A Photoshop lesson with Clyde Butcher

To some, photographer Clyde Butcher is known as the 'Ansel Adams of the Everglades:' a man who spends his time capturing powerful black and white images of Florida's incredible and varied wilderness. To the many who have seen his photographs, Clyde Butcher is known as the artist who helps us see the incredible beauty hidden in Florida's swamps, rivers, uplands and bays.

I was lucky enough to spend a few minutes with Clyde on my way back from 5 Minutes of Fame at MOCA in North Miami. Charles Levin, one of the founders of the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in Tampa had come with me to hear the presentations at MOCA and to shoot some pictures while we were in Miami. He suggested we stop off and see Clyde at his gallery in Naples on the way home.

This was not my first visit to the gallery. In fact I have been there several times before and done the tour of Clyde's production darkroom as well as heard him speak at one of his lectures. I highly recommend both activities to anyone who finds themselves in the Naples area. Clyde is a passionate speaker and a proud environmentalist. His large scale black and white photographs are nothing short of stunning and you can easily find yourself falling hypnotically into the deep blacks of the silver halide prints.

The digital process has also found its way into Clydes workflow and he is constantly looking for ways to bring black and white digital printing up to a level that could rival his silver prints. On our visit there he had recently printed some images from a trip to Yosemite. While not quite at the depth of the silver images the prints were nonetheless dramatic and compelling.

In order to get at close as possible to a negative based print in a digital based process, Clyde has spent hours working with Photoshop determining where the tools replicate negative based adjustments and where an alternate method might achieve the desired result. In simple terms he says " you don't use Photoshops dodge and burn tools, to dodge and burn". Clyde has recently completed a DVD on his black and white digital workflow and in it he includes many of the tips and tricks that he uses to produce this next generation of superb inkjet prints.

It was a pleasure to spend some time with Clyde and hear first hand some of the methods he uses. I had one of those experiences that I am sure confronts us all when we are in the presence of a master and his work. You know, that moment when you feel very small and wonder if and how your work will stand up over time. I have learned to just take those moments as inspiration and feel thankful that I was able to spend some quality time in the presence of a man who believes passionately in his work and the art of photography.