Primitive Florida

By Suzanne Cohen

The Southeast Museum of Photography is presenting “Primitive Florida,” a show that features the work of seven prominent conservation photographers, showcasing the stunning beauty of Florida’s unique landscape and the significant need for conservation. Encompassing works by Jennifer Adler, Eric Clay, Benjamin Dimmitt, Paul Marcellini, Mac Stone and Carlton Ward Jr., this exhibition reveals each artist’s distinctive approach to their subject matter, and their overwhelming passion for the natural world.

Carlton Ward, Jr., Morning Round Up, Buck Island Ranch, Highlands County, Florida, 2017.

The exhibition’s 93 images take visitors on a journey through Florida’s richly diverse ecosystems: from cypress strands to sawgrass prairies, coastal lowlands and estuaries to freshwater springs. Showcasing a number of panoramic images as well as more intimate and abstract studies of nature, this exhibit offers audiences a glimpse of true wilderness-a more primitive Florida-surprisingly hidden within plain sight.

Jennifer Adler, Florida Manatees, North Florida, 2019.

The exhibition also raises questions concerning our ability to adequately preserve our resources while sustaining current demands for growth and development. As Florida’s population continues to burgeon, it is necessary to examine our role-and our responsibility-towards nature as technological advances, urban development and other environmental stresses rapidly shape the future. Contemplating nature within the frame of photography-specifically through the lenses of native Floridians-invites us to view this state through their eyes, and to understand the inherent beauty before us. For conservation-minded photographers, their art form becomes just as readily a platform-a means of saving the very subjects they photograph.

Carlton Ward, Jr., American Alligator, Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, Florida, 2018.

Collectively, Paul Marcellini, Mac Stone and Carlton Ward Jr. take us through the heart of the Fakahatchee Strand, Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and Big Cypress National Preserve, sharing ancient cypress heads and pond apples, weathered expanses of dry and wet prairies, and dwarf cypress forests. They seek out the beauty of the Everglades and other parts of Florida, sharing moments that are serene and landscapes that are-as of yet-unspoiled. There are artful views of alligators, bears, and snakes within the deeper reaches of the swamp, but also smaller and less depicted creatures: burrowing owls, beetles, frogs, vultures, snapping turtles, otters and raccoons. Some of the smallest animals photographed are perhaps the most important: moths. Over the course of two years, and a count of 52,000 frames, Carlton Ward Jr. and Mac Stone captured the never-before seen pollination of the rare ghost orchid by more than one species of moth-the giant sphinx and fix sphinx.

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Mac Stone, Emergents, Williston, Florida, 2013.

From the teeming swamps we travel to the sawgrass marshes photographed by Eric Clay and mangrove forests favored by Benjamin Dimmitt. Clay’s monochromatic landscapes offer impressive, albeit somber, views of the salt marsh and coastal areas. Large swathes of land, echoes of old Florida, are captured with precision and intent.

Eric Clay, Salt Marsh, Cradle Creek Preserve, Jacksonville Beach, Florida, 2014.

As an eighth-generation Floridian, Carlton Ward Jr. presents another facet of Florida’s character few realize exist: its cattle ranching industry. Unnoticed by many, these ranches account for much of Florida’s remaining native habitat, especially in South Florida. The future of many species of wildlife, including the Florida Panther and Black Bear, depend on the operations of cattle ranches. His portrayal of these ranches-and rugged cowboys-pays tribute to a way of life that is rapidly losing ground to alarming development and population increases.

Tessa Skiles, Juvenile Gar, Blue Springs, Florida, 2019.

As much as the land defines the cultural character of Florida, so does the water flowing across and underneath it. Jennifer Adler and Tessa Skiles each tell their own story of Florida’s springs, and work to connect people to the source of their drinking water. In addition to their stunning imagery, these photographers utilize aspects of science and ecology to help better understand the environment and convey that information to the public. In doing so, the photographers in “Primitive Florida” not only portray animal and plant species at risk, they also invite us to weigh our own actions to interpret the role humans play in shaping these ecosystems. Ultimately, this exhibition invites audiences to appreciate the state’s incredible biodiversity and examine their own relationships with nature. It is up to all of us, as citizens of Florida, to envision new and creative strategies to balance our needs with those of the natural world.

“Primitive Florida” will be on view through September 4th at the Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona State College. 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL, 32114 | www.smponline.org.

Suzanne Cohen is an arts writer based in Orlando, Fla.