Clyde Butcher Photography

09/10/2026

Looking for a unique way to explore and connect with Big Cypress? 🌿

This special event brings together nature, photography, conservation, and hands-on learning for a memorable day in one of Florida’s most extraordinary landscapes.

Check out the details below and make plans to join us! 💚

🌿 Come wander the swamp with us!

Join Friends of Big Cypress for a special day at Clyde and Niki Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery, where art, nature, and conservation come together.

Take a guided walk through the swamp, hear from rangers and biologists, explore educational exhibits, enjoy Clyde’s photography, and grab a bite from the food truck.

Bring your curiosity and come experience the magic of Big Cypress with us! 🌿

Free shuttle service will run all day from the Oasis Visitor Center overflow parking.

Register and choose your adventure: www.friendsofbigcypress.org/events/swamp-wander-2026

09/10/2026

Hurricane Andrew deposited many dead trees onto the beaches of Ten Thousand Islands in the Everglades in 1992. When I photographed them years later, the trees were bleached white by the sun, creating beautiful white sculptural pieces that lay as monuments attesting to the strength of this storm. As I set up my camera, I wished I had some clouds in the sky to help the composition. Strangely, just as I finished setting up, the clouds seen in this image appeared. By the time I had finished photographing, they were gone.

📷 INDIAN KEY 5 © 1997 | Everglades National Park, Florida | Learn More: https://clydebutcher.com/products/indian-key-5

09/09/2026

The Land We Share - South Carolina

Living History - Angel Oak

Angel Oak is one of the most remarkable trees on the East Coast. When a hurricane threatened the region, Niki and I traveled to South Carolina before the storm arrived.

After spending a day choosing the perfect composition, I returned at sunrise and made the photograph in beautiful soft light just before crowds arrived and evacuation orders were issued. It remains one of my favorite tree photographs.

09/08/2026

The Land We Share
The Ancient East - North Carolina • South Carolina

From the timeless branches of Angel Oak to the misty streams of the Great Smoky Mountains, each landscape marked an important chapter in my photographic journey.

09/07/2026

To get to this location, I traveled with individuals from the South Florida Water Management District on an airboat deep into Conservation Area 5, an area of land set aside to help clean the water before it flows south into the Everglades National Park. After riding through thick cattails for nearly an hour, the vegetation opened up and revealed this beautiful area of the Everglades.

The River of Grass: Standing in the center of the Everglades is the River of Grass, an expansive landscape with shallow grassy waters that extend in every direction. Within these vast areas of vegetation, the seemingly still water is a slowmoving, 40-mile-wide river.

Individual wet prairies within the Everglades reach up to 140,000 acres. The over-proliferation of cattails is a natural response to pollution as the cattails filter pollutants out of the water. However, this image highlights an area where the Everglades’ wet prairie waters are near pristine, and the balance of freshwater provides an environment for native plants to thrive

📷 CONSERVATION 5 © 2004 | Everglades National Park | Deardorff 8×10 camera | T-Max 100 film | Camera settings f/45 | 90mm Schneider Super-Angulon XL lens| orange filter | 1 second

Learn More: https://clydebutcher.com/products/conservation-5

09/06/2026

The Smoky Mountains are a biological wonderland. In the spring, the mountains pulsate with the lush green of new life. It reverberates through my body and leaves me with joy, reveling in the mystery of life. Every stream is filled with water, creating endless photographic opportunities.

I always look for landscapes untouched by man. If there is order or a lack of variety of plants, chances are a human has been there. If an ecosystem is filled with chaos or contains many different plants, humans have most likely not disturbed the environment. The Great Smoky Mountains contain a fairyland of textures, and that is heaven for a large-format photographer.

📷 SMOKY MOUNTAIN 10 © 1999 | Great Smoky Mountain National Park, North Carolina

09/06/2026

Some things just get better with age.

And Clyde Butcher is definitely one of them. 😉

Here’s to 84 years young and counting. Happy Birthday, Clyde! 🎂📸

09/05/2026

Tom invited us to visit a boardwalk on the back of his property. We were expecting a finished path, but instead, he pointed to a catwalk made of two-by-fours nailed to cypress trees. It was a literal “board” walk! Neither Niki nor I had ever been deep into a swamp, so we entered somewhat warily.

The beauty of the cypress swamp took my breath away. This initial journey into the swamp inspired both of us to photograph the interior of this diverse and beautiful state. Thank you, Tom Gaskins!

📷 TOM GASKINS’ SWAMP © 1983 | Central Florida

09/04/2026

A Journey Across America

Clyde Butcher’s America the Beautiful exhibit takes us on a visual journey across the country, celebrating some of America’s most treasured natural lands.

His photographs capture the grandeur of landscapes ranging from the Redwood forests of California to the Everglade swamps of Florida. Each image offers a moment to pause and appreciate the beauty, power, and diversity of the natural world.

These public lands were set aside for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of generations to come. Clyde’s work reminds us that experiencing these places today also means recognizing their importance for the future.

This exhibit is on display at the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens now through December 6, 2026.