Florida Photographer Turns To Nature During Stroke Recovery

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News Talk Florida
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In this Nov. 27, 2005 file photo, a wood stork prepares to land in a tree at Big Cypress National Preserve, Fla. Federal officials say the population of endangered wood storks has rebounded to the point where they can now be classified as threatened. Some environmentalists object to the proposed upgraded status, though, saying significant threats remain for the birds, particularly in the Everglades, where they once thrived but most recently have fled. Photo: AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File.

VENICE, Fla. (AP) — Clyde Butcher, Florida’s well-known landscape and environmental photographer who suffered a stroke in early May, recently returned to the swamp for a photo excursion.

Butcher lives in Venice and also owns a home and gallery in Big Cypress National Preserve. For more than 30 years, he ventured deep into the swamp to capture black-and-white images on large format film cameras. Recently he has also used digital cameras.

The 74-year-old told the Herald Tribune that he hopes to begin a photo project in Cedar Key in August. If he can’t navigate the boardwalks there on the walker, he may use a wheelchair.

Jackie Obendorf said her father has a good quality of life but misses the outdoors.

Butcher said the stroke was a blockage and not a burst vein.

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