Clyde Butcher’s powerful black and white photographs explore his personal bond with the environment. The exquisite beauty and depth of his work draw the viewer into a relationship with nature. For more than fifty years, he has been preserving on film the untouched areas of the landscape. His images are captured with an 8”x 10”, 11”x 14”, and 12”x 20” view camera. The large format camera allows him to express the elaborate detail and textures that distinguish the intricacy of the landscape. The photographs range in sizes from 8x10 inches to 5x8 feet.

When asked what transforms a photograph into art, Butcher responds with a smile, “That’s the million dollar question. I think it’s obviously the person behind the camera who creates the art. In any form of art you go from a craftsman to an artist. There’s a point when that happens. It’s a mystery. Art doesn’t come from fancy equipment. It comes from a way of seeing the world.

I choose to photograph from my heart, which is very different than working with your head. When I see a scene that stirs my soul, I photograph it. Since I have been photographing the landscape for over fifty years, I instinctively see texture, value scale and composition, which create a satisfying photograph to me personally. I’m always glad when it’s well received by others.

I think art should create an emotion. That’s communication. Communication is one of the most difficult things in life. You know that old adage, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’? People relate to that.” As he continues to explain his philosophy he expresses his desire to help people care about nature. “You have to find a way to get through to people and let them understand the importance of nature,” he says. “Without nature, there’d be no air, no clean water, and nothing to eat. I feel my images create an emotion that reach out to people and help them see their surroundings in a different way that encourages them to save those wild places where peace can fill the soul.”

Butcher looks to the wilderness to answer questions that are probably very different from questions scientists ask. For Butcher, wilderness is a sacred necessity. He believes the mysterious spiritual experience of being close to nature is restorative and that discovering the intimate beauty of the natural world is healing to the human soul.

Although Butcher will always be identified with the Everglades, he is deeply committed to recording precious landscapes throughout the world. The beauty and importance of Butcher’s photography quickly earned widespread recognition resulting in museum exhibits in the United States, an exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Prague celebrating the new millennium, and a request by the United Nations to photograph the mountains of Cuba to celebrate The Year of the Mountains.