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This was a quiet, sweet, fun story. I shot herons and rattlesnakes, camped out in some areas, and walked through mucky swamps to photograph alligators. It was good to get outdoors and gain a sense of what the South was like when Bartram traveled there.
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I would never have gotten near some of the wildlife without advice from biologists. They reminded me to be careful of the rattlesnakes I was working with. It was unnerving because I had to get quite close to them, and I knew they could move quickly. I tried not to shake when I shot them. Fortunately nothing bad happened with the snakes—or any other time during the assignment.
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I photographed the whole thing in black-and-white infrared film and had the prints hand colored. Using infrared film is an adventure because it’s extremely sensitive to heat and light. It was quite a trick to photograph in 103°F (39°C) heat with film that’s never supposed to be used in temperatures above 70°F (21°C). Every single roll had to be changed inside a dark bag. Everywhere I worked, especially in the Deep South, I had to have a car running with the air conditioner blasting. I changed the film in the car and got out and shot before the camera body warmed up too much.
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