Introduction

Everglades National Park is one of the most endangered areas of our National Park system.   As a native of Miami, I have witnessed the incredible demise of great flocks of birds, trees and vast expanses of wetlands throughout South Florida, all as a result of urban sprawl and farmland pollution.  Over the years, birds and have moved on and fauna and plant life have decreased.  Yet the serenity and unique beauty of these mysterious wetlands live on, albeit precariously!  

Even with the threat to its existence, the Everglades remains a unique wilderness of sawgrass, bedrock, swamps and tree islands.  The "River of Grass", a term coined by Marjory Stoneman Douglas in the 1940's, comes alive when you slow down, relax, and let the environment settle in around you.

The main road inside the Park stretches thirty eight miles to Flamingo, a tiny community built from the remnants of a 1900's fishing village.  Along the way are vast expanses of sawgrass, cypress, wildlife and mangroves, with side roads leading to marked attractions and a variety of hiking, boating and canoe trails.   Today, we'll explore one of the side roads for an early morning photo adventure.

The Road to Pahayokee

Thirteen miles inside the park is the turnoff to "Pahayokee Overlook", a boardwalk that rises above the vastness of the Everglades.  Access is via a seemingly nondescript road that meanders from the main road through sawgrass and cypress strands.  This road to Pahayokee becomes a jewel in the early morning if you just take the time to stop and look around. 

To photograph along this road it's best to arrive about 45 minutes before sunrise.  This gives you a chance to scope the area, set up and let the surroundings settle in around you. You'll see and hear the Everglades come to life - birds waking, the sky brightening, and the symphony of strange and mysterious sounds of the Everglades.  

Don't drive to the boardwalk though.  Instead park your car within a few hundred yards of the main road. You can set up on the side of the road, or if the water level is low (winter and early spring), you can wander into the bedrock and sawgrass to shoot a wider variety of compositions and subjects.  If you do walk off-road be sure to tread carefully since bedrock is an uneven floor, and wear long pants - "sawgrass" has that name for a reason.  If you wander off-road during the wet season, be sure to keep an eye out for alligators.  They can become ornery if startled.

The range of subjects and images along the road to Pahayokee are limited only by your imagination.  Leave pre-conceived notions at home.  Walk around and scout the area before unpacking your gear.  If you let the surroundings grow around you, you'lll make an early morning in the Everglades transform into unique and outstanding images!

 Pre-dawn becomes a serene palette of colors, and when the sun's globe breaks the horizon, a new excitement begins.  Things happen quickly; colors and scenes change instantly.  Fog, clouds and other conditions will determine what's happening and for how long.  Your role as a photographer is to adapt to the moment and catch the fleeting image, however quick it may be. 

Once the sun rises and is bright, shift your attention.  Turn around, look behind and around you, and take advantage of the golden light on the landscape.  Be sure to use your polarizer now, to enhance the sky and clouds. The highest polarizing effect occurs when you are shooting 90° from the sun, and it reduces as you get closer to the plane of the sun.  A polarizer will also reduce glare from water or dew.

 Constantly ask yourself 'what is the subject?'  Remember what attracted you to the scene.  Simplify, narrow your field of focus, and zero in on what caught your attention.  It might be the way a branch bends, or it may be a tiny fungus on the bark of a tree. Work your subject, shoot it from different angles and shoot with different lenses.

Seasons in the Everglades

The time of year will determine the conditions around you.  The cliché is that South Florida has only two seasons -- "wet" and "dry".  Dry season is during winter and early spring, characterized by wetlands that turn into dried, cracked mud lakes.  Winter brings an abundance of wading birds, cool foggy mornings and a relief (hopefully) from mosquitoes!

 Summer and early fall comprise the wet season that brings thunderstorms, high water, stifling hot, humid days and mosquitoes.  Be sure to carry bug spray and a bug jacket.  Summer also brings an abundance of flowers, including swamp lilies that bloom throughout the sawgrass prairies.  Summer in the Everglades can be a physically demanding time, but it can also be extremely rewarding photographically.

Webs in the Sawgrass

An amazing phenomenon in the Everglades is the dazzling display of spider webs that light up on foggy or dewy mornings.  The sawgrass plains are always covered with webs, but they are not noticeable until backlit by the sun on foggy or dewy mornings. One of my favorite locations to photograph this event is on the main road just a couple hundred yards south of the Pahayokee turnoff.  Backlit by the early morning sun, the field on the east side of the road magically comes alive with webs that stretch as far as you can see.  It's a fabulous sight to witness and photograph.  When you shoot the webs, remember to compensate for the backlighting.

An early morning along the road to Pahayokee is time well invested.  There is a wealth of images to be captured in this very small portion of the Everglades National Park.

  Enjoy the area, tread lightly, and "pack it in, pack it out" - don't litter and don't damage anything.  Leave the area as it was when you arrived, and the road to Pahayokee will remain a memorable and rewarding experience for everyone to enjoy.