Bald Cypress Swamp
Bald Cypress Swamp is my favorite part of Mercer Botanic Gardens. As you might expect in a botanic garden, they have wide array flowers and plants. All of them are carefully tended and presented in a most beautiful way. Bald Cypress Swamp on the other hand is to a large extent completely different. It’s natural. Sometimes the water is up. During the hot Texas summer, you can also find that the swamp is dry. Sometimes the water is covered with beautiful green algae and sometimes it is clear. Perhaps this natural variety is why I enjoy it so much.
Normally, when you think of a swamp you think of a fairly decent sized body of water; at least I do. However, Bald Cypress Swamp is relatively small. Roughly circular in shape, I’m guessing it’s around 175 feet in diameter. It’s not a place for grand, sweeping landscapes. However, the cypress trees (and knees) make for great intimate photos. Combine this with a bright, almost fluorescent green algae on the water and the warm morning light filtered by the surrounding trees and it’s magical.
Daylight In The Swamp (2014)
I first visited the swamp in 2014. Driving in the park, the bright green color of the algae caught my eye. It virtually screamed, “Park the car and come photograph me!”. The algae covered the water like luxurious green carpet. The morning light coming through the trees provided warm dappled light sprinkled across the scene. Oh, I was so glad I stopped. When it came time to title the photo, I immediately thought of the saying my father-in-law used from back in the day, logging in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. “Daylight in the swamp” meant it was time to get up and get to work.
Recent Photos
As some of you may know, I haven’t been doing a lot of shooting lately as I’ve been recovering from knee surgery. Fortunately, the recovery is going nicely and I’m starting to get out and about. This includes starting with visiting nearby sites that don’t require miles of walking. When trying to think of suitable locations last week I recalled Mercer. Given that Daylight In The Swamp is one of my favorites and Mercer is only 20-30 minutes away I was surprised that I hadn’t shot there in 7 years! So, to make up for that, I went twice last week and here are the shots I got.
You may have noticed that the last 2 photos are of the same cypress tree albeit with slightly different compositions. More significantly, I took them on different days and at different times of the morning. As a result, you get different conditions as well as the feel of the scene changing. It was a good reminder for me to visit a scene multiple times under differing conditions to get the most out of the opportunity.
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What is one of your favorite nearby places to shoot? I’d love to hear your comments and feedback. Please leave a comment in the comment box below.
