Wildlife Photography Tips: Florida’s Everglades

The Everglades have always sounded exotic and alluring to me.   In my mind, “Everglades” conjured up images of green swamps, alligators, and me speeding along in an airboat wearing a pair of those fancy earmuffs.  I was always glued to those National Geographic specials on TV, and made a mental note to visit there someday.

A few years ago, when I came upon the exquisite fine art images of the Everglades by photographer Tito Trelles in his “Almost Full Moon” and “Caretakers of Paradise” series, I was inspired, absolutely sold, and immediately started planning a trip out there.  Photography can be quite persuasive…

Everglades National Park in Florida protects the southern 25 percent of the Everglades.  The park is comprised of wetlands that are maintained by a slow-moving river from Lake Okeechobee. (slow as in moving 0.25 miles per day!)  Hundreds of species of birds thrive in this fragile ecosystem.  Several threatened species also call the Everglades their home, including the elusive Florida panther, the American crocodile, and the West Indian manatee.  The entrance to the National Park is only about 1.5 hours drive from Miami, so it made a great, easy day trip.

Upon first glance, the Everglades was an endless sea of grass capped by a moody, cloudy sky.  On closer inspection, there was actually even more grass than I originally thought, and sometimes the occasional bush.  But on foot, camera in hand, sauntering along the well-marked walking path, I began to see a whole living world in the water and between the blades of grass that I never would have discovered by airboat or by plane.

I spent one afternoon in Shark Valley, wandering the paved trail with my husband.  We figured it’d be a leisurely walk, but it was much longer than we had originally anticipated.  It was actually a 15 mile long path and the sun fried us to a golden crisp.  Not a good place to forget your sunblock!  Those tan lines persisted for almost two years, no joke.  Nevertheless, there was plenty to see, alligators in every direction, turtles, and birds galore.  The next time I do this trail, I am renting a bicycle!  There was the occasional tourist and their young child getting far too close to the gators (there is nothing blocking gators from crossing the path, it’s not a zoo, folks!).  I’d suggest a good zoom lens instead of risking your hand and the resulting $20K hand surgery.  It’s a much better investment, anyway.

These images were taken on my second trip to the Everglades with friends and gifted photographers Bryan Benoit (who so kindly lent me the Canon 100-400mm lens and clinched my decision to buy it for wildlife photography!) and Kat Villari.  We spent the afternoon wandering along the Anhinga trail and the Gumbo Limbo trail and there was no shortage of birds, alligators, as well as photographers armed with every sort of lens you can imagine.   I found the 100-400mm to be the perfect lens for the variety of wildlife we saw there, and portable enough to walk a few miles in the heat.  I did not carry a tripod, though many photographers out there did.

The busiest season tends to run from December to March (also known as the dry season), when the temperatures are more tolerable and the mosquitoes are less active.   The mosquitoes in the Everglades grow to absolutely ridiculous sizes, so they are best avoided if possible!  Water levels are also lower during the dry season, making it easier to view wildlife in more central locations.  May to November heralds the wet season, where humidity can be at 90% and storms can literally drop 10-12 inches of rain at a time, which is not great for your gear unless you shoot with a waterproof camera!

A few things to never forget when photographing in the Everglades:

-       hat

-       sunblock

-       bug repellent

-       plenty of water (and make sure to stop for a cool drink at Robert Is Here nearby- really great smoothies and fresh fruit!)

There is a great deal of ongoing preservation and restoration work constantly occurring in the Everglades.  To read more about these efforts, visit the Everglades Coalition.  Hopefully we can help preserve this marvelous World Heritage Site for generations to come.  If you’ve spent some time in the Everglades, please share your thoughts and experiences with us, because I’m sure I’ll be back again to visit soon.  ’Til then, happy travels!