Changing Tide
Here is a video I made about a recent Everglades trip and my new camera, the Fuji X100V.
The Everglades
“Don’t touch Tiffany.”
The words were scribed on a yellow legal page and taped to the front of a female mannequin. A broken index finger on her right hand revealed a possible history of trauma.
Tiffany lived in Everglades City, Florida, in a yellow and pink building called Island Cafe. It was the kind of place local fishermen visited for an egg and sausage breakfast burrito, or for a hamburger and coke after a long day on the water. It was also the kind of place where three tourists carrying an armful of cameras could expect to receive a few amused glances.
Alex, Jenny and I arrived in Everglades City that morning and had just picked up our permit to camp on Tiger Key, a small island eight miles off the gulf coast of Florida. We decided to eat breakfast while waiting for the tide to change.
While researching this trip I learned that it’s better to wait for the outgoing tide, even if that means leaving much later in the day, than it is to paddle against the incoming tide. So we waited, eating our breakfast and speculating about Tiffany.
The walls of Island Cafe were covered with large black and white photographs by Clyde Butcher, and I wondered if the locals knew just how special that was.
Tiger Key, a mangrove island eight miles off the gulf coast of Florida, is part of the Ten Thousand Islands chain and is the northernmost island belonging to Everglades National Park. This is where we camped our first night in the Everglades.
A New Camera
Some kids sleep with teddy bears. Others, with dolls. I slept with a camera.
It was a silver film camera my dad gave me, and though I don’t remember the exact model, I’ll never forget those five letters etched in glossy black across the front: N-I-K-O-N.
It’s worth noting that the camera didn’t work. I never took a single image with it. I just liked it, and it lives on as a symbol of the beginning of my long and complicated relationship with photography.
A lot has changed in the past decade, and while I still dream of traveling the world as a photojournalist and becoming the next Steve McCurry, I know the realities of my current season do not support that dream. But the passion to make pictures and tell stories still burns in me.
I recently bought a new camera, the Fujifilm X100V. It is small, light, fun to use and perfect for chasing around and documenting the sporadic life of a two-and-a-half-year-old. It’s the perfect camera for this season of my life, and it has quickly become one of the favorite cameras I’ve ever owned. (And I’ve owned more cameras than I feel comfortable admitting here in this post.). Jenny, if you’re reading this, and I know you are, thank you for putting up with and even supporting all my camera purchases.
Over the past few years, I’ve also desired to create more videos and take my YouTube account more seriously. But excuses, doubts, fears and a general anxiety about being in front of the camera have prevented any action. When we planned this Everglades trip, I committed to bringing the X100V, taking pictures and making a video.
It’s not perfect. Me talking to the camera is, to be honest, a little cringe-worthy at times. But I did it. And I’m proud of that.
Alex floats under the fading light after arriving to Tiger Key. This is one of my favorite images from the trip. (Fuji X100V)
Changing Tide
The tide changed around 12:30 p.m., and Alex, Jenny and I set off on our adventure. You can watch the video here.
As I sit here writing, I can’t help but think about the changing tide principle and how that applies to so many other areas of my life.
Where am I paddling against the tide? Where am I paddling with it? Where do I need to stop and wait for the tide to change before proceeding? And where do I just need to turn around altogether and paddle in the opposite direction?