Clyde Butcher (born September 6, 1942) is an American large-format camera photographer known for wilderness photography of the Florida landscape. He began his career doing color photography before switching to large-scale black-and-white landscape photography after the death of his son. Butcher is a strong advocate of conservation efforts and uses his work to promote awareness of the beauty of natural places."Enter a photo and essay contest inspired by Clyde and Niki Butcher's Clearwater exhibits" Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
Background Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Clyde Butcher led a nomadic childhood with his parents, until they settled in Southern California when he was 18. He attended California Polytechnic University in 1960 and graduated with a degree in architecture. While visiting Yosemite National Park in 1963, he learned about the photography studies of Ansel Adams.
In 1961 he began dating Niki Vogel. They married on June 15, 1963. He was 20. She was 18.
Beginnings of photography career During college, Butcher presented his architecture projects by creating and photographing miniature-scale models instead of making drawings."Interview with Clyde Butcher" , This Life of Leisure
After graduation, Butcher began a career in architecture. He worked with architect William Pereira on such buildings as the Transamerica building in San Francisco and worked for architectural model companies. With the downturn in the economy, Clyde lost his job and began showing his black and white images at local art festivals. He soon realized that he could make more money in photography than he was making in architecture. By 1970, he left architecture for landscape photography.
Commercial success Eventually, Butcher had a partnership that marketed and sold his images to the wall décor departments of Sears, Montgomery Ward, and J. C. Penney. He eventually accrued around 200 employees and offices in Akron, Ohio and Southern California. In order to increase sales, Butcher started photographing with color film so his images could match the avocado green shag carpets and gold couches. The bulk of his photography during this time took place west of the Rocky Mountains and in the Pacific Northwest.
To escape some of the stress of the business, he moved onto a sailboat with his wife where he lived for seven years, moored in the harbor of Newport Beach, California. The boat had no electricity or refrigeration, conditions were spartan. Living without a television on the boat gained the family a sense of peace and solitude while they could take advantage of the city.
Move to Florida and Personal Life Butcher's love for boating and the television program Flipper inspired him to explore Florida. Butcher sold his business in California, moved to Florida, and returned to selling art in street festivals.
In 1984, the Butchers attended an art festival in Winter Park and visited Tom Gaskin’s Cypress Knee Museum on U.S. Highway 27.
In 1986, the Butchers' son was killed by a drunk driver. Butcher retreated to the wilderness for solace and restoration. He put aside color photography and became a black-and-white landscape photographer using large-format cameras.
In 1993, Butcher purchased "Orchid Isle, a former orchid farm" consisting of 14 acres in Big Cypress National Preserve in Southern Florida which is surrounded by over a million acres of wilderness. This is where he built his gallery and home. He then realized that he needed to help the public to understand the beauty of the swamp and began leading guided tours through the swamp behind his gallery in Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Gallery is open seven days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
In 1997, Butcher began creating very large images up to 5' x 9' and needed a larger darkroom. To accommodate his expanding practice, he purchased a building located in an industrial park in Venice, Florida. The building is home to his 2,000 square foot darkroom as well as a gallery. The darkroom is open to the public twice a year for tours. The gallery is open Tuesday through Friday, from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm.
Conservation work Butcher's deep appreciation for the Everglades inspired him to work for the restoration and preservation of the environment. He has received recognition for his community service as well as his photography. In 1992, PBS aired a documentary about him, Visions of Florida, which won a Wolfson Award.
Butcher and his work have also inspired other artist-conservationists, such as film producer Elam Stoltzfus, who was struck by Clyde's art. The pair have formed a friendship over the years and have collaborated on several multimedia projects together as a result. Butcher hosted the documentaries "Big Cypress Swamp: The Western Everglades" and "Kissimmee Basin: The Northern Everglades," sister films that highlighted the importance of conservation and art in the state of Florida.
Beyond photography, Butcher is an active environmentalist. He has been instrumental in raising awareness about the importance of preserving natural habitats, particularly the Florida Everglades. Through his galleries, exhibitions, and public speaking engagements, he advocates for conservation and educates the public on environmental issues. He has spoken out against the environmental destruction of the South Florida Detention Facility.Gillis, Chad (Septer 23, 2025) Images of the Everglades speak loudly, as does advocate photographer Clyde Butcher Naples Daily News.
Exhibitions Clyde Butcher's photographs have been exhibited in many museums across the country including:
Las Cruces Museum - Las Cruces, NM - Lifeworks in Photography - 2024 Gadsden Museum of Art - Quincy, FL The Dali Museum - St. Petersburg, FL Museum of Fine Arts - St. Petersburg, FL James Museum - St. Petersburg, FL Fort Wayne Museum of Art - Fort Wayne, Indiana The Butler Institute of American Art - Youngstown, Ohio St. Petersburg Museum of History - St. Petersburg, FL Museum of Florida History - Tallahassee, FL Pensacola Museum of Art - Pensacola, FL The Bishop Museum of Science and Nature - Bradenton, FL Museum of the Rockies - Bozeman, MT Midwest Museum of American Art - Elkhart, Indiana Museum of Discovery and Science - Ft. Lauderdale, FL Annenberg Space for Photography - Los Angeles, CA Orlando Museum of Art - Orlando, FL Naples Museum of Art - Naples, FL Boca Raton Museum of Art - Boca Raton, Florida Fernbank Museum of Natural History - Atlanta, GA Muscarelle Museum of Art, - Williamsburg, VA Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville - Jacksonville, FL Dubuque Museum of Art - Dubuque, IA Bergstorm-Mahler Museum - Neenah, WI Ringling Museum of Art (in conjunction with Ansel Adams) - Sarasota, FL Lowe Art Museum -Miami, Florida Appleton Museum - Ocala, FL Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
International Exhibitions
National Gallery of Art - Prague, Czech Republic Gallery of Classic Photography (group exhibit) - Moscow, Russia
Books and publications
Clyde Butcher, Portfolio I: Florida Landscapes (1994, Shade Tree Press; ) Clyde Butcher: Nature's Places of Spiritual Sanctuary Photographs from 1961 to 1999 (1999, University Press of Florida; ) Living Waters: Aquatic Preserves Of Florida (2004, University Press of Florida; ) Clyde Butcher Florida Landscape (2005, University Press of Florida; ) Clyde Butcher Apalachicola River, An American Treasure (2006, Italy; ) Clyde Butcher America the Beautiful 1st edition (2007) Clyde Butcher Visions of Dali Spain (2018, Italy; ) Clyde Butcher Cuba The Natural Beauty 2nd edition (2019, Italy; ) Clyde Butcher The Everglades (2020, EBS; ) Clyde Butcher National Parks (2021, Printed in Singapore; ) Clyde Butcher Lifeworks in Photography (2024, Printed in Singapore; )
Legacy and awards Photography 1998, Florida Artist Hall of Fame Award 2000, Ansel Adams Award from the Sierra Club 2003, Florida Monthly Magazine – Best Florida Gallery 2005, North American Nature Photography Association Lifetime Achievement Award 2005 2006, Best Florida Artist, Florida Magazine Best of Florida 2006 2007, Florida International Magazine – Power Player Award 2008, Florida Trend Sustainable Florida– Legacy Award 2008, Estuary Guardian of the Year Award - Estuary Conservation Association 2011, Florida House Embassy Washington, DC –Distinguished Artist Award 2015, Florida Lake Management Society (FLMS) The Scott Driver Award 2014, Visit Sarasota County’s Voice of Sarasota Award 2017, IPA (International Photography Awards), Celebrating America’s National Parks Book, Professional Book, 1st place 2017, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation “Ding” Darling Brush of Excellence Environmental Art Program 2019, Photographic Society of America, International Understanding Through Photography Award 2019, Leadership Florida®, LeRoy Collins Lifetime Achievement Award 2020, The South Florida National Parks Trust – Lifetime Achievement Award 2020, Friends of the Rookery Bay - Lavern Norris Gaynor Environmental Champion Award 2020, Black & White Magazine, Special Issue Photo Contest Winners, Ghost Orchid Dancing & Whilden’s Pond 2022, National Medal of Arts
Community service 1996, Heartland Community Service Award 1997, Everglades Coalition Award 1997, "Person of the Week", presented by Peter Jennings on ABC News) 1997, American Planning Association - Florida Chapter Service Award 1998, South Eastern Region Nature Conservancy Conservation Colleague Award 1999, Keeping Florida Beautiful - Adopt-A-Highway Public Service Award 2004, Wolfsom Telly Award 2004, Top 100 Most Influential People in Florida 2005, Florida International University Humanitarian of the Year Award 2006, Conservancy Eagle Award - Conservancy of South West Florida 2008, Estuary Guardian of the Year Award - Estuary Conservation Association 2008, Stars Arts Award - Paradise Coast 2010, Crystal Vision Award - League of Environmental Educators of Florida 2011, Gulf Shore Life Magazine - Man of the Year 2012, Biff Lampton Conservation Communicator of the Year Award - Florida Wildlife Federation 2013, Voice of the Arts Award - Naples International Film Festival 2016, Brush of Excellence Award - Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation 2018, Theodore Roosevelt Award - Audubon Florida
Further reading "Who Will Be the Next Ansel Adams?", Popular Photography Magazine, 2004
References
External links Clyde Butcher's website Ansel Adams & Clyde Butcher "Film on Aquatic Preserves wins national award", Florida Department of Environmental Protection "Clyde Butcher, A Photographer In The Heart Of The Everglades", Shutterbug, February 2004 https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tom-shroder/seeing-the-light/ St Paul Public Library C. Butcher, Clyde on Indexmod Encyclopedia of Art and Fashion