- November 27, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
In 2005, Mary Keithan took her first trip to the Everglades. She camped in a conversion van with her husband, David Rubello, and photographed the landscape of the swamp with her 8-by-10 large format camera, with black and white film.
She has visited every year since.
“My visits have been limited to a week, and that goes by so quickly,” Keithan said. “It is time to leave when I feel I am just getting started.”
But soon, Keithan will be able to take in all that the Everglades has to offer: She has been chosen for the Everglades National Park Artist-in-Residence program. The program offers artists the opportunity to live and work in the unique environment for one month. Keithan will leave April 15 for her month stay.
During her residency, she will capture the more fleeting nature of the Everglades using a digital single-lens reflex camera with a 75 to 400 mm lens, as she has done for the past two years.
“Color in nature has always been important to my work,” she said. “My eye is trained to recognize the more subtle pastels to vibrant colors — a similar experience when compared to using black and white, where I captured a full tonal range, white to black.”
Being in the Everglades will allow Keithan to access areas off the beaten path.
“Just being there is exciting to explore,” she said. “You never know what you’ll find.”
Patience will be key in her days of exploring. Just as patience was required when using her 8-by-10 camera, Keithan carries patience into her digital style.
Using a tripod, Keithan plans to stay in one place for a long period of time, allowing the birds and the wildlife to come to her in their natural setting so she can capture their personality.
But for Keithan, it’s more than just creating art. It’s the opportunity to make people aware of the natural beauty of the undeveloped land and the importance of preserving the Everglades.
