs.
Everglades restoration and activities related thereto have the potential to create huge economic benefits to those communities ready to embrace the environment around them. By branding themselves as the “Gateway to Everglades and Biscayne National Parks” and building a partnership with their neighboring national parks, the City of Homestead has already positioned itself to not only advocate for its neighbors but to also benefit economically.
The Homestead National Parks Trolley has already generated economic benefits to Historic Downtown Homestead by hosting more than 5,000 riders during last year’s shortened trolley season. Additional projects already in the works, such as the Biscayne/Everglades Greenway, look to further solidify the City’s partnerships and create additional economic benefits to both the City and the National Parks.
Moreover, the City of Homestead’s connections with Everglades and Biscayne National Parks have created positive news media coverage both locally and nationally, providing invaluable marketing dollars to the City of Homestead. The most recent national media coverage centered on the release of the Everglades Quarter this past December and the Homestead National Parks Trolley’s participation in NASCAR this past November.
A restored Everglades benefits all; the wildlife, residents, local communities and the economy of the State of Florida.