Print adds fall color to Swamp art Spectacular

It was a thrill to recently learn that my iconic swamp print titled "Tranquility" will be featured in the month-long 2023 Swamp Art Spectacular being held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The 12x36-inch satin metal print of the image perfectly encapsulates this year's theme of "impressions of Louisiana nature" by illustrating the sheer beauty of the state's wetlands during the fall.

The choice of a metal print was perfect, as the print media adds incredible depth and dimension to the image. A metal print is created when inks are infused into aluminum, a process that really brings an image to life.

Inclusion of "Tranquility" in the 4th Annual Swamp Art Spectacular is even more special, since the creation of the print took a couple of years from the time I visualized what I wanted and when I snapped the shutter.

You see, I knew I wanted to create a panoramic view of a cypress tree-lined bayou. The trick was finding the perfect location. Every prior attempt just fell flat.

Until I rounded a bend in little 2 O'Clock Bayou in the northern part of the sprawling Atchafalaya Basin when my wife and I went for a paddle there. It was our first time to kayak that bayou, so I didn't know what to expect.

However, when I saw this scene, my heart jumped. I instantly knew it was exactly the view I had been searching for. Those two cypress trees in the middle of the bayou were the clincher, filling some of the space and adding extra dimensionality to the scene.

That was during a summer paddle, so I bided my time until the fall color change. Once I started seeing cypress trees farther south turning golden, I loaded up my motorboat and custom 12-foot tripod and made the two-hour drive back to 2 O'Clock Bayou well before daylight.

Timing was important: I didn't want the sun to high and bright, which would have made the lighting dappled and uneven. As light began drifting over the scene, those autumn colors really popped!

I had to use my custom tripod because of the depth of the water in the middle of the bayou. So I had the tripod cranked to about 10 feet tall when I set up the camera.

A polarizing filter cut the glare from the water while maintaining the beautiful reflected colors. The filter also added some contrast to the scene and made the golden colors pop.

The final print was exactly what I envisioned!

Prints of "Tranquility" are available here!